Olivia Weber
Kristin Hoggatt-Abader
English 101
September 17, 2015
I Write to Be Different, to Discover, to Show Who I Am In the poem Why I Write by Terry Tempest Williams, the author tells about a woman who writes for many reasons. While it doesn’t seem very clear what William’s purpose is, readers can conclude through her use of tone, paradox, repetition, an appeal to pathos, and vivid images, that the speaker wants to tell the world how it is acceptable to be brave, explore who you are, and be your unique self. William’s wants to challenge readers to look inside themselves and see what their own purpose is – why they are writing. With a red scarf wrapped around the narrator’s neck a feeling of bravery captures her. Her reasons for…show more content… The narrator’s opinions are important and Williams’ doesn’t want her to go unnoticed. Williams’ also encourages readers to look deeper into themselves, discover what their purpose is and who they are without being afraid of the consequences. The narrator proves this as she “writes past the embarrassment of exposure,” meaning she isn’t afraid to show the world who she is because she isn’t ashamed. Williams’ appear to pathos is extremely prevalent throughout her work because she’s working to bring up emotions in the readers. She wants readers to feel how the narrator feels while discovering their own emotions – their reasons for writing. Our world has very opinionated people in it, but it doesn’t mean there is only room for some; everyone’s opinion deserves to be heard. The narrator “writes knowing I will always fail,” but continues on because she deserves to be heard (line 37). She later states that words are a “gamble” and it doesn’t matter what she has written, because no matter…show more content… The narrator uses her writing as a way to express herself and show who she is and that she is confident in her actions and beliefs. By “writing to make peace with the things I cannot control,” she realizes what she is and what she is not (line 4). She is able to rid herself of the complications she cannot change, while embrace the things she can change. “I write because as a child I spoke a different language,” is something the narrator was able to change, whether she literally spoke a different language, or simply her writing has matured and changed over the years (line23). Writing “creates my composure” giving her a way of creating herself and expressing herself. Williams’ appeals to pathos once again because she’s encouraging readers to become who they and be