Boys & Girls

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This is water…

In 2005, David Foster Wallace delivered a rousing commencement speech to the graduating class of Kenyon College. His humble address captured and put form to the countless lonely thoughts that rattle through the heads of so many in this modern age.

The message of Wallace’s oration was seemingly clichéd, yet profound in its execution, and the reason for this was due to its sincerity. Leveling with his hearers, Wallace calls upon his audience to embrace life ‘ before death,’ to be aware of the world around them, and to make a consciousness decision to choose what they behold and what they focus on.

Using examples from his own life, in addition to a striking allegory of three fishes, Wallace is able to effectively develop his target message, convincing the listener of his arguments, all the while reminding them that he doesn’t have all the answers. This sincerity, and openness on his part causes the listener to believe that he in fact has their best interests at heart, approaching them not from an elitist point of view, but rather as an equal, who has simply put more though into the matter at hand.

Key sections of the talk that stood out to me in particular included Wallace’s description of the seemingly banal platitudes that compose life; activities many label as mundane and irrelevant, but in reality bear life-or-death importance. What’s more his insights on the default human way of thinking, believing ourselves to be the absolute center of the universe, highlighted how self-centered and introspective I myself can be in my own life. Moreover, the analogy of the grocery store, and the polar perspective one might adopt when placed in frustrating situations, further cemented the relevance of viewing the world in an introspective light.

By the same token, Wallace’s candid style of writing was greatly appreciated on my part. Over the year’s countless writers, myself included, have fallen victim to the abstraction of their own arguments, and the tendency to over-complicate a matter, no matter its planeness. Wallace, being the linguistic wiz that he is, finds himself in no such predicament; his incessant drive to steer clear of political dogmatism, keeping him on the straight and narrow.

In regards to the query, how can literature develop empathy and emotional intelligence? I believe Wallace’s response provides an all-encompassing answer. In real life, we as individuals are required to actively adjust our natural default- settings if we hope to empathize those around us. In literature though this is not the case, for we as readers are placed front row and center to the protagonists’ plight and the various experiences they encounter. Therefore, being deliberately placed in a position where we must make use of empathy and emotional intelligence if we hope to relate with the narrative, we steadily improve on and develop these skills, allowing for a more seamless integration of them in our day-to day lives. I believe to a great extent that this is the ultimate purpose of literature as a whole, to open our eyes to the complexities of the world, in order to cultivate a fresher appreciation and awareness of it in our own lives.

Munro

In my opinion one of the roles of literature fulfills, is that of empowering the powerless, and giving a voice to the voiceless.

For this reason, the study of literature celebrates such redemptive qualities, and allows for the recognition of those writers who would take up its mantle.

Author’s of women’s literature stand out in particular, as they represent a social class that has been the target of gender prejudice and bias for millennia.

As such, a form of literature targeted at the 49.6% of the world’s populous, is no doubt significant in understanding it’s workings.

An example of an author who has altered this field would be Alice Munro. Having revolutionized the architecture of the short story, Munro’s work during the 1950s and 80s transformed the themes and values that had long defined social realism. The importance of her work and the issues it dealt with was that it would later serve as the vanguard of second-wave feminism.

Whereas first-wave feminism had dealt with the suffrage of women, and overturned a number of legal obstacles to gender equality, second-wave feminism engaged a wider range of issues mainly, sexuality, family, the workplace and reproductive rights; subjects dealt with in Munro’s writings’.

Though Munro herself isn’t a feminist writer, he work provides insight into the lives of seemingly ordinary women; relatable characters who show just as, or even more complexity than your typical male protagonist.

As a writer myself, what I admire most about Munro’s writing, is the manner in which she presents her characters.

What’s more, the allowance she provides her readers in developing and interpreting them, further deepens their connection with the narrative and the subject matter Munro tries to address.

Another thing I appreciate about Munro, is that she never sets out to project or convey an established message, rather she writes from the heart, recounting tales that are raw, just as they are unashamed. The purpose of this being that her readers would interpret her stories in a manner relevant to them, and glean from them what they find most matters.

In closing, women’s literature and the work the of prolific authors such as Munro, cast women both young and old, in a ‘realistic’ light; as individuals, who despite their imperfections and circumstance, face life just as the rest of us… one step at a time.

Touch the Sky

The opening track of Hillsong United’s latest album, Empires, ‘Touch the Sky’ hones the amalgamation of subtle textures and enraptured lyrics. In doing so the track masterfully unpacks the redemptive message of Christ, all the while maintaining its sense of immediacy and spiritual grandeur.

Centering on the theme of surrender, the song makes use of a range of rhetorical devices, most notably: antithesis, assonance and repetition.

What fortune lies beyond the stars
Those dazzling heights too vast to climb

The song’s opens in dramatic fashion, detailing the ‘fortune’ that lies beyond the stars ‘those dazzling heights,’ representative of the songwriter’s longing for something greater. The imagery and figurative speech used in these lines creates a solemn if not expansive quality, inviting the listener to contemplate, whether they find themselves in a similar position, and facing a hurdle ‘too vast to climb.’ Furthermore the use of anastrophe, the departure from normal word order, evident in the lyrical phrasing, gives special prominence to this message.

I got so high to fall so far but I found heaven as love swept low

The song continues to unravel the songwriter’s conflict, dramatizing their fall from grace and ensuing revelation, the antithesis of heaven being found as ‘love swept love.’ In a traditional sense, heaven is most often depicted as a place high above beyond the realm of our existence. However the writer reveals that’s it is in fact closer than we know, not a distant abode for a select few but a home with door open to all. 

My heart beating, my soul breathing

I found my life when I laid it down

Upward falling, spirit soaring

Finally reaching its crescendo, the writer experiences an awakening of sorts as they realize what they must do. The use of personification in these lines, ‘my soul breathing…spirit soaring,’ reflects their lease of new life and energy, having let go and surrendered their burden. Continuing on, the use of the oxymoron’s ‘I found my life when I laid it down’ and ‘upward falling,’ serve to highlight the paradox of what surrender truly is.

I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground

The song’s refrain serves as an oxymoron, in that it doesn’t adhere to one’s typical frame of thought, essentially stating that the way up is down. In keeping with its message, the song makes reference to a number of biblical scriptures and truths, most notably the Beatitudes. Climbing on top a mountain, Jesus began to talk about the kingdom of heaven and how it works in direct contrast to the system of society, where everyone struggles to get on top. He declared that the meek would inherit the kingdom and that true greatness was found in surrendering to this truth and being a servant to all 

What treasure waits within Your scars
This gift of freedom gold can't buy
I bought the world and sold my heart
You traded heaven to have me again

Once more the song makes use of allusion, the second verse presenting a striking depiction of God’s sacrifice. In doing so, the writer displays the free and unmerited favor of God, going as far as trading heaven to have them again.

Moreover the use of figurative language and antithesis as before, allows the listener to properly grasp and appreciate the true magnitude of the words being sung.

My heart beating, my soul breathing
I found my life when I laid it down
Upward falling, spirit soaring
I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground

The repetition of the chorus allows the songwriter to further enforce the theme of surrender, in addition to the song’s refrain. With every rerun, these elements are further impressed on the listener’s mind.

Find me here at Your feet again
Everything I am, reaching out, I surrender
Come sweep me up in Your love again
And my soul will dance
On the wings of forever

The second line of the bridge opens in striking fashion, as the writer declares: ‘Everything I am, reaching out, I surrender.’ This line stands out in particular, as the use of scesis onomaton in conjugation with tricolon adds urgency to its call. What’s more the use of personification, found in the final two lines makes use of an interesting play on words, as one’s soul is the spiritual and immaterial part of them, regarded as immortal.

Upward falling, spirit soaring
I touch the sky
When my knees hit the ground

The song’s message is concisely captured in the wide screen colors of the closing verse.

A snippet of the chorus, the final verse makes use of its last three lines. The purpose of this repetition as one might suspect is that it forever indents the song and it’s message of grace and surrender itself and the song’s message in the listener’s mind.