The essayTides,? written by Rachel Carson, was first published in The Sea Around Us in 1951. This essay is for oceanographers or scientists, but can also be understood by a general audience. Carson showsTides? to be an informative essay stating the effects that planetary forces and physical dimensions of the ocean can have on the tides. Carson then discusses the history of the tides and how they affect the earth and its inhabitants. Additionally, Carson explains the influence of the tides on sea travelers and minute creatures of the sea. She successfully gets her point across by using many facts, some examples, and a few descriptions.
First, Carson successfully gets her point across by using facts. She uses numbers in her facts to give the reader something that is easy to relate to. Carson begins with the amount of water affected by tidal currents everyday:Into one small bay on the east coast of North America-Passamaquoddy-2 billion tons of water are carried by the tidal currents everyday; into the whole Bay of Fundy, 100 billion tons? (598). The use of these numbers makes it easier for the reader to comprehend the information. This broadens the essay's audience because anyone can understand numbers. Carson also uses numbers to leave an emotional impact on the reader:But over the millions of years the moon has receded, driven away by the friction of the tides it creates? (600). Carson then explains, thatThis retarding will continue, according to mathematicians, until the day is about 50 times as long as it is now? (600). The use of numbers when stating this event truly explains to the reader the serious importance of the tides for the earth's survival. The reader may experience a fear of the world changing and be more likely to remember the information, thus leaving them with an emotional impact. Carson also gives some fundamental facts to back up her point:The tides are a response to the mobile waters of the ocean to the pull of the moon and the more distant sun? (598).