Hello! I am going for a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. I grew up in Newark, Delaware (on the edge of it but still in Newark!) but my family is originally from a small town in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
In my essay I largely compare Odell’s interpretations of “Bartleby, the Scrivener” to my own. A large point which I focus on with my interpretation of the book is its connections to politics. I use this to analyze the lawyer’s reactions to Bartleby stating “I’d prefer not to.” and recognize that the lawyer’s reactions have a larger purpose than comedic relief. I also highlight how the lawyer demonstrates the withdrawal and reinvesting of attention that Jenny Odell discusses in “How to Do Nothing”. The character of the lawyer has very deep complexities when analyzed closely. My final large point in the essay connects the stories of “Bartleby, the Scrivener” and “I and Thou” by showing how the lawyer starts to recognize Bartleby as a complex creature that cannot be interpreted.
While reading “How to Do Nothing”, I felt myself drawn heavily to Martin Buber’s idea of an I-Thou mindset. In short, an I-Thou mindset means taking in others as your equal and not interpreting them. I am a very empathetic person and do not try to pass judgement onto others, so the idea of taking someone in as an equal and not interpreting them is not something foreign to me. However, to many it is an alien concept and they do not view others as a human with a consciousness that is living their own story just as they are themselves. This lack of recognition was a major motivation for my essay, as I believe if people could comprehend that others are like them there would not be such great acts of injustice or harm towards others. In my essay I explore how to make people more empathetic and have care for others.
A quote from “How to Do Nothing” (which I used in my essay) that I felt illustrates this idea exceptionally is where Jenny Odell is writing about David Wallace and an example of perspective that he delivers. Jenny Odell writes:
This makes room for the possibility, in Wallace’s examples, that the guy in the Hummer who just cut you off is maybe trying to rush a child to the hospital-“and he’s in a way bigger, more legitimate rush than I am- it is actually I who am in his way.”
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
I feel this quote is so powerful because it shows how the reality of something you experience can differ greatly from your interpretation of it (in this instance, thinking the other driver is a jerk when really they have an emergency on their hands and they see you as the problem). This can then be applied to many other situations and it can be quickly realized that everybody else is another consciousness like you. I also analyze Jenny Odell’s descriptions of the complexity of nature (regarding species and the relationships between species) and apply the same line of thinking to human beings to illustrate our own complexity and expand upon how this recognition will allow others to be taken in as equals. I use Jenny Odell to build up recognition of the equality between individuals with the intent that having such a view will promote empathy among people.
E110: Seminar in Composition 