1. How does this piece’s rhetorical properties contribute to its meaning? (think blending of image/ text, tone, audience, color, design, etc)
The piece I chose is, “Pandemic Haiku” by Gregg Bordowitz it has a unique use of the Haiku format, which is a poem consisting of only 3 lines each. Bordowitz’s piece stood out as he used only a couple lines for each page. I found this interesting and unique because it is something I have not personally seen other writers/poets do. I feel like Bordowitz’s choice of spacing out each stanza really helped enhance the feeling of “living during a pandemic”, while I read the poem for the first time. As we are recovering from a pandemic now, this poem is very relatable to us an audience who have experienced similar things mentioned in the poem. The poem is very relatable because it describes how one felt or what our daily lives were like during the beginning of the pandemic until this day.
2. How does the text resonate with social or political concerns of the present?
The poem resonates with the social concerns of the present because we have experienced similar things to what is mentioned in the peom. For example, when the author mentions, “Time to be alone, To listen to my music, No interruptions” it something I can relate to, especially during the beginning of the pandemic. I spent a lot of time alone in my room without going out or spending time with friends and family. Everything had changed and we had to isolate ourselves from others, just as the poem described. Even as things are slowly returning back to normal I noticed that I had built a bit of social anxiety when I had first returned back to in person classes. To add on, I believe that this wasn’t only the case for me, but there were/are many other students who experienced the same thing.
3. What conclusions can you draw from this text to build an argument for what impact art might make on political or social concerns?
A piece of art, like the “Pandemic Haiku” by Gregg Bordowitz shares the experience of life during the pandemic and dealing with Covid 19. Its relatable aspect allowed us to follow along and reflect on social concerns developed by the pandemic. One being, the increasing amounts of social anxiety on students who are now returning to in person classes. Many, like myself, have developed social anxiety after spending a long period of time being isolated and attending classes electronically, through Zoom. Making it difficult for us to return back to how we were and how life was before the pandemic.