TOW #12 - IRB

The first half of Robert M. Pirsig’s book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, is based on the profound examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The story itself is the authors’ firsthand account of when he went on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest with his young son. Through the use of imagery and compelling, yet relatable storyline, the book becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions, showing us that it is the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward.
 To make his information more presentable and interesting, Pirsig utilizes imagery. For example when writing about how once must take in their surroundings, he describes his surroundings. “After the rain stops, the sky lightens a little. But from the motel courtyard, I see past the cottonwoods that a second darkness, that of night, is about to come on. We walk into town, have supper, and by the time we get back, the fatigue of the day are really on me. We rest, almost motionless, in the metal armchairs of the motel courtyard, slowly working down a pint of whiskey that John brought with some mix from the motel cooler. It goes down slowly and agreeably. A cool night wind rattles the leaves of the cottonwoods along the road." (201) By describing the since, he not only creates interest, but he also is able to convey the point of the majesty of simple human life without directly telling the audience.
 
Pirsig also makes information more understandable by using a storyline. When one talks about such subjects such as the meaning of life, it is hard to describe such deep material. In order to convey this, Pirsig uses stories. The entire book is based on his own road trip, and it is throughout this trip in which he takes little experiences and analyses the deeper value.