Essay on Importance of the Objects in Neil Smiths Scrapbook

The primary point in this text is to discuss the features of the ordeal and how it affected the life, behavior, and reactions of those who witnessed. It is evident from the events and how the characters behave that the shooting was a serious one. The language that Smiths used in his text is majorly figurative. He utilizes various objects to make the reader understand the weight of his message. The narrative is about the events that happen at the Scott University after the shootings of the eight women. It also discusses what happens to the main character, Thomas whose actions are presented throughout the text.

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As per the diagram that appears in Macleans magazine, which Amy stares at and wonders who drew it, people are represented with coloured sticks. Some are bending over drinking fountains whereas others are raising hands in the classrooms. Colour is used to describe some meaning in this text; the eight women are pale pink, the five men are deep purple while the rest of the people are shadowy grey. The pale pink colour indicates the nature of being lifeless as opposed to Amys parents phrase In the pink that they used to mean to sound health (Smith, 2009). This use of different colours to represent the different types of people help the reader understand that some are dead, some are suffering from insomnia after the shooting, while the majority are just leading their normal lives.

From the text, a character by the name Buddy is also described as the red stick figure in the ladies washroom. The red colour is used to symbolize the danger he can initiate with his gun and silencer. This fact portrays how the shootings succeeded without anyone hearing that is why all the eight women died. Thomas, on the other hand, is suffering from insomnia that is why his lover Amy goes to the clinic and fake that she is the one suffering so as to get sleeping pills for him. The reader gets to know that Thomas himself was not willing to go for the pills. He goes ahead to disobey the doctors prescription and asks Amy to mix him two pills in the applesauce instead of one (Smith, 2009). This description is used to make the reader understand that the feeling that Thomas had was very overwhelming that he thought that only one pill would not get him to feel better.

Thomas is suffering to the extent that he cannot even read the newspapers, such that Amy read to him. To be able to take part in the memorial march, Amy cuts his dreadlocks and dyes his air so as to make him a new man and to reduce his fear of running into his classmate survivors. He even had to smoke so as to gather his nerve to be able to go outside (Smith, 2009). All these helped since Thomas was able to talk to Myuko, the girl who also survived the shooting. Myuko is represented by a pink stick meaning that she survived the shooting and Thomas are represented by a purple stick to show that he was among the five men who were able to flee. Amy, on the other hand, is represented by a shadowy grey stick. During the march the infinity figure is used, men wore ribbons tied to form the symbol of infinity. The aim of this theme was to ensure that people will remember the dead for eternity (Smith, 2009).

The shooting was a severe one ever witnessed by the students of the Scott University. After the ordeal, most of them, especially Thomas, lead fearful lives. The objects that the writer used aimed at enhancing the readers understanding of how bad the shooting was. That is why they were given a great importance since the author believed that a reader would ask themselves why the use and in the process get to think critically and understand the main idea discussed in the text.

Reference

Smith, N. (2009). Scrapbook. Vintage Canada. Chicago