Edward Hoagland - Heaven and Nature

In Heaven and Nature by Edward Hoagland, he discusses the science and mindset of a person right before they take their own lives. Hoagland first states that it is against the nature of a human to end their own lives, but then after considering aspects such as marriage, jobs, responsibilities, and increased stress, he admits that the idea of suicide isn’t too far out of reach. An esteemed American traveler and writer, Edward Hoagland is best known for having published several essays regarding human behavior. His writes to understand and spread awareness of the rising numbers of people that commit suicide each year and argues against those who see suicide as an act of cowardice. Hoagland’s main audience are those in their 40s and 50s because he believes that their increased boredom and lack of excitement in their lives are what fuels suicidal thoughts primarily in this age group. In the essay, Hoagland employs the use of rhetorical devices simile and logos to add more detail to his writing. For example, he writes: “People sidle toward death, intent upon outwitting their own bodies’ defenses, or they may dramatize the chance to make one last, unambiguous, irrevocable decision, like a captain scuttling his ship - death before dishonor - leaping toward oblivion through a curtain of pain, like a frog going down the throat of a snake.” (Hoagland 509). Hoagland compares the act of committing suicide to a frog jumping down the throat of a snake with ‘like’, which is a key indicator of a simile. The purpose of the simile is for the author to connect to the reader on a personal level. In addition to similes, Hoagland also uses logos to seem more credible. For instance, in the passage, Hoagland says, “more than thirty-thousand Americans took their own lives last year [1987], men mostly, with the highest rate being among those older than sixty-five” (Hoagland 509). The speaker, Hoagland, appealed to logos, also known as reason, by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, which in this case are statistics, to back up his claim that suicide is a serious concern in America. Hoagland’s use of statistics and figurative language enabled him to keep the reader’s attention while advancing his argument. Through fact and figurative language, Hoagland succeeds in relating to the reader while still proving to society how big a problem suicide is. By the end of the tale, there can be no doubt in the reader’s mind that Hoagland’s thesis is accurate: suicide is not a form of cowardice, rather it is a serious matter that must be publicly addressed and ultimately stopped.

Midlife Crisis// Randy Glasbergen