I am standing on the shoreline with the wind blowing in my face and the salt drifting through the air, filling my lungs. Everything seems simple. Next to the powerful ocean I am merely a speck oblivious to the complex beauty before me. In her 1955 essay “The Marginal World,” Rachel Carson stands at the edge where the water meets the soil and she tries to see a glimpse of the hidden beauty within a small pool. When she sees what is inside, she realizes the strength of the small creatures within it. With her discovery, Carson writes of her experience and uses various rhetorical strategies to convey life that is both beautiful and complicated. Carson utilizes contrast. She starts by comparing the ebb and the flood tides. “On the ebb tide it
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Through her opening sentence, she gives the setting: “The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place” (214). The edge is where the water meets the land. It is where it all began and where the two worlds come together. On the land people feel safe. They know what is underneath their feet; the solid ground is holding them steady. On the sea most people feel a sense of fear and mystery. There is no telling how deep the water reaches or what lies below. The complexity is demonstrated by the ever changing tide. Carson implies that the place where humankind can feel safe with the complex beauties of life is where the water and sand meet. In her final sentence, Carson also describes how the edge continues to attract people because of its beauty. Life which is seemingly very complicated, can be simplified and its purpose becomes clear (219). Most associate the edge with the end, but a great starting point is at the end. It is where life starts, and new paths evolve. People are attracted to the edge because the beauty is different. The blend of land and sea display strength in the intricate grace of the organisms that live there. Their beauty and complexity lie in the elaborate formation of their bodies. The “cosmic realities” (219) that trouble people are easily endured by the creatures living at the
Through her opening sentence, she gives the setting: “The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place” (214). The edge is where the water meets the land. It is where it all began and where the two worlds come together. On the land people feel safe. They know what is underneath their feet; the solid ground is holding them steady. On the sea most people feel a sense of fear and mystery. There is no telling how deep the water reaches or what lies below. The complexity is demonstrated by the ever changing tide. Carson implies that the place where humankind can feel safe with the complex beauties of life is where the water and sand meet. In her final sentence, Carson also describes how the edge continues to attract people because of its beauty. Life which is seemingly very complicated, can be simplified and its purpose becomes clear (219). Most associate the edge with the end, but a great starting point is at the end. It is where life starts, and new paths evolve. People are attracted to the edge because the beauty is different. The blend of land and sea display strength in the intricate grace of the organisms that live there. Their beauty and complexity lie in the elaborate formation of their bodies. The “cosmic realities” (219) that trouble people are easily endured by the creatures living at the