Debra Marquart's the Horizontal World

Debra Marquart's The Horizontal World

Poet, Debra Marquart, in her memoir about her youth in North Dakota, she conveys her love toward her home. Marquart's purpose is to convince her audience that her region is unique for many reasons. Marquart uses an admirable and convincing tone in order to appeal to the reader's logos and knowledge of the Midwest. Marquart's astounding use of allusion and diction characterize the midwest as amazing.

In her memoir Marquart constantly refers to writers to describe the region as unique. For example, she refers to Sylvia Wheeler when she writes, "we are the folks presidents talk to when times require." Marquart uses allusion here to distinguish her people as of rich heritage and important to the country because presidents believe that their opinions are valuable. Also, she brings out the fact that the people from the Midwest are important to America, to whom she has a strong respect towards. However, the qualities of the people are mixed to the barren features of the region, this is clearly seen when she quotes Steven Long saying that "it was a region uninhabitable for people depending on agriculture for subsistence." By mixing the people and the environment, she targets those who believed that the Midwest was an uninteresting region. Also, by introducing this idea that the Midwest was lifeless she shows her joy for the people who live there.

Also, Marquart uses diction to label