Evaluate the following descriptive paragraph. How well does it appeal to the reader's senses? What is the overall effect? "About 15 miles below Monterey, on the wild coast, the Torres family had their farm, a few sloping acres above a cliff that dropped to the brown reefs and to the hissing white waters of the ocean. Behind the farm the stone mountains stood up against the sky. The farm buildings huddled like the clinging aphids on the mountain skirts, crouched low to the ground as though the wind might blow them into the sea. The little shack, the rattling, rotting barn were gray-bitten with sea salt, beaten by the damp wind until they had taken on the color of the granite hills. Two horses, a red cow and a red calf, half a dozen pigs and a flock of lean, multi-colored chickens stocked the place. A little corn was raised on the sterile slope, and it grew short and thick under the wind, and all the cobs formed on the landward sides of the stalks." — John Steinbeck, “Flight”
1 answer
This descriptive paragraph appeals to the reader's senses quite effectively. The use of specific details and vivid imagery helps the reader to visualize the setting and experience it through their senses. The mention of the "brown reefs" and the "hissing white waters" appeals to the sense of sight and sound, while the description of the farm buildings being "gray-bitten with sea salt" appeals to the sense of touch. The mention of the wind blowing the buildings into the sea creates a sense of movement and adds to the sensory experience. The mention of the horses, cow, calf, pigs, and chickens appeals to the sense of sight and adds to the overall effect of a lively and bustling farm. The description of the corn growing short and thick under the wind and the cobs forming on the landward sides of the stalks appeal to the sense of touch and also give a sense of the challenging conditions of the farm. Overall, the paragraph effectively appeals to the reader's senses and creates a vivid and immersive mental image of the setting.
1 answer