TOW #23- Feet in Smoke

“Feet in Smoke: A Story About Electrified Near-Death” by John Jeremiah Sullivan

Author John Jeremiah Sullivan frequently contributes his works to The New York Times Magazine, alongside editing for Harper’s Magazine and The Paris Review. His pieces have won several awards, including the Eclipse Award, the National Magazine Award, and the Whiting Award. This specific memoir is about Sullivan’s brother’s brush with death. Sullivan utilizes anecdote and vivid imagery to prove the importance of his brother, Worth, to him, and the horrifying ease with which death can taunt life. Primarily, Sullivan describes his relationship with his brother through a story about him sneaking into Worth’s room to listen to music, even though his older brother had forbid it. Sullivan proved through this story that, since his brother is seven years older, they were not always very close. That is, until they were able to share their love of music. Additionally, Sullivan uses descriptive imagery when he writes about the day his brother was dangerously electrocuted. He states that, before singing the opening lines of Sullivan’s favorite song, “a surge of electricity arced through his body, magnetizing the mike to his chest like a tiny but obstinate missile, searing the first string and fret into his palm, and stopping his heart. He fell backward and crashed, already dying” (Sullivan). The diction of this specific quote creates a horrible image in the minds of the audience: the crippling picture of a man seemingly struck by lightning, collapsing after being stung by the current. The combination of the brotherly anecdote and the vivid imagery appeal to the emotions of the readers. The story causes the audience to imagine their family members, and to remember the times when they truly felt connected and like family. The following image of the near death experience, though, shatters these happy thoughts with the fear most people have: losing a family member. The brutal and abrupt diction utilized immediately following a touching story shows the readers the shock that Sullivan felt in the moment he heard of his brother’s condition, and how it affected him so negatively, proving his love for his brother, and how death can appear in an instant.

TOW #22- Fearless Girl Statue

“Fearless Girl” Statue

Throughout the history of America, women have been underestimated, especially in their abilities to occupy the same jobs as men. This was especially true in office buildings and large companies, where women were and still are, in some cases, unable to be promoted or paid as much as men. Wall Street, a famous area in the Financial District of New York City, was mainly employed with men from its establishment in 1817 until Muriel Siebert bought a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1967. However, no women followed Siebert’s steps onto Wall Street for another 10 years. Even today, women on Wall Street are still discriminated due to their gender, which is the main reason this sculpture was created.

                In 1989, Arturo Di Modica created the Charging Bull statue in 1989, which symbolizes the aggressiveness of financial prosperity. Due to Wall Street’s evident discrimination, many believe that the bull also symbolizes the power of men in the financial industry. On the other hand, on March 8, 2017, sculptor Kristen Visbal installed a statue of a young girl standing in front of the bull. This statue symbolizes the power that women have, no matter their age or experience. Set in place for International Women’s Day, the defiant girl is meant to encourage firms to hire more women, and to grant them the jobs they deserve. The hands-on-hips pose and open stance shows that the girl is ready to face whatever the bull has in store for her, just as women on Wall Street are able and prepared to tackle the financial industry and to hold corporate positions. Although it is only expected to remain in this spot for a week, images of this art piece have already spread throughout the internet, empowering women past those on Wall Street. Everywhere in the world, women have viewed this picture, and are thus reminded of their true strength and power, no matter their age. 

TOW #21- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Following a childhood plagued by her parents’ divorce, the multiple times the family moved, and sexual abuse, Maya Angelou wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography about her life up until the age of 17. Primarily, Oprah Winfrey wrote the foreword in the version of the book that I am currently reading. In this introduction, Winfrey used metaphors to connect to the readers, and to intrigue them. For example, she compares the book to “an old friend” (ix). This metaphor shows the audience how much Winfrey cherishes the story, and how it truly makes her feel. Friends are people who spread safety and happiness to each other, which is what this book did for Oprah Winfrey; it was there for her when she felt like no one else would understand, just as friends are. Furthermore, this appeals to the pathos, or emotions, of the readers by comparing the pages to a friend, someone almost everyone can relate their love of. Then, in the first chapter, Angelou utilizes similes in order to add more description to her story, helping the readers visualize exactly what was going on, and to feel what the author was feeling. The author describes how nervous she was in church, and how “each time I breathed it rustled, and now that I was sucking in air to breathe out shame it sounded like crepe paper on the back of hearses”, and how her skin looked “dirty like mud” (2). These similes made it simpler for the audience to imagine what was happening to Angelou in the church, and how she felt about it. Before leaving her house, Angelou thought that she was wearing the most beautiful dress in the world; however, upon arriving to mass, she realized that it actually looked horrendous, especially since she could not remember the prayer she was supposed to read. This is the reason that the comparison is to hearses, which are funeral cars. By relating the way the dress sounded to the way cars that hold coffins sound, Angelou was able to depict to the audience how the outfit truly made her feel. Additionally, comparing her skin to mud, and imagining her life as a white girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, gives readers insight into what the author is thinking and what she may be thinking throughout the book. Angelou thinks that her life would be easier if she were white, as made obvious with her various similes and metaphors. 

TOW #20- True Love

“True Love” by Haruki Murakami

Japanese author Haruki Murakami wrote an essay called “True Love” after having won various awards for his writing, including the World Fantasy Award and the Frank O-Connor International Short Story Award. In this essay, Murakami utilizes descriptive simile and allegorical narrative in order to convince the audience that true love is rare and fleeting. When describing the “100% perfect girl” he saw on the streets of Harujuku, the author states that “the moment I see her, there’s a rumbling in my chest, and my mouth is as dry as a desert” (Murakami). This illustration of the man’s feelings shows how great of an affect falling in love can have on a person, even when they haven’t spoken a word to the other person. The simile portraying the author’s state upon passing by a wonderful woman proves that love can occur in an instant, and, as Murakami does not interact with the girl, it shows that love can leave as soon as it came. Additionally, Murakami uses an allegory about two lovers who, instead of staying together as they belonged, separated in hopes of finding each other again someday, thus reassuring their beliefs of their infatuation. Unfortunately, the boy and the girl lose their memories of each other, and although they do meet again, they do not end up together. This story proves to the audience that love is something to cherish and take care of if a couple does have it, because you can never know what life brings you. The two lovers were both deathly ill and lost their memories; however, if they kept the love they had from the beginning, they could have gotten through it together. Murakami wants the audience to realize that love can come and go, therefore everyone must grab it and hold on tight once they have it.  

TOW #19- Visual Text

This political cartoon, published on November 20, 2015 by The Week magazine, depicts an interaction between president Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler. The setting of the cartoon is on the Celebrity Apprentice, a popular television show that Donald Trump previously hosted. Trump’s anti-Islamic claims, as displayed in this image, are ones that the author believes Hitler would support. As fascist dictator of Germany, Hitler was extremely anti-Semitic—he tortured and murdered the people of his country and others solely due to their religious beliefs and physical appearance. Presently, a similar issue of prejudice exists in America and throughout the world. Muslims everywhere are turned away simply due to their looks or clothing because of the numerous terror groups in the Middle East, some of which claim to be affiliated with Islam. In this text, the author uses slight hyperbole in the way that, although Trump’s ideas of closing places of worship and forcing a certain group only to carry identification are ignorant, racist, and inhumane, his actions are incomparable to those of Hitler. The two may share some beliefs or general characteristics, but Trump has not invaded other countries and committed mass murder of a specific race. In addition, the image shows Trump’s hair covering his eyes. The president’s hair is often ridiculed, which may have contributed to the drawing; however, the author may have wanted to show that Trump is blindly following Hitler’s belief system. Trump’s hands are also in the position in which Hitler’s soldiers and followers were when they praised their leader. The combination of these two aspects displays that Trump is not completely aware of where his current statements and actions are leading the country. Blindly, he shares that he wants to close mosques and force a single race to carry identification, thus taking away Muslims’ right to freedom of religion and making the entire religion outcasts in society. In conclusion, the above cartoon compares Trump to Hitler in order to show Americans how drastic his anti-Islamic views are, and how negatively his presidency can affect the United States.

TOW #18-The Same River Twice

“The Same River Twice” by David Quammen

“The Same River Twice” is inspired by a quote from Greek philosopher Heraclitus, and describes the importance and impact of ancient philosophy on modern issues. Quammen is a well-known American science and nature write, who also has experience with fly-fishing. The author uses imagery to help convey the scenes in his lengthy anecdote. Quammen describes every aspect of the river and his friends: the flies that mate above the water, the brown trout that gulp them up, the sheep that take sips of the flowing water, the homeowners who shared their lovely spring creek. This helped strengthen the story because the audience was able to put themselves in Quammen’s shoes and imagine being one with nature, with the river spritzing their legs and the trout zooming by, avoiding capture at all costs. Description brought up emotions in the readers, reminding them of their love for the outdoors, and helping them feel the way the author does for the river. As displayed through his anecdote about his favorite river in Montana, the importance of such a quote runs deeper than most people would think. Quammen was able to befriend a couple at his river, and after the couple divorced and the trio dispersed, the river is no longer the same to Quammen. Thus, this proves that quotes are openly interpretable because, not only are rivers different because the water is always moving, but also because people are always changing. The anecdote and imagery used by the author shows that the ancient quote from Heraclitus is still applicable to his life, and is able to describe humans just as accurately. 

TOW #17- The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination

“The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination” by J.K. Rowling

In June of 2008, the creator of the beloved book and movie series starring Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling delivered a commencement speech for Harvard graduates. Famous for her vivid description and unending imagination, Rowling captivated readers and watchers worldwide with her stories, and continues to do so with more current additions to the image of the wizarding world. In order to unconventionally share advice with a graduating class, Rowling utilizes allusions and anecdotes to connect to her audience and prove the importance of imagination. Her speech begins with Rowling acknowledging the honor in her position, and points out her nervousness. Upon doing so, she mentions Gryffindor, a “house” at the wizarding school, Hogwarts, that is the main setting of her popular books. Being that the Harry Potter series was released in the 1990s, a majority of the graduating class of 2008 would have read and loved the books during their childhood; therefore, this allusion would remind them of their younger days at a time when it seems they would be over. Rowling also mentions the “real world”, the place humans are sent following college graduation. In referencing her own books, this childhood memory helps aid her purpose of the importance of imagination. Believing in an entire world created by one person’s mind takes an outstanding amount of imagination—without this, Harry Potter wouldn’t have sold so many copies, made so many movies, and touched so many people. With this in mind, the audience is hooked into the speech and ready to remain open to the text. Additionally, Rowling uses personal anecdotes to appeal to her audience. One of the most difficult parts of growing up is deciding a college major and an occupation. On top of that, the stress of parental expectations and passion versus money creates a horrific nightmare of seemingly never-ending decisions. Rowling is aware of this, and tells the audience about how her parents did not think her imagination would help her in the long run. The author then goes on to talk about the benefits of failure and the necessity that imagination is. Letting her listeners know that she has been in their position and knows what they are going through not only keeps the attention of the audience, but truly makes them listen and take her words to heart. Therefore, author J.K. Rowling’s Harvard commencement speech included allusions and anecdotes with the purpose of describing the importance of imagination to all.