This piece was extremely difficult for me to write. Although I had a clear picture of what I wanted to write about, I couldn’t figure out how to put it into words– let alone elegant words. A.O. Scott and Greenblatt’s literature had so many similarities, it was hard to choose just one. That’s why I chose to write about identity and the creation of self, because it was the biggest aspect they shared. But when I began writing, I thought about how hard it must have been for these two authors to write about these concepts that have me at a loss for words. The suggestions made by my peer editor in class were helpful. The main suggestion was to add quotes into my piece to provide more contextual evidence.
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Stephen Greenblatt and A.O. Scott explore how people relate and interact within the complex structures of society– through criticism and through literature. “Renaissance Self Fashioning” and “Better Living Through Criticism” share philosophical conversations about the culture and art of humanity as well as invite the reader to ponder these concepts on their own; they expose the underlying pain and beauty that comes with agency, portraying what we are and what we could be, as well as present ways in which selves can develop. This overarching theme between these two equally important pieces of literature are identity and the formation of the self.Literature expresses deep vulnerability and intimacy; it provides a peephole into the author’s (and the author’s time period’s) morals and power. A single page of well-placed diction holds the momentum to rally people, to connect people, and to inspire people. Literature propels self-fashioning, for it gives humanity the freedom to show society who they are and why they are that way. As Greenblatt states in “Renaissance Self Fashioning,” “it suggests representation of one’s nature or intention in speech or actions” (Greenblatt 3). The agency to form our personal self is not always autonomous. We are affected by our family, our friends, the music we listen to, “the movies stranded in the Netflix Queue, the unread novels piled on the night-stand” (Scott 45). Every aspect of our lives contributes to the formation of our identity. We only have so much choice in this process, however. For example, we can choose whether or not to open the front cover of “Renaissance Self Fashioning,” but we do not get to choose whether or not we are fashion by it. The fashioning is inevitable. In “Better Living Through Criticism,” A.O. Scott explains that in our materialistic society, we like what we like based on what surrounds us throughout our lives. “You may know what you like– of course you do– but do you know why?” (Scott 44).Scott talks of the influence of criticism in the world. Criticism is a rebellion, an intimate self-expression of opposition, which stretches one’s bounds, allowing room for growth. Being on the receiving end of such a phenomenon self-fashions by forcing the self to question their actions and thoughts. Scott also spends significant time discussing art. Beautiful art has an unquestionable power to give us aesthetic experience; he explains to the reader that “beauty satisfies an impulse higher than mere sensuous appetite” (Scott 49). Art makes us think, and it shapes our minds in ways we cannot predict. When one glances at a painting by Velázquez or reads a single word of Jane Austen, that half a moment could change the way they think and act forever. “Why do we feel what we feel? What are we talking about?” (Scott 46).We are fashioned by everything we interact with including the works of Stephen Greenblatt and A.O. Scott. The two authors uncovered the truth behind the creation of selves in society, causing a cyclical domino effect that continues to fashion every other self. It’s no mistake that that these two great authors chose to write about identity. This theme is probably one of the most complex and vital phenomena that exist in the world. The formation of a self is inherently the formation of society itself. We as humans depend on art and literature to shape us into ourselves– to mold our brains to conform to societal norms. This process remains up for debate, for there will never be one answer, but understanding that we are in a constant state of renewal is crucial to understanding why we are the way we are.
The purpose of my concept map was to present my thoughts of my summer reading in a colorful, visual way while preserving the complex concepts made by the authors. I tried my hardest to organize it in such a way that made it easier for the reader to understand my thoughts and follow the line of ideas. The concept map was enjoyable to create for me, simply because I find organization and puzzle fun. However, when writing the persuasive description of the map I initially had trouble tracking down a single overarching theme or idea to write about. This drove me to spend time examining the texts, my commonplace book, and the concept map further. At the dinner table one night, my mom, dad, and brother (grudgingly) allowed me to tell them about the three main texts I read this summer. Looking back on my long rant, I realized that all the pieces speak of self expression and examination. Although I found myself struggling with frustration while creating this Formal Writing page, I believe that it forced me to sit with these deep, philosophical, abstract themes for longer as a way to better my understanding.
Afternote: The persuasive description was peer edited by a junior at the Galloway School, and in return I edited an essay for their US history class. This process taught me that hooks and conclusions are the most important parts of essays and must be good for the essay to show mastery. My concept map portrays how three seemingly unrelated essays connect on a deeper level, showing how people relate and interact in society: through criticism, through questions, through literature. This visual depiction of my thoughts and ideas about the summer reading are linked by common concepts and rhetorical voices. These pieces share philosophical conversations about the culture and art of humanity as well as invite the reader to ponder these concepts on their own. “Better Living Through Criticism,” “A More Beautiful Question,” and “Renaissance Self Fashioning” expose the underlying pain and beauty in society to the reader, portraying what we are and what we could be, as well as present vital ways in which humans have found ways to express themselves.
In “Better Living Through Criticism,” A.O. Scott explains that in our materialistic society, we like what we like because society tells us to like it. Criticism is an outlet to express oneself in the most personal, emotional, vulnerable of ways, for criticism is a disagreement– it shows our resistance to social norms, which nowadays has consequences of all kinds. Criticism is a rebellion, an intimate self-expression of opposition, which stretches one’s bounds, allowing room for growth. Similarly, in “A More Beautiful Question,” Warren Berger goes to great lengths to explain the importance of a good question, telling the reader the facts of the past and present as well as hopes for the future. How one asks a question tells more about a person than he or she could even know about his or herself. It is the rawest form of self-expression because in order to ask a question, first you have to expose yourself, admit that you do not know an answer. Society will often judge, but when it learns not to, we will all realize the strength, the power of a question. And again, Stephen Greenblatt reveals another form of self expression in "Renaissance Self-Fashioning:” the creation and sharing of literature. Literature has a unique role in society, and always has. Literature expresses deep vulnerability and intimacy; it provides a peephole into the author’s (and the author’s time period’s) morals and power. A single page of well-placed diction holds the momentum to rally people, to connect people, and to inspire people. Literature propels self-fashioning, for it gives humanity the freedom to show society who they are and why they are that way. My concept map begins at seven seemingly different pieces of writing (they can be told apart by their square boxes opposed to the circle bubbles). The square boxes are darker colors, and the circles that come off of them are lighter shades of the same color. This is to make it easier for the reader to follow what idea connects to which text. These boxes are connected by the profound concepts made by the three authors that have proven to have commonality. Some of these circles connect two texts, and some connect to more than two. The many arrows point to various bubbles that apply to the philosophical conversations explored by the authors. The map compiles both conclusions and questions that were brought out by the powerful words of Scott, Berger, and Greenblatt, all of which revolve around a single notion: the ability to express oneself through all forms of art. BrainPicking pieces are conceptually challenging, for they expose the raw ideas of philosophy and emotion. Of the five BrainPicking pieces that I read, I chose to write a rhetorical analysis on Maria Popova’s "Alan Lightman on the Longing for Absolutes in a Relative World and What Gives Lasting Meaning to Our Lives,” which discusses the concept of Absolutes, a moment in our lives that feel like pure emotion, that lift us out of the physical world. Throughout my rhetorical analysis, I highlight many of the deliberate rhetorical strategies utilized in order to enhance her credibility as well as pull the reader closer to her words. I chose to analyze this particular BrainPicking piece because out of the five that I read, I believed this particular article most accurately represented Popova’s unique style. More specifically, I explain her use of artwork as a way of visualizing the concepts and her use of large block quotes of well known writers in order to align herself with their words.
Maria Popova’s article “Alan Lightman on the Longing for Absolutes in a Relative World and What Gives Lasting Meaning to Our Lives” discusses the concept of Absolutes. Using the work of Lightman, she explains how because we live in a material world in which science dominates logical sense, we distinctly separate science from spirituality. However, if we are only a pile of atoms and molecules, how do we feel emotions like love and joy? Popova’s use of quotations, illustrations, and nostalgic moments strengthens her argument and implores the reader to believe in the concepts of the article.
Popova utilizes fifteen block quotes from Lightman, as well as many from various other great writers, to emphasize her point. By aligning her logic alongside theirs, her work is given more credibility. With this credibility, the reader is more inclined to actively listen to what Popova has to say and will continue to scroll through her work and ponder the concepts discussed. Popova also inserts illustrations and images into the article to allow the reader to more directly visualize her writing. After reading a section of the passage, the reader comes to a picture and thinks to his or herself, “how does this connect to Lightman’s words?” For example, after Lightman discusses how he finally understood the power of an Absolute, and that regardless of the experience he had on the boat, he stood strong in his position to believe in science over spirituality, the reader is shown a work of art by Lorenzo Mattotti. It showed a man slumped over in a chair with an angel holding on to him (image at the bottom). Portraying Lightman’s internal battle between science and his concept of an Absolute, the illustration allows the reader to connect with his inner struggle between fact and belief. In addition, the images slow the reader down, forcing him or her to spend more time chewing on her ideas before her or she swallows and moves on. Insisting on the reader fully understanding her writing and the writing of Lightman allows the reader to better immerse his or herself. Her choice to include Lightman’s experience on his boat has a powerful effect on the reader, for it sends the reader back to a personal experience in which they felt an Absolute like his. For me, I was reminded of the time I sat around a shabbat candle with a group of recent-strangers in the middle of a rainforest while we stayed with the Bri-Bri people, an indegenous tribe in Costa Rica. Reading the passage made me feel the bugbites, hear the music, and taste the lemongrass tea we drank every morning. This choice to include Lightman’s feeling of infinity on that starry night connects the reader’s happiness remembering his or her own experience with reading her article, and in turn draws the reader into her writing. |
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