Literary Analysis: Time And Distance Overcome By Eula Bliss
1205 Words5 Pages
It is a blessing when a new invention emerges in the world, full of good intentions and possibilities, but sometimes the original function of the idea may be misused. The accessibility to communication, networking and connecting people, can sometimes end up in situations of abuse and misuse. In the essay “Time and Distance Overcome” which is written by Eula Bliss in 2008, she points out that criminality throughout history influence the perception on an invention, and furthermore how time and distance can overcome things and restore the true idea of an invention.
The story involves two themes. The invention of the telephone and utility poles to support power lines and various other public utilities along with the racism towards the African…show more content… The composition is circular; it starts out with a voice of positivity, describing the history of the telephone as (Page 2. L, 17) “something that could see us all connected through one branching cable.” It continues and the fades out on a summer day (Page 6, L, 144) “where telephone poles grew small leafy branches.” Interwoven with the history of the telephone poles and lines, is the history of the racism towards African Americans. The text can therefor be divided into 3 main parts: The story of Eula Biss’ personal life, who, as a kid, (Page 6, L, 141) “they believed that the telephone itself was a miracle”, the invention of the telephone and the story of the lynchings which happened (Page 4, L, 78) “from the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle of the…show more content… The Internet, which is the most popular and modern invention of today, has made communicating with people from around the world even easier. But at the same time, the Internet can be used to create terror cells that can communicate worldwide. Just like the telephone poles were used for good and bad. Biss’ states in the opening of the text, that innovative inventions can be used for the opposite of their purpose - “Even now it is an impossible idea, that we are all connected, all of us” (Page 2, L, 8-9). The author quotes Thomas Edison declaring, (Page 3, L, 63) “The telephone brought the human brought the human family in closer touch”, but through her essay she questions whether not it really did. An underlying question in text is; Does globalization equal equalization. Could we learn from history not to misuse our communicative