A backyard is a blessing. It is an escape from society and is the closest connection to nature a man has. Let the backyard be a sanctuary of peace, let a man be alone within his sanctuary. Through towering pine trees, rays of light leave the ground glistening as the light reflects off of tiny droplets of dew. When the Sun reaches its zenith, all the forms of life in the forest are strengthened with coursing energy. This energy causes the creatures of the woods to harmonize, creating a soothing melody surrounding the backyard. To one standing within the backyard, the mind finds solitude just by being present. But if one were to want a more hands-on connection to nature, a backyard can always have a garden. A garden shows the work and energy a man and nature have put together. A garden isn’t about distorting what was already there and having machine and metal break the foundation which nature has already built. It is not cement and concrete, not plastic and metal, and not chemicals and fertilizers. A garden is when man and nature cooperate to achieve a common goal. Doing so, a man understands the needs of nature, and nature, in return, provides the most it can for the man’s needs. The backyard is a sanctuary for the man. There, the man can rest his mind yet let all his wildest ideas loose at the same time. A backyard is a place of bonding for both man and nature. Here, both work together towards a common goal which can be reflected by the state of the land.
I chose to analyze and rewrite a section from Chapter 1 of “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson but in what I consider a more simplified version that was modified to fit the ideas that come from my backyard. I started with my structure that introduces the main ideas and feelings that I accumulate while I am within my backyard. Following my introduction, I started to tie in my own rhetorical devices and rhetorical devices that Emerson used as well to develop upon the main ideas in the introduction. For example, using vivid details such as how the trees are “towering” and the ground is “glistening” due to the reflection of the dew. The use of imagery allows the reader to see how one may find peace and comfort through the serenity of the backyard. However, imagery was not one of the main rhetorical devices I saw being used by Emerson. It was just an additional detail that would help the reader create a visual image to help them calm their minds and feel as if they were in the backyard themselves. One of the devices I did find Emerson using was personification. I got this idea from the line, “Nature never wears a mean appearance.” Nature can not physically wear a physical object as a body of clothing, but in the context of the sentence, nature does not provide a feeling of animosity. Nature provides a calming and welcoming front for all. Reapplying the meaning into my text, I described how the buzz and commotion of the forest can “harmonize” and create a melody that clears a person’s soul. Overall, the use of personification in Emerson’s writing helps set up ideas that are tied in with supporting evidence later on. I applied the same principles by using the personification to help support the main claim in the introduction by poetically describing the actions of nature with a hidden meaning. This is because relating the actions of organisms or objects to humans allows for a clearer understanding of what may be happening since we are familiar with the idea of human actions, as we do it every day. My last and most major use of rhetorical device was parallel structure. Emerson uses a lot of parallel structure to highlight the main message he tries to portray. The use of parallel structure creates a pattern to help the reader understand and remember the main ideas more clearly since it creates a pattern or rhythm. The first time I used this was when I wrote about how man and nature work together to maintain a garden and that there has to be an equal balance of interaction between both. One side should not overpower the other. Lastly, I used the parallel structure to summarize the main points I made in the introduction but more memorably and rhythmically since it helps to leave the lesson within the reader’s mind for longer. Overall, Emerson uses many rhetorical devices that, when carefully read, connects and strengthens his claim that nature is necessary and will help one gain wisdom and calm.
Nature from a Small Window 