Analysis of Graven Images

In the essay Graven Images, author Saul Bellow exclaims his thoughts on the media and how members of the media present information to the people. Bellow writes his essay to those who consume media in order to display that the media has control over the way that people think. The piece was published in 1997, which was the point in time where the Internet was truly beginning to expand in the consumer marketplace and more and more people had internet access. To aid in his explanation of the media changing the thoughts of people, Bellow employs repetition as well as imagery. Shortly after the writing begins, he speaks of photographers and the feelings that they create, stating, “broadly speaking, your amour propre is the territory invaded by the picture takers,” (564). In Bellow’s statement, he references ‘amour propre’ which, according to Google Translate, means ‘self love’ in French. Based off of this idea, Bellow is attempting to tell the reader that photographers, who are members of the media, cause people to change the thoughts that they have about themselves and cause them to question their self love through the apparent invasion of territory. He continues to repeat this idea of ‘self love’ throughout the entirety of the piece. Later in the essay, Bellow tells about a Time magazine article that was written about him, which ultimately creates credibility. He talks of the picture of himself in the article, writing, “But there was my dreary, sullen, tired, and aging mug. I was brought low by Blake’s words,” (566). The author uses his opinion of the Time article in order to further show how the media has caused him to question his own thoughts about himself. Since the article portrayed him as something that he is not, Bellow began to believe that he is lesser than he really is. In the end, I do believe that Bellow established his purpose efficiently as I now have a better understanding of how the media changes one’s own thoughts. In Graven Images, Saul Bellow illustrates how the media changes the thoughts of the people.

Media Control - The media is able to alter the thoughts of those who consume it without them even realizing.

Source: http://rebelultras.com/2015/04/16/10-strategies-of-manipulation-by-the-media/#prettyPhoto[gallery]/1/

Analysis of Pamplona in July (Ernest Hemingway)

In Ernest Hemingway’s Pamplona in July, Hemingway writes about his first trip to Pamplona, Spain where he attended his first series of bullfights. The essay was originally published in 1923, however it was not the first work that Hemingway had constructed. Prior to his trip to Pamplona, Hemingway wrote many short stories and news articles during his time as a journalist. Throughout his piece, Hemingway writes to inform of the fascination that he had with the city in hopes that he can recreate the magic that he experienced for the reader. In order to do so, Hemingway exhibits intense diction tied together in a first person narrative. When describing the entryway to the bullfighting arena, Hemingway writes, “It made a runway about two hundred and fifty yards long. People were jammed solid on each side of it. Looking up it toward the main street,” (100). Through the very short sentences that Hemingway uses to explain the entrance, he forces the reader to vividly imagine what he saw by providing very few details at a time. He continues to push the limits of the imagination by telling his tale as a first person narrative stating at one point, “All the carnivals I had ever seen paled down in comparison,” (98). By telling the reader of the elaborate carnival in a first person narrative form, the reader is able to put themselves into the shoes of the narrator as the author lays out the scene before them. In this case, the reader is likely to picture the most grand carnival that they possibly can since Hemingway uses ‘I’, which causes the reader to think like the author. After reading, it is clear the Hemingway wrote his essay for those that are familiar with bullfights by using terms such as, “encierro,” which is when the bulls run to the arena in the morning. Overall, I do believe that Hemingway effectively established his purpose, as I was able to quite visibly recreate the story in my own mind. In Pamplona in July, Hemingway clearly recreates the astonishment that he experienced during his first trip to Pamplona, Spain.


A reveler is gored by a Cebada Gago's ranch fighting bull during the running of the bulls - While he did find it exciting, Hemingway acknowledged the dangers of bullfighting.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/08/briton-among-those-injured-as-five-sufffer-gore-wounds-in-pamplo/

Analysis of Bop (Langston Hughes)

In the short essay Bop, Langston Hughes writes about a dialogue that takes place between two characters about Be-Bop in order to display discrimination against black people. Langston Hughes was an African American author and poet who stressed the importance of racial inequality throughout his lifetime. His essay is set during the mid-20th century when racial discrimination, especially against African American people, was running rampant. In order to show this discrimination to people that are unaware of it, Hughes utilizes allusions through the idea of police beatings, which occur simply, “for being colored,” (191). In reference to Be-Bop music, the character Simple states, “You must not know where Bop comes from [...] From the police beating Negroes’ heads,” (191). In the statement, Hughes uses the apparent origins of Be-Bop music to bring light to the greater issue at hand, which is the brutality that black people had to face from the police during this time period. He also uses onomatopoeia to further explain the intensity of the beatings that the people had to endure, writing, “Every time a cop hits a Negro with his billy club, the old club says, ‘BOP! BOP! … BE-BOP! … MOP! … BOP!’” (191). Through the addition of the sounds created by the beatings, the author is able to force the reader to create a vivid image within their mind in order to show how brutal these attacks were. The inclusion of these strategies allow for Hughes to convey his purpose with great ease. After reading the essay, I have obtained a greater understanding of the struggles that black people had to face during this time and how these issues truly affected them as a community. Through Bop, Langston Hughes paints a very clear picture to show how discrimination from society ultimately can significantly alter and shape culture.


Police Beating Young Male - The police would often beat black people "just for being colored."
Source: http://www.chocolatmag.us/uncategorized/the-law-is-not-the-law/