The Santa Ana winds, as defined by Joan Didion, occurred on the leeward slope of a mountain range, and shifted from a mass of cold air to a dry and hot wind as it made its way down the mountain it. The opening paragraphs of Didion's essay "Los Angeles Notebook" clearly note that the Santa Ana winds are not to be taken lightly and that its effects are negative. Her aversive feelings toward the Santa Ana are portrayed through the diction and imagery. Also, the comparisons she makes and, the anecdotes and examples Didion provides expose her negative views of the winds.

The opening sentence describes the environment as tense and unnaturally still, Didion then proceeds to explain that the uneasiness in the air is due to the arrival of a Santa Ana. Immediately one associates the Santa Ana wind with an uncomfortable atmosphere. She describes the ocean...