The Other Side of the Mountain Essays

The Other Side of the Mountain Essays The Other Side of the Mountain Essay The Other Side of the Mountain Essay A get away can be appreciated from The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver in which the main character experiences a change, a change in her way of thinking. The passage serves to present a theme about the upcoming events in the book. It does so by describing the changes that the author lives through, her reactions to it, and even unexpected surprises encountered during her rebirth stage that gives the reader hints or clues leading to the upcoming.The reader is able to apperceive the protagonists mind because of the authors simple fashion of writing, and its relatively easy comprehensibility.At the beginning, she adopts a new name as she adopts a new perspective on the world, broadening out from her rural Kentucky background to a larger view of life. She realizes a names importance by reflecting that we receive it, and we do not choose it (line 6-7), but admits she had influence in choosing her new name. Her anxiety to get a new name, therefore adopt a change (the motif in this passage) , displays itself in line 5: I didnt have anything special, but just wanted a change. This gives the reader a question in mind: Why the urge to forget the past? The answer can not be responded with this passage, but instead, the excerpt leaves it to the imagination. In addition, the cars driving and gas stations contribute to the meaning of an upcoming life. They are both associated with a vacation, a trip, or just the search for something enjoyable, and there has to be a refueling that, in this case, occurs mentally. The character refuels by thinking about her mother (discussed later).In Oklahoma, she meets Bob Two Two, who, according to her, asked for a fair price (line 42) that left her with almost half the money she had. She used Bob to fix her car because she perceived the place she landed on, as a godless stretch of nothing (line 44). That part is where she broke her promise. She had stated that she would stay whenever her car gave out. It is clear that she had influence in bo th her name and the place she would stay, furthermore revealing the lack of firmness in her promises, which displays her naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½vetà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½.Moreover, she seems to have a strong bond with her mom. The simple fact that she calls her mom Mama exhibits a relationship in which names of affection are given and heartedly accepted. I wonder what her mom called her In addition to her relationship with her mom, we can infer that the name giving exists from an admiration towards her, an admiration to her adult thinking in contrast to her naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½vetà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, previously explained. All this thinking about her mom refuels her, for an unknown upcoming event (foreshadowing).She presents the Cherokee land as being godless. The Cherokees believed God was in the trees(line56), and then she explains the landscape: From what I could see, there was not one tree in the entire state of Oklahoma (line 59). This statement shows the characters beliefs toward religion, or perhaps homeland. An interpretation could be made from the fact that she perceives her own familys past as being archaic, something that does not influence her and her new persona. From what I could see (line 59) cues us that she has a limited perspective and could never see too far (line 32). However, her mom probably was not talking literally when she said that they can always go live on the Cherokee Nation and meant that it was an open place of mental peace. Here lies the difference that her mom and the protagonist had, and from that difference comes an admirationThe protagonist demonstrates signs of depression throughout the text by the style in which she describes her thoughts. I would drive west until my car stopped running, and there I would stay (line 25-26) is her way of showing vague thinking. In other words, no sane person would take such a huge risk. Another example occurs during the time that the character was engaged in reverie. At the time her car was fixed, she says, I could have fix ed it myself showing that after she saw what Bob Two Two did, she knew what he did was simple. It shows that she did not even attempted. She could even be considered suicidal as well, because of her relationship with God in the text. For example she uses particular phrases like, nothing left to hope for (line 35-36), godless (do you see God when you want do die? Does reassurance exist in you?) (Line 44). In addition, when she imparts that there was not one tree in the entire state of Oklahoma she says, in other words, that she did not see trees in the horizon, hence life in her horizon.The passage uses literary features to attract the readers attention toward the text and allure him, enhancing his understanding, like personification, used in line 8 to incarnate the car, as if it was able to make decisions. In addition, on line 25-26, she uses metonym and metaphor to establish the relationship between the car and the supposed-wheels running. Used in line 31, is antithesis that serves to emphasize Oklahomas flatness. Along with those mentioned, she also makes use of diction (Southern slangy). Nevertheless, perhaps one of the most prominent literary resources used is irony. The author used irony at the end, when she abruptly stated that there was no God in Oklahoma, when the reader was expecting all, but the opposite, based on the context.The inevitable advancing course of time that turns people from children to adults, and from adults to elders, is an undying theme. In this text, the character decides to run away and attempts to make a rebirth. One cannot deny that everyone, at one time, desires to get away and wishes to go past those mountains even if it means changing our name.

Winter Weather Terminologies

Winter Weather Terminologies The terms winter storms and snowstorms may mean roughly the same thing, but mention a word like blizzard, and it conveys so much more than just a storm with snow. Heres a look at the flurry of winter weather terms you may hear in your forecast, and what each means.   Blizzards Blizzards are dangerous winter storms whose blowing snow and high winds lead to low visibility and white out conditions. While heavy snowfall often occurs with blizzards it isnt needed. In fact, if strong winds pick up snow thats already fallen this would be considered as a blizzard (a ground blizzard to be exact.) In order to be considered a blizzard, a snowstorm must have: heavy snow OR blowing snow, winds of 35 mph or more, and a visibility of 1/4 mile or less, all lasting for at least 3 hours. Ice Storms Another type of dangerous winter storm is the ice storm. Because the weight of ice (freezing rain and sleet) can down trees and power lines, it doesnt take much of it to paralyze a city. Accumulations of just 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches are considered to be significant, with accumulations over 0.5 inches considered as crippling. (Just 0.5 inches of ice on power lines can add up to 500 pounds of extra weight!) Ice storms are also extremely dangerous to motorists and pedestrians. Bridges and overpasses are especially dangerous when traveling since they freeze before other surfaces. Lake Effect Snow Lake effect snow occurs when cold, dry air moves across a large warm body of water (such as one of the Great Lakes) and picks up moisture and heat. Lake effect snow is known for producing heavy bursts of snow showers known as snow squalls, which drop several inches of snowfall per hour. Noreasters Named for their winds which blow from the northeast, noreasters are low pressure systems that bring heavy rain and snow to the East Coast of North America. Although a true noreaster can occur any time of the year, theyre most fierce in the winter and spring and can often be so strong that they trigger blizzards and thundersnow. How hard is it snowing? Like rainfall, there are a number of terms used to describe snowfall depending on how fast or intensely it is falling. These include: Snow Flurries: Flurries are defined as light snow falling for a short duration. They can also be tiny snowflakes falling for longer periods of time. The most accumulation that can be expected is a light dusting of snow.Snow Showers: When snow is falling at varying intensities for brief periods of time, we call it snow showers. Some accumulation is possible, but not guaranteed.Snow Squalls: Often, brief but intense snow showers will be accompanied by strong, gusty winds. These are referred to as snow squalls. Accumulation may be significant.Blowing Snow: Blowing snow is another winter hazard. High wind speeds can blow falling snow into almost horizontal bands. In addition, lighter snows on the ground may be picked up and redistributed by the wind causing reduced visibility, white out conditions, and snow drifts. Edited by Tiffany Means