Rude I Am in My Speech

Caryl Phillips’ Rude I Am in My Speech is an analysis of the struggle of first-generation immigrants to both belong to their heritage and to fit into their new society. Phillips reveals the balance that first-generation immigrants have to keep between their original culture in their personal lives and their new societal expectations in their public lives. Phillips is a Kittian-British novelist, playwright, and essayist who was naturalized in Britain at a very young age ("Biography"). As his father, Malcolm Phillips, was an immigrant to England, Caryl is in a credible position to write about this experience.

In this essay, Phillips examines two first-generation immigrants: his father, who acts as an immigrant is expected to act, and Shakespeare’s Othello, who ignores his new society’s rules. As he compares these two figures, Phillips notes that while his father was successful enough, Othello’s life ended in tragedy. This comparison reveals the message that, in order to thrive in a society, one must adopt the rules of that society. Within the text, Phillips makes it clear that he feels it’s the responsibility of the second-generation immigrant to convey the struggles of the previous generation. He states his purpose, “I am beginning to feel that witnessing and recording the predicament of the first generation is a responsibility [of the second generation].”

            The two most important rhetorical devices in this essay are displayed in Phillips’ main comparison. He tells both anecdotes about his father and analyzes parts of Othello’s story. Phillips also includes hypotheses about the way first-generation immigrants must live. For example, he imagines that there are only two places where immigrants can be themselves: at home with their families, and in a meeting place with other immigrants. In Rude I Am in My Speech, Phillips provides convincing analysis as to how an immigrant must conduct their lives, making him extremely successful in his purpose.

            Published in Salmagundi, a quarterly periodical of the Humanities and Social Sciences, this essay was probably intended for an audience who has a basic understanding of sociology, and who has a functional understanding of Shakespeare’s Othello.

Othello and Desdemona's interracial marriage goes against Venice's social codes.

Provided by The Stranger Newspaper. <Source>

Sources:
"Biography." Caryl Phillips, Author and Playwright. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
Image:
Bennion, Chris. Othello. Digital image. TheStranger.com. Index Newspapers, LLC, 16 July 2009. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.

Port-au-Prince: The Moment

Port-au-Prince: The Moment is a nonfiction essay written by Mischa Berlinski about his experience of the 2010 Haitian earthquake and its direct aftermath. The essay begins on the day of the earthquake, in January. It continues into the following few days as Berlinski takes in the destruction around him. At the time, Berlinski lived in the upper class district of Port-au-Prince, one of the few places in Haiti that was not damaged badly by the quake. Berlinski primarily writes about exploring his and the surrounding districts, juxtaposing the varying degrees of damage in the districts of varying wealth. Berlinski lived in Haiti for two-and-a-half years before the quake because his wife worked for the U.N relief service in Haiti. The knowledge of Haiti that he gained from living there gives him a suitable amount of credibility.

            It seems apparent that Berlinski’s purpose is to share his unique experience of the well-documented earthquake as an unharmed citizen. As he does not describe the larger effect of the quake, this essay is likely intended for an audience who already has knowledge of the Haitian earthquake but who may be looking for a new perspective on it. Compared to many of the other reports of the Haitian earthquake, this essay is emotionally sterile. Berlinski probably intended this, as he writes that in the days immediately after the quake, all that he felt was a curiosity to see the aftermath. He doesn't mention any other emotions. Berlinski mirrors this mental state in his writing, giving the reader only the facts and none of the emotion. This allows the reader to decide what they themselves feel about the earthquake, without any manipulation from the author.

            Berlinski’s clear, precise, and sensory descriptions create a full picture of his experience. Phrases such as “we heard singing and drumming all night long – and high throbbing prayer like chanting, which as the aftershocks came redoubled in intensity to shouting,” give the reader a very clear picture of what it was like to be Berlinski, so close to the center of this devastating event and yet uninjured by it.

The rubble of the Great Sichuan Earthquake -- buildings standing among the wreckage of others.

Provided by WebEcoist <Source>

Image:

Sichuan Earthquake. Digital image. The Queen & Her Bling. Jacelyn Sng, 16 May 2008. Web. 02 Sept. 2013. <http://www.daintyflair.net/archives/2008/05/16/sichuan-earthquake/>.

What Really Happened

What Really Happened is Madge McKeithen’s recollection of the process that she took in order to visit the murderer of one of her old college friends. It includes every step of the task, from looking up the prisoner ID of the murderer to visiting him, seeking resolution. At the end of the essay, it is revealed that the murderer was the husband of the unnamed friend. McKeithen is a teacher at The New School and has worked as a researcher and editor ("Madge McKeithen"). In an interview with Charlotte Viewpoint, McKeithen reveals that this essay is autobiographical, making her the most credible person to tell the story ("The Luxury of Writing: Madge McKeithen Speaks."). What Really Happened was published in TriQuarterly, a journal compiled by Northwestern University, allowing the reader to assume that it is for a mature, well-educated audience. Given that the essay involves losing an old friend, it would probably be more emotionally effective on an audience old enough to have seen friendships fade away.

The main events take place 13 years after the murder, when McKeithen is turning 50. She notes that she is married, keeps in touch with the rest of her college friends, and most importantly, has not yet resolved her emotions about the murder. As it is most likely that McKeithen wrote this essay as she went through the process herself, I assume that the main purpose of hers was to motivate herself to continue the process.

The most noticeable strategy that McKeithen employed in this essay was her choice to write in entirely second person commands (ex: “Walk to the river. Walk along the river for a while. Watch normal people doing normal things,”). This allows the essay to be read as a step-by-step guide to meeting a prisoner, perhaps giving McKeithen the motivation to continue. McKeithen also uses no proper nouns, choosing pronouns instead. This ensures that the story remains personal to McKeithen, as she, not the reader, knows the names of those involved. Given that McKeithen quite clearly accomplishes her goal of meeting with the murderer before the end of the story, it is obvious that her purpose is achieved.

A step-by-step guide to dancing the Charleston, comparable to the guide that McKeithen's What Really Happened is.

Provided by The Telegraph. <Source>

Sources:

"Madge McKeithen." MadgeMcKeithen.com. Madge McKeithen, n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.

McKeithen, Madge. "The Luxury of Writing: Madge McKeithen Speaks." Interview by Lacey Lyons. CharlotteViewpoint.org. Charlotte Viewpoint, 29 Aug. 2010. Web. 27 Aug. 2013. <http://www.charlotteviewpoint.org/article/211/The-Luxury-of-Writing---Madge-McKeithen-on-Poetry->.

Image:

Do the Stravinsky. Digital image. Telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 23 May 2008. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.

Auscultation

Auscultation, an essay by Steven Church, is a collection of four segments, each centered on a chamber that is listened to in order to diagnose a situation. Two of these parts are about miners who get trapped in cave-ins. When this happens, miners are instructed to make noise against the cave walls so sound sensors on the surface can locate them. The other two parts are about using medical instruments to listen to the heart. Church is a respected author and college professor whose essays have been widely published ("Steven Church"). This gives him more than enough credibility in regard to writing an artistic essay such as Auscultation. As the essay first appeared in The Pedestrian, a quarterly journal of essays, one can deduce that it was selected for a well-read audience.
          The first part deals with trapped miners who fail to make noise and are thus assumed dead. The second part is a sensory introduction to the idea of a stethoscope. In the third, Church examines the occupational symbolism and creation of the stethoscope and describes the first time he heard his son’s heartbeat. The fourth part is about miners trapped in a flooded cave who do make noise and are easily located. Research reveals that all of these stories are nonfiction. Auscultation does not seem to have a message deeper than “there is beauty in writing,” so it can only be assumed that Church aimed simply to stimulate the reader mentally with his interesting connections and emotionally with his touching stories.

Church uses one rhetorical device to solidify the connections within this essay. He titles the parts of the essay as a series of “Chambers,” both drawing attention to the cavernous subjects of the parts and alluding to the four-chambered anatomy of the heart. The author also brings the reader into the essay in “Chamber 2” by describing the intimate touch of a stethoscope in second person. In Auscultation, Steven Church is very successful in stimulating the reader mentally and emotionally. His web of connections within the essay, such as likening a cave to a womb after telling the reader about hearing his baby’s heartbeat in his wife’s womb certainly sparks interest in the reader’s mind. Finally, his two stories of the deaths and rescues of helpless miners bring emotion into the essay.

The four chambers of the heart, mirrored by the four "Chambers" of Auscultation.

<Source>

Sources:

"Steven Church." FresnoState.edu. Fresno State Department of English, n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.

Image:

The Chambers of the Heart. Digital image. Chambers of the Heart. University of Michigan Health System, 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 02 Sep. 2013.