The Mud Below - Exercise 1

The gentle formality and mellifluous flow of the straight-forward diction in Annie Proulx's The Mud Below exudes a Rodeo-like sensation underscoring the feeling of being a real cowboy. The bodies of the cowboys were “gleaming with sweat.” The riders sat confidently on their bulls, with their “butts cocked to one side.” The raw intensity of the description of the rodeo creates a foreboding chaos as bulls are about to be released.    The fanatical fervidness continues through the paragraph as the time came closer, "bringing the adrenaline roses up on his cheeks." The vibrant flow of blood throughout the rider, as if he was about to bungee jump off of the empire state building, furthers the sharp ferocity of the rodeo.