1. Didion shows how the “ease of California life” is an illusion by describing to the reader the difficulties of the dry nature of California. For example she discusses the fires behind the Big Sur coast, which started because of how dry and dead the land was becoming. She furthers this dry ideal by describing the tumbleweeds and rattlesnakes near her house, which in turn makes the reader think about a desert. Additionally, she goes on to talk about the large unpredictable earthquakes.

2. My old purple nike running shoes with the blue check mark used to be worn practically daily, but now they sit untouched in the back of my closet. They had become part of my daily routine as I practiced and practiced. These shoes helped me push myself to my limit and to places I’d never thought I’d see. Even though I looked and felt weak, they symbolized a way for me to prove my strength and worth to the people that surrounded me and to myself.