The Best Refuge For Insomniacs

Landriault 1


Krista Landriault
Mrs. Lenti
ENG 4UL-01
10 October 2002
Analysis of “The Best Refuge For Insomniacs”
Lance Morrow’s essay “The Best Refuge For Insomniacs” explores the bare subject of reading. The author uses a structured organization of ideas with a serious and affectionate tone to produce a formal piece of writing; but personalizes it with a functional language style, first person point of view and an implied thesis. The author’s first purpose is to convince the reader of the comfort books can bring during troubling times, and his second purpose is to persuade the reader to find his or her own list of favorite books. Morrow achieves his twofold purpose through the use of emphasis and coherence.
The essayist uses emphasis to stress his bare subject and his purpose: announcement of the thesis, principal idea, repetition of the main idea, and the use of intensified style. To begin, Morrow announces his thesis in a clear but implied manner: “The...