Spring Break

For spring break I went to San Diego with my family. We rented a house on the boardwalk of Pacific Beach. I would sit on our front patio for hours on end just watching the endless train of people walk by. These are not the same type of people that one could see sitting at the mall or even in an airport. For some reason this boardwalk attracts some of the most interesting people I have ever seen or met. Whenever I made eye contact with a passerby I would be friendly and say "Hi!" followed by whatever comment felt appropriate for that person. Some people would ignore me completely and others I actually became "friends" with and we talked for a while! There was no bias to who I talked to, but one person will stay in my mind forever. The people of Mission Bay call him "Slomo". This comes from his daily ritual of skating down the boardwalk every day on rollerblades, in slow motion! His actual name is Dr. John Kitchen. As I was people watching off of our porch, he happened to fall and I went to help him up, and offered him a drink. He accepted and we chatted for a while enjoying a couple beers as the sun went down. I inquired about his life story leading him to become "Slomo" and was thoroughly surprised by all of it. All in all, the memory of me sitting on the patio with this man enjoying the people watching (with one of the primary persons watched!) and meeting a new friend will stay with me forever.

For more info on "Slomo"

http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050912/news_1m12jenkins.html

Muir Analysis

John Muir aims to show the reader that the world was not created for mans use alone, but all creatures used and enjoyment. His use of language is essential for getting across his message in various tones throughout the piece. One of these tones came across in a condescending way in order to make his point seem like the only viable correct option. “They have precise dogmatic insight of the intentions of the Creator, and it is hardly possible to be guilty in speaking of their God any more than of heathen idols.” He takes the extreme position that some people hold and makes it sound utterly ridiculous. Another tone that is prevalent is sarcasm, relating in a similar way to making the opposing position sound illogical and lacking any common sense backing as when he says, “How about those man eating animals ... Doubtless man was intended to for food and drink for all of these? Oh, no! Not at all!” This tone is very well suited for his intended purpose of persuading people that the world was created for all creatures. He provides logical evidence and presents it in a way that is extremely hard to argue against.