William H. Calvin: The Great Climate Flip-Flop Rhetorical Analysis

In William H. Calvin's piece, "The Great Climate Flip-flop" he explains with great depth the global warming and cooling cycles. He appears to be speaking to those that are familiar with the concepts, but perhaps also learning. His range of explanations goes from metaphorical, "Oceans are not well mixed at any time. Like a half-beaten cake mix, with strands of egg still visible, the ocean has a lot of blobs and streams within it" to very straightforward, "The back and forth of the ice started 2.5 million years ago, which is also when the ape-sized hominid brain began to develop into a fully human one, four times as large and reorganized for language, music, and chains of inference." This shows us that the audience may have some understanding of historical concepts, but that Calvin is trying to keep the attention of, and teach the audience as well.

The tone that Calvin sets in discussing this is one that depends on his audience. Calvin, himself, appears fascinated and resentful of his career choice (or those that do not appreciate it) at the same time. After going into detail about Europe's different climate, he muses, "I hope never to see a failure of the northernmost loop of the North Atlantic Current" fully understanding within himself the implications this would cause. This is one of many sentences that show his fascination, as he does not have to explain further, but gives bite to the magnitude of it. However, his angst at the perceived importance and his reality of importance to this subject is caught in a few sentences, "…the regional record is poorly understood, and I know at least one reason why. These days when one goes to hear a talk on ancient climates of North America, one is likely to learn that the speaker was forced into early retirement from the U.S. Geological Survey by budget cuts. Rather than a vigorous program of studying regional climatic change, we see the shortsighted preaching of cheaper government at any cost." Perhaps he is preaching his own story.

Overall, Calvin seeks to fascinate others with his facts and lengthy numbers. He is knowledgeable with the cycles and coined the term "flip-flop" to describe the process, perhaps seeking to make this subject more fun.