Slavery still exists. If you didn’t know or can’t believe it, then “Bottom of the Barrel” could tell you again. Times have not really changed: there was coverage of child slavery in an article written in 1996(contained within Life magazine), and according to a Newsweek editorial forced labor in Malaysia is still customary in 2008.

The immoral realism of slavery is being kept from the public eye. The only way we can learn about it is to dig deep. Journalists do this for us but reporting on such a controversial subject can be extremely dangerous, and not just for the writers. Both articles include actual stories told by people who have experienced slavery first-hand. They merely remain anonymous sources to readers ultimately avoiding retribution.

“At one compound that resembles a nest of grungy one-car garages, with no lights or ventilation, the soccer masters run shed to shed, yelling at the children to strip off the rubber finger-wraps designed to protect them from vicious thread cuts and to flee for cover. But one child doesn’t get out in time. As the masters glare and mutter, I ask him about his work.”
-Sydney H. Schanberg

The excerpt above is one of those stories contained within journalism aimed at exposing the truth, but at what cost? These writers put other people in jeopardy to present some awareness to the rest of us; unfortunately we don’t always want to listen.

Ugh I know, this site is overwhelmingly pink. The first time you saw this, you most likely perceived me as extremely girly. After all, it is easy to connect characteristics with colors and draw emotion from them. Because colors are so easy to identify particular qualities and feelings with, writers use colors to convey their ideas in a captivating way.

“The Bells” by Edgar Allen Poe contain descriptions of silver bells and golden bells. Poe used gold to communicate joyfulness in a wedding scene as well as silver to add to the playfulness of a Christmas season setting. Nathaniel Hawthorne is persistent in mentioning Faith’s pink ribbon throughout his short story “Young Goodman Brown.” According to About.com,

“In some cultures, such as the U.S., pink is the color of little girls. It represents sugar and spice and everything nice.”

Hawthorne emphasized Faith’s goodness and kindness in the way she wore a pink ribbon.

what is the color of your personality?

Surprisingly, The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe was not teeming with pessimism. In the poem, a beautiful literary depiction of Christmas’ bells precedes Poe’s portrayal of wedding chimes. His optimistic tone is like a Christmas present in itself but of course, it just wouldn’t be like Poe to make his work solely all smiles and rainbows. In the poem’s last two stanzas, Poe provides melancholic descriptions of alarms as well as funeral bells.

Edgar Allen Poe’s sudden shifts in attitude throughout the poem demonstrate the message he wanted to communicate about change and life. As Poe described the same element (bells) in dissimilar circumstances (Christmas, marriage, death, etc.), he implied the certainty of change. He also suggested the very tangible stages in one’s existence. For a man who endured countless transitions in his own lifetime, Poe knew what he was talking about. He probably drew from personal emotions to convey feelings within The Bells. Poe did this creatively by using sounds and colors to express particular emotions.

“Change is inevitable. Change is constant.”
— Benjamin Disraeli

Feelings and perceptions change as a person grows in all aspects. People grow from unexpected change. The only thing that doesn’t change is the reality of change.

“The Incredible Shrinking Bride” highlights the extremes women are willing to go to satisfy their shallow values. The Newsweek article reveals these extremes: over exercising, eating disorders, Botox, tanning, etc. But aside from that, the article also reveals the narcissism manifested in people these days. I too am guilty of creating those shallow lists containing an inventory of make-up and trips to the mall :[

Reading this article only impressed the guilt I felt even deeper into my core. You see, before this I watched a biography on Mahatma Gandhi. It felt like the longest movie I have ever watched and it definitely was the only film I have ever seen with an intermission. Aside from the movie being exceptionally long, it was very inspiring. Gandhi preached about and lived a life of simplicity and peace. He was a small man who made a big change in the world. After seeing a life that fulfilled, you can’t help but want to live like that too. Reading about people obsessed with how they look and seeing a little of that in myself, has driven me to change.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
-Gandhi

Try it.