Article 2

“This,” he said, “really is the absolute end, the final chilling desolation, in which the whole majestic sweep of creation becomes extinct. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the proverbial ‘it’.”

He dropped his voice still lower. In the stillness, a fly would not have dared clear its throat.

“After this,” he said, “there is nothing. Void. Emptiness. Oblivion. Absolute nothing ...”

His eyes glittered again --- or did they twinkle?

“Nothing ... except, of course, for the desserts and a fine selection of Aldebaran liqueurs!”

…

“And for once,” he cried cheerily, “you don’t need to worry about having a hangover in the morning --- because there won’t be any more mornings!” (Adams 227)

      Stylistically, Adams is everything that I strive to be when writing- intelligent whimsy revealing a deeper message, a piece that, despite its peculiarities, never gets boring or too confusing. I can't emulate Adams's method of starting his great works (getting drunk), but I can attempt to keep my audience interested by avoiding repetition and striving to keep my audience interested by actually having something to say. Adams's thoughts about the end of the universe, as spoken through Max Quordlepleen (the speaker above), also parallel my own ways of thinking-- I feel that life is to be lived, and overburdening yourself with restrictions ruins it. I can extend that way of thinking to writing: I need feel my way through a piece, rather than just muddling aimlessly to the end of the page.