Month: September 2017

The Hookah

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Allison White

September 20, 2017

RCL 137

 

Artifact – The hookah

Introduction: Who here has ever smoked the hookah? The hookah has been around since the 15th century and is still making it’s way around the world today. It has gained insane amounts of popularity but also controversy that comes with it. The controversy is part because of the different cultures that are associated with it. The hookah serves different purposes for different people.

 

Topic 1: origin of the hookah

  • Originated in India
    • Iran next
    • Gained popularity under Ottoman Empire
    • Used only at royal meetings and dinners
    • Tradition and prestige

 

Transition: You may be asking yourself, how is this artifact civic? Being used only by royalty didn’t allow for the hookah to be a world known civic artifact until it hit America.

 

Topic 2: coming to America and us “borrowing” things

  • Touch on how we are copy cats
  • Last to adopt the hookah
  • Gained extreme popularity
    • Also controversy
    • Circulating rumors
      • “Worse than drugs”

 

Transition: Even though there are tons of skeptics in the US, the hookah was conceptualized as a tolerable thing while still maintaining it’s ideologies in its origin countries.

 

Topic 4: it’s obvious use vs it’s common places

  • Obvious use – nicotine buzz
    • Cooling system to ensure a smooth and calming inhale
    • Cigarette habits ending – people see cigarettes as a bad habit meanwhile a hookah is much less hated on
  • Different common places for different cultures
    • America – pastime and the social aspect we all truly desire
      • Going out w friends and socializing for hours at a time
      • The circular orientation of hookah lounges allowing for a conversational aspect
      • Comforting and inviting surroundings
    • Middle East – family gathering
      • Smoke at dinner or after
        • Bonding

 

Conclusion: Hookah has been part of many cultures but doesn’t share all the same ideologies in each one except giving people a commonplace that they feel comfortable in.

Addario Capturing the Reader

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Addario really caught my attention when she talked about the “Invasion” of Iraq. It starts on page 93 and ends on 97. The most common technique she uses is imagery. Everything she saw, she described in so much detail. The specific phrase that stood out at me was, “Behind us, all I could see was black smoke, a charcoal sandstorm billowing toward us.” The author could have stopped her sentence after black smoke but she instead used vivid words to allow the readers to fully picture what was happening.

 

Another way Addario draws in the audience is with ethos. The culture she was surrounded with was nothing like any of us know first hand. She described it as “not pro-American” and “hostile area.” All those phrases showed how dangerous the area was.

 

She also does a great job with pathos. After the bomb went off, she saw the pickup truck full of “dismembered bodies” and she explained how there were people’s insides everywhere. Addario also mentioned that some bodies were just hanging onto their lives. This plays on readers emotions because they never want to have to see that and picturing any person like that is horrifying.

 

I would really like to use vivid word choice in my blog. I don’t want it to be boring for the readers. I’d like to incorporate logos through proven facts and studies that have been taken. My whole blog is based on how someone feels about themselves so I hope that ties back to pathos. Another thing I’d love to do is make my passion help someone else. Even this one part of the book has so much information on things we wouldn’t know otherwise. Addario did a great job keeping the reader’s attention and always keeping them on the edge of their seat. I hope to accomplish the same with my blog!

Is Your Love also Your Passion?

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At this point in the book, Addario was conflicted with who she loved and what she loved to do. She was seeing her passion and love life as an intertwined mix and didn’t know how to choose between the two. I think her Nana noticed this confusion and her advice was her own story about a chance that she failed to take.

Her Nana’s story was of Sal. Addario’s Nana was crazy for him, and had never felt affection towards anyone else like she did him. Sal was broke and had no promising future which lead Nana to go her own way. After they both pursued their own lives, they got to catch up and the intensity of their connection also rekindled.

Addario saw that her Nana was reminiscing in how great her life could have been. She ends it with, “And I never wanted to regret the kisses I missed.” I think that Addario is referring to kisses as opportunities not legit kisses. Her passion is photography and bringing a social change but she was starting to allow a man to stand in the way of that. The story of her Nana put her own life into perspective and she was able to fully accept the life of a photographer. Unlike her Nana, she didn’t have regrets about following her passion.

Much like the author, I had support and encouragement in my passion as well. Growing up, my best friend was Lauren. She started to get into a routine of working out and learning how to make home cooked meals. She really pushed me to do it with her. Every time I was close to quitting the workout or eating something bad for me, she would encourage me to keep going or suggest an alternative snack. Lauren was really the whole reason I got in touch the positive side of life.