Close Readings

Reverie in Yellow (#1)


               Originally published in The New York Times by an unknown author, Reverie in Yellow has excellent examples of literary tools used to draw the reader in.  The author, who writes about an experience in New York City, uses diction, imagery, and details to make the reader fully understand the experience and feel as though he or she is in New York City.
               The diction in this editorial are words that one wouldn't expect in this particular piece of writing.  The author uses words that stand out as different but add to the description, making it that much more engaging and interesting to the reader.  Out of context, the word "seduction" makes me think of a dimly lit room with candles and roses; however, when he uses the word to describe how a taxi window makes you want to peer out of it, it articulates the feeling so clearly that you really understand the draw of the window.  Later in the editorial, the author states that the window "demands your attention".  The word "demand" personifies the window, making one feel as though he is literally submissive to the window and must do as it asks.  The author uses these words to make looking out the window seem like something everyone is powerless to resist, and must indulge in.

               New York City is full of bustling streets and people, and the author does a good job of capturing that in his writing.  Because the editorial is based on the action of looking out the window in a taxi, he makes the events leading up to it pale in comparison and seem mundane and boring.  He says that to get one in NYC, "You raise your arm, a cab pulls over, and off you go".  Simple as that, nothing exciting.  The author makes this imaginary taxi passenger unsuspicious of the seducing that's about to take place.  And, once our passenger is looking through the window, "it is like snorkeling through a crowded coral reef."  The image of a busy ocean, crowded yet attractive at the same time, is used to describe the streets of NYC.  The simile relates the experience of looking through the window to just as fascinating as looking at oceanic life.  He uses another oceanic image in his metaphor "your cab is just one fish in a school of yellow fishes".  The author shows how the experience, though glorious when you are the one experiencing it, is just a tiny part of all the happenings in NYC.
               To prevent the reader from getting lost in the experience of the window, the author uses details to focus his writing and show a modern and clear purpose.  There are a few specific details the author uses in his editorial to sort of make the writing pop.  Before he describes looking through the taxi window, he states how people realize how much they need it in times when taxis are suspended "as it was during Hurricane Irene."  He gives a real example of a recent time when they were suspended, just so we know he isn't making up the fact that taxis sometimes get suspended.  It gives depth and perspective since Hurricane Irene was only a few weeks ago.  At the end of the editorial, he starts to finish his literary taxi drive with "as the traffic slows near Times Square", stating a specific spot in NYC.   I think that the author added this detail to prove that his theoretical taxi drive indeed had a purpose, and the action of looking out the window was just an added bonus.
               Reverie in Yellow is a unique and refreshing glimpse inside the mind of a NYC inhabitant.  The author of the editorial uses sharp diction and descriptive imagery to allow our mind to paint pictures of the scene while keeping us centered on the main points and setting.  As readers, we are drawn into the experience of the taxi cab and feel as though we are looking out the window with the author himself.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/opinion/reverie-in-yellow.html?ref=editorials




Alabama’s Shame (#2)

             The tense topic of immigration is prevalent in today’s society; everywhere we look, people are debating about what should be the status of illegal and legal immigrant into the United States.  Some states, much to the dismay of many pro-immigration citizens, are cracking down on laws to limit and regulate immigrants.  In “Alabama’s Shame” the author uses diction, imagery, and details to argue his opinion that the law in Alabama (which requires school officials to check the immigration status of newly enrolled students and parents) is unconstitutional and unjust and that President Obama needs to more forcefully argue for the values the exist in American society.

            Because the author is against the new law in Alabama, his use of diction adds to his tone of disappointment, anger, and unrest that contribute to his argument.  He uses words such as “hostile” to describe the state of Alabama and describes the condition of immigrants in Alabama as a result of the new law as “isolated”, “unemployable”, “poor”, “defenseless”, and “uneducated”.  These are harsh, blunt words that make his tone undeniably negative and support his opinion that the law is cruel.  The law itself is described as a “crackdown” that is “senseless” and “unconstitutional”.  These words contribute effectively to the overall meaning that the new law is unsympathetic and demeaning to immigrants living in Alabama.  School officials often ask for paperwork that cannot be provided by the student, which results in the refusal to admit him/her to school.  The author uses the verb “deny” to describe what the school officials are doing to the young child who is seeking an education.  The diction used in “Alabama’s Shame” adds significantly to the argumentative tone, which in turn supports the meaning of the editorial.

            The author also uses specific details and imagery to contribute to his tone.  He provides the detail that an immigrant-rights group hotline has received “more than 1,000 calls from pregnant women afraid to go to the hospital, crime victims afraid to go to the police, parents afraid to send their children to school.”  The situations the author adds to his editorial trigger sympathetic feelings in the reader  that persuade him/her to agreeing with the point the author is making.  Pregnant women, victims, and young children are all very vulnerable images that make one feel badly for the immigrants that are affected by the new law.  Another detail the author provides is a particularly heartless-sounding quote from an Alabama school superintendent.  The author then adds to the tone of the quote by stating again how many immigrants are frightened.  The details and imagery provided in the editorial add depth and substance to the argument made by the author.

            The author of “Alabama’s Shame” uses diction, imagery, and details that pull at the hearts of the reader in order to provide a more persuasive argument.  The techniques used in the editorial create an overall tone of disapproval and disappointment at America as a whole that contribute to the meaning that Alabama, and many other states, are overly harsh and cruel to immigrants in the United States.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/opinion/alabamas-shame.html?_r=1&ref=editorials

Hastening Slowly Through Fall  (#3)

              As we head into any new season, we grow excited for the traditions and activities that come with it.  Fall, in particular, holds the pre-holiday fervor that can only begin when the cold air begins to blow.  In her essay “Hastening Slowly Through Fall”, Verlyn Klinkenborg makes the point that the beauty and atmosphere of fall should be appreciated and anticipated through her use of diction, imagery, and language. 

            Klinkenborg uses diction to paint a vivid image of the season we all love and anxiously await.  When she is comparing the caterpillars of fall to the millipedes of summer, she describes the caterpillars as “pelted” and the millipedes as “muddy” and “gelatinous”.  In the third paragraph, Klinkenborg writes of the “temptation” to do nothing and enjoy the change of season, suggesting how alluring it is.  When writing about the turkeys coming down from the woods, she says that they are “ghosting” over the fields, a verb that creates a mysterious, eerie air about the turkeys.  She uses the word “hastening” both in the essay and in the title, a piece of diction that one would associate with rushing.  However, in the title, she contrasts it with the adverb “slowly” to give it a more luxurious, peaceful feel.

            In her essay, Klinkenborg uses imagery to set the scene of her essay and add to the meaning that fall is a wondrous and fascinating season.  She describes the farm as having chickens that “lie in blobs of sun”, making one think of fluffy white chickens relaxing lazily in the sun’s warmth.  She describes humans as “yearning for wood-stove gaskets and log-splitters”, appealing to our sensory images with the quintessential fall-smell: a wood burning fire.  She adds more images such as “hickory nuts falling”, “the flight of sugar maple samaras”, and chipmunks that “always seem to be rushing somewhere, pause and eat a maple seed”.  The chipmunk image in particular gives the impression that even the animals, which are always busy, and also stopping to enjoy the beauty of fall and partake in what it brings.   

              Klinkenborg uses several similes and personification in her language to add emphasis and life her piece, creating the meaning that autumn is much anticipated with it.  She writes that the caterpillars are “like moss creeping up the door frame in individual inches”, a simile that seems peaceful and natural, a mood that differs sharply from that surrounding the millipedes.  She also uses personification, writing that “once it’s burning the smell of wood smoke will lead us by the nose into winter”.  Klinkenborg’s personification is beautifully crafted and enhances the idea that fall is a pleasurable and exciting season that is a gentle reminder that the holiday season is just around the corner.

            In her essay “Hastening Slowly Through Fall” Verlyn Klinkenborg uses techniques that create images in the reader’s head and contribute to her meaning; through diction, imagery, and language, Klinkenborg adds to her overall theme that the fall season is thoroughly enjoyed and anticipated by everyone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/opinion/hastening-slowly-through-fall.html?ref=editorials


Me Talk Pretty One Day (#4)


        In his essay “Me Talk Pretty One Day”, David Sedaris uses a wealth of vivid imagery, diction, and language to support the theme of the difficulty of learning a new language.  His writing is impactful and intriguing through his use of these techniques.

            Sedaris uses imagery inside and outside the classroom to create the feeling of excitement and fear that he felt when taking the French classes.  He refers to “Playmate of the Month data sheets, the answers always written in the same loopy handwriting” to describe the type of personality of one of his classmates.  Sedaris describes his mother as “flushed with wine, pounding the table top” to create the image of a hearty woman full of vigor.  When trying to come up with an answer to the teacher’s question, he describes himself as jotting “frantic notes in the margins” of his pad, creating the familiar image of a nervous student.  He uses the image of a refugee camp to describe the tense feeling that existed in the hallways as he spoke to his classmates.  The imagery that Sedaris uses enhances his meaning by making the reader feel as though they are in France with him.

            Sedaris also uses diction that supports his meaning.  Words such as “nerve-raking” and “language pool” create the feeling of anxiety and tension as the students wait for their teacher.  To describe one of his peers, he describes her as “rabbity”, a pejorative word that coincides with the previous description of her having large front teeth.  Verbs like “scrambled” and “struggled” also add to this image of students nervous and afraid. 

            Through his use of similes and interesting comparisons, Sedaris adds a lively feeling to his essay.  When describing one of his classmates frantically trying to come up with an appropriate answer to the teacher’s question, he describes her as “staring down at her lap as though the appropriate comeback were stitched somewhere along the zipper of her slacks”.  He describes another of his classmates as a Playmate of the Month, a comparison that adds to his writing by reaching outside of context.  Sedaris also uses a number of complicated-looking French words.  Because the reader probably has no idea what they mean, the words make the reader feel as he feels, confused and lost in the presence of a foreign language.

            Sedaris uses imagery, diction, and unique language to create an essay that makes the reader feel as though he/she is present in the classroom with him.  His use of techniques creates the meaning that learning a new language is a difficult process.

http://www.macobo.com/essays/epdf/Me%20Talk%20Pretty%20One%20Day%20by%20Sedaris.pdf

Race to the Bottom (#5)

            The race to become the Republican candidate for the 2012 election is firing up vehement Democrats, Republicans, and all in between.  The editorial “Race to the Bottom” is the culmination of the thoughts of someone who one can presume to be strongly Democratic.  In “Race to the Bottom”, the author uses powerful diction and specific details to make his point that Mitt Romney and Rick Perry are being purposefully deceitful and malicious in their attempts to secure a spot on the presidential ballot.

            Much of the diction that the author uses is strong and piercing; the words create a tone similar to the one of the candidates whom he is criticizing.  The author describes campaign ads in general as “deceitful”, “offensive”, and “infuriating”, and comments that they “cynically exploit” and “distort” religion and the lives of the opponents.  He describes Governor Rick Perry’s new ad as supported a certain “right-wing fantasy” that Obama has a war on religion.  These words paint campaign ads and specifically Perry’s new one in an extremely negative light.  The author goes on to describe Mitt Romney’s ad as one that “trumpets” his loyalty to his family, a word that creates the image of Romney bragging and parading his seemingly untarnished personal history. 

            The details in this editorial point to specific instances that emphasize Romney and Perry’s tendencies to lie to the public.  He comments on Perry’s recent religious ad the plays off the fact that he is a Christian and subtly puts down Romney and his Mormon beliefs.  He quotes Perry promising to fight “liberal attacks on our religious heritage”, a detail that the author follows up with facts about Obama’s allowance of gays to serve in the military and the untrue statement that children aren’t allowed to celebrate Christmas.  The author also comments on one of the Romney’s ads and how it used an out of context quote from Obama in 2008 to attack him.  Romney’s advisor then proceeded to justify the ad in saying that all ads are “manipulative pieces of persuasive art”.  The author uses these key details to point out instances when the Republican candidates are dishonest and uncivilized.

            The editorial “Race to the Bottom” successfully makes the statement that the Republican candidates and their ads are getting increasingly more deceitful.  Through diction and details, the author paints the candidates in a negative way and persuades the reader that his beliefs are fact.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/opinion/race-to-the-bottom.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss