- In Rankine’s excerpt, Hurston’s quote, “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” struck me the most because this really shows how out of place they feel. African Americans feel this way on a daily due to their skin color, no one should feel that way in this society. This line has turned into a form of art abstract art because any population with a black body would most likely find it relatable to a personal level. Rankine describes this as “graphite against a sharp white background.” I really like the way the author describes this through her imagery. I think her choice of words such as “sharp” shows the brutalness of the situation. The words graphite and white not only show the contrast in colors, but also a feeling of not belonging there.
- Pathos is used multiple times in Rankine’s excerpt to persuade her audience through her use of emotion. “They win sometimes, they lose sometimes, they’ve been injured, they’ve been happy, they’ve been sad, ignored, booed mightily, they’ve been cheered, and through it all” Serena and Venus have definitely felt all of these emotions through all their defeats and victories. Rankine shows her furiosity in her writing when she was describing how Serena’s semifinal match went during court. Her reaction was ” What! Are you serious?” This shows that she can’t believe what is happening, and as a reader, I feel the same rush of rage and disbelief as her.
- An example of a time when I communicated without using words was when I encountered this lady on the streets. One summer day I was walking to my friend’s house and stopped in the middle of the street for a water break. When I was drinking the water, I saw this old lady who was pushing a cart filled with hundreds of plastic bottles. I saw her walking towards me so I tried finishing up the rest of my water. When she approached me, she smiled and pointed to my empty water bottle. I gladly gave it to her because I was gonna throw It out anyways. But she could put it into good use by selling it. She took the bottle and bowed down slightly to show her gratitude, we exchanged smiles and went our ways.
2 thoughts on “Week 6 Reading Responses Selina Wang”
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I find it very fascinating all the different types of ways people use to communicate without words. Your encounter with the lady shows exactly how interesting it is because the lady knew exactly what you were trying to do without you telling her anything beforehand.
I love your encounter with the lady. She showed such a humble character when taking your bottle even with the task she is doing. Not only did you help her, but you helped the environment as well.