Picture Analysis

“2.7 million children in Egypt don’t have a childhood.” This compelling public print ad wants to bring awareness to millions of Egyptian children who must forgo childhood in order to begin working a make enough money for their families. The ad depicts a young boy working in a repair shop fit for a grown man. He is shown to be a boy who is already living the life of a grown man. Robbed of his childhood, he spends much of his time working; he has no time to play. The boy is so small that he wouldn't be able to reach many of the tools without climbing on a ladder. The shop is dirty and many of the tools in the background appear dangerous. This is not a fit location for a young boy to be. The boy on the left side of the picture who is seen wearing a blue and white flannel shirt is already growing patches of gray hair on the sides of his head, symbolic of the stress and hard work that this boy has to endure. The skin on his face is worn like that of a grown man who does laborious work. On his forehead, the boy has a scar, likely from an accident while working, an indication of the dangers of his job. Bags are apparent under his eyes due to the lack of sleep. However, despite his body showing signs of stress and overwork, the boy’s eyes still retain the innocent look of a young boy. As he looks the viewer in the eyes, he sparks a sense of awe that would make anyone feel bad for flipping the page of their magazine without doing anything to help him.  The colors in the picture are very washed out which give the picture a very dreary tone. The lack of vibrant colors indicates the lack of fun which is instead is replaced by dull times. What’s powerful about this ad is that it reads, “2.7 million children in Egypt don’t have a childhood.” The sheer number of children who are working in these conditions and deprived of their childhood because of work shows that this is a huge problem that needs to be addressed. In the bottom right of the ad, it says, “Call Us. 012 1817 555” The font is so small however that it is difficult to read the number which hurts the cause if those who want to help can’t do so because they can’t read the number to call.  This ad speaks to everyone, including people who have lived a privileged childhood and now from firsthand experience the joys that it should bring and people who come an underprivileged background and understand the hardships that you must endure to survive in similar situations. Similar incidents of child labor used to happen in the United States before child labor laws were passed that prohibited employers from working young people in unsafe conditions. Though Egypt has similar laws, they seem to be ineffective in solving the problem.

The Snow Man

The Snow Man

“One must have a mind of winter 

To regard the frost and the boughs 

Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time 

To behold the junipers shagged with ice, 

The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think 

Of any misery in the sound of the wind, 

In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land 

Full of the same wind 

That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow, 

And, nothing himself, beholds 

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.”

                                ~Wallace Stevens

            While reading Grendel, we have discussed illusion vs. reality. On page 22, Grendel says “I create the whole universe blink by blink.—An ugly god pitifully dying in a tree!” which suggests that one’s reality is based upon perspective and that everyone is the creator of their reality. As a result many ideas aren't necessarily universal such as good or evil. Similarly, in “The Snow Man”, Wallace Stevens suggests that your idea of reality is influenced by your perspective. In the poem, Wallace compares the different descriptions of winter from the viewpoint of a person whose reality is just what he sees and a person who uses their perspective to understand and form his own reality .

            The first stanza of the poem describes winter in a very non-objective way.  There are no interpretations. It is just a description of what is simply there. However to do this, “One must have a mind of winter”. I believe this means that for someone to see winter for what it is without casting judgment on it such as whether or not they like winter, they must view it with detachment and indifference.

             Now the description of winter in the second stanza sharply contrasts the description of it in the first stanza. While in the first stanza Stevens depicts winter with a very cut and dry description, in the second stanza he offers interpretations and analysis of winter. He describes winter as “cold” and the spruces as “rough” and thus he is offering his judgments of winter. The second line of the stanza begins with “To behold” which gives winter a wondrous and mystical representation.  The reason why this stanza differed so much from the first was because he allows his own perspective and interpretations of reality to influence his description of winter.  This reveals the impact that our own beliefs and viewpoints have on our interpretation of reality. For example, in Grendel, the Shaper doesn't change what actually happens, he changes the Dane's perception of the events. 

              The third stanza however suggests that it is human tendency to try to interpret the world around us. Rather than just observing, humans analyze and try to give meaning to things. As a result our own perception is always shaping our perceived reality and thus two people can have different understandings of reality even in the same situation. However if we didn't do this, we would simply be observing without interpreting and understanding what we see.

              The fourth stanza suggests that we still observe the same things even though we interpret them differently. There is a universal “sound of the land” that we all share. Also there is “the same wind that is blowing in the same bare place” and no matter where you are, you experience that same wind.

              The poem closes by indicating the necessity of our own perspective and interpretations when observing the world. Without it, we observe without understanding. In doing so we see “Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is” and instead end up seeing nothing. 

The Similarities between the "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Winesburg, Ohio

Although not apparent to me upon initially reading “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” after reading Winesburg, Ohio, I now see many similarities between the works. In many ways for example Prufrock is portrayed like a grotesque as defined in “Book of the Grotesques”.

Firstly, the structures of both works are very fragmented. Prufrock can be divided up into six sections that each appear to have their own meaning. Each fragment of the poem reveals another aspect of Prufrock’s story; however, there are reoccurring themes that are present throughout the story that connect the fragments together. To gain a full understanding of the text, each fragment must be read in context of the rest of the poem interpreted with the greater meaning of the whole poem in mind. Similarly, Winesburg, Ohio, which is a short story cycle, is told in fragments of bits and pieces of time in George Willard’s life.  Again, though each chapter is a separate story of its own, each story adds to the greater meaning of the work as a whole. In both works, this fragmentation is indicative of the isolation experiences by characters—Prufrock in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and the grotesques in Winesburg, Ohio. They are unconnected parts whose separateness is contrasted by their desire to be part of a whole.

            Consistent with the fragmentation, a lack of understanding is also a reoccurring theme throughout both works. Throughout the poem, Prufrock seeks understanding so that he can answer the “overwhelming question”. Prufrock presents the dilemma of the meaning vs meaninglessness of life in a mundane world. Prufrock also seeks understanding from others and he feels alienated because he is unable to properly communicate. He says “That is not what I meant at all/That is not it, at all” on line 97 and “it is impossible to say just what I mean!” on line 104 which reveals his desire to not only gain a personal understanding, but to also be understood by others.  Likewise, the grotesques in Winesburg, Ohio are characterized by a lack of understanding and the inability to communicate. Many of the grotesques for example don’t fully understand what makes them grotesque such as Wing Biddlebaum who says “There’s something wrong, but I don’t want to know what it is. His hands have something to do with his fear of me and of everyone.” Due to their lack of understanding of the nature of their grotesqueness, the grotesques are stuck in this state as they are unable to break free from it. They can't free themselves from it because they don't know what causes it. In addition to this, like Prufrock, the grotesques also are unable to effectively communicate with others. Enoch for example, “knew what he wanted to say, but he knew also that he could never by any possibility say it” which strongly represents Prufrock’s quote where he says that “It is impossible to say what I mean”. This lack of communication leads to the alienation of Prufrock and the grotesques and ultimately limits them from gaining the fully understanding that they seek.