Close Reading #2

"Up From Ugliness" - Ross Douthat


     When I first looked at this article, I expected it to be about the late Steve Jobs and every one of his accomplishments. However, as I continued to read the article I was mesmerized by how Jobs had affected not just the products we use, but how they are perceived. By the careful use of diction, imagery, and syntax Douthat convinces his readers that Jobs was more than just a successful business man, but a man who shaped the modern world into something beautiful.
     In this article, Douthat uses positive words to emphasize his opinion of Jobs. Words such as glories, allure, grace, style and beautiful all create a positive and innovative impression of the work Jobs has done. The sentence ". . . Jobs revived the romance of modernity — the assumption, shared by Victorian science-fiction writers and space-age dreamers alike, that the world of the future should be more glamorous than the present" is loaded with words that appeal to the reader making Jobs sound like a glorified  inventor. The positive words sway the reader to listen to Douthat's perspective of Jobs and begin to see the impact that Jobs really had.
     While reading this essay, I was constantly comparing both fantasies and realities of the world and what it was envisioned to be. Most people had an ideal image of what the future would be when they were younger; in this essay I was able to compare what I had expected to what Steve Jobs had created.  The author evokes this thought process by comparing strong images. Douthat describes a less innovative and ugly world as "Our cities had crime-ridden towers and white elephant shopping centers where the neighborhoods used to be. . ." and then switches to describing the current world by saying  ". . . a return to walkable neighborhoods, human-scale housing, and pleasant public spaces. . . our cars more curvaceous, our civic architecture less offensive." The contrast of these different images followed by a description of the type of work Jobs did causes the reader to imagine the two types of lifestyles and the impact Jobs had on it.
     Another reason this piece causes a strong sense of admiration for Steve Jobs is the use of syntax in the article. A common tactic used in this piece is the pairing of short sentences followed by a long sentence. This allows the reader to learn some quick information about Jobs and then go onto hear how this affected the world. Syntax, imagery, and diction are all used in this piece to highlight the contributions that Steve Jobs has left this world with.