The short stories "The Letter 'A'" and "Never Just Pictures" both relay their message to the reader by using emotion. These stories can be found in the fifth edition of Terry and Stuart Hirschberg's One World, Many Cultures collaboration. Christy Brown's "The Letter 'A'" was taken from his autobiography. Susan Bordo's "Never Just Pictures" first appeared in Twilight Zones: The Hidden Life of Cultural Images from Plato to O.J. Both of these authors use emotion to persuade the reader. In "The Letter 'A'," the author struggles to overcome a disability whereas in "Never Just Pictures," the author tries to get the reader to overlook Americans obsession with skinny girls. Pathos was used heavily in both these stories along with logos and ethos in "Never Just Pictures.".
"The Letter 'A'" is about Christy Brown and his growing up with cerebral palsy. He shows that even though he had a physical handicap, he was not mentally challenged. With love, persistence and patience, Brown's mother helped show the world that her son was not an imbecile. "Never Just Pictures" reflects on Americans obsession with their looks. The media focuses on very thin, unhealthy looking girls as models. This causes people to strive to be as thin as the girls on the runways and magazines.
Brown used emotion heavily to indulge his readers. He made sure the reader could feel the love his mother had for him. He showed the patience and persistence that his whole family experienced. The way Brown wrote this short story keeps the reader wrapped up in the story. One almost feels as if they are experiencing everything right along side with Brown. By the end of the story, I did not realize how into the story I was; I realized I had a smile on my face when I was finished reading, which in my eyes, shows that the author was doing something right. One part that sticks out in my mind is when Brown is trying to write the letter "A" with the chalk.
