The Temptations of Two Reflection

In Susan Fox Rogers' The Temptations of Two, she addresses the differences between traveling alone versus with a group and the dangers involved either way. When Susan kayaks alone she is "full of bold caution" yet she is also free. What others call loneliness she thinks of as freedom. When Susan kayaks with her friend, Emily, they take more risks. Susan admits that without Emily, she never would've left so late, paddled backwards, or ridden in the dark. Yet, "safety is not why [she] go[es]" on these trips. Rogers' use of language and metaphors gives the essay life. When she describes the water as "silty and almost gelatinous" as it "washed creepily over [her] skin", Rogers does more than describe how the water looks; she gives it personality. She describes the air, free of bugs, as having the "texture of...velvet", which is something readers can feel.