A mirror for empathy

THE STORY: http://www.oregonlive.com/mask/


The humming of the projector sounds, it illuminates an image onto the screen, and each word dictates the birth of the next frame. Whether it be through the sound of one's words, or the ever lasting wave of text, language is the soul for the manifestation of entry to another's life.

Like the character, who rises from poverty to establish a place in this world, a relationship is developed with the audience. An audience, that has probably never personally experienced the hardships, and deniable tastes of homelessness, is immersed into the heart of the man. It isn't a feeling of grief that holds one side by side with the character, it is the art of the intellectual use of language that places the reader into the identity of the subject.

In Tom Hallman's article, The Boy Behind the Mask, language powers the projector, and its reader is traced through the life of Sam Lightner. The boy's life seems impossible to coincide with readers, but Hallman turns an article for a daily newspaper into a mirror for empathy.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”-Bonnie Jean Wasmund

As I read this article, with an eye scoped for the design of Hallman's use of language in conjunction with the production of empathy, a theme is noticed that isn't blatant to the forefront of the article, but is very much relevant. It is this theme of Sam that Hallman creates which becomes the catalyst of empathy. Sam impacts those around him, changing their lives, and leaving an impression that can never be forgotten. It is this theme that sits as the source for empathy, but certainly it is the language devices within the text that are the building blocks to the success of creating the entity of this empathy.

There is not one use of a language device that out weighs the other; they embody each other, fulfilling the portrait painted by Hallman. Sentence structure in the article plays a distinctive role, and stands as the facade to the article. Hallman does not use many sentences that are long or complex, because he doesn't want the tone of explanation to set in. If Hallman were to explain a lot, the article's effect changes, and it takes the reader out of the text. Hallman keeps things simple in sentence length, but does not allow it to prevent the intelligence of the sentences. The sentences remain powerful, and thoughtfully designed.

“But this boy, a 5-foot, 83-pound waif, has learned never to draw attention to himself. He moves like smoke.” (Paragraph 2, Part I)

In the above excerpt, Hallman begins his sentence with “But,” not allowing it to connect with the sentence before, and does not combine the last sentence with the sentence that precedes. This gives emphasis on the fact that Sam avoids drawing interest to himself, and then more importantly the simile of Sam to smoke. If the sentences were to be all one, the affect it holds on the reader changes greatly, and the emphasis of each part is lost. In order to develop empathy, it is important for Hallman to keep the reader in the atmosphere of the events; explanation and long sentences just becomes a distraction. Instead, the description of Sam's size, and how he avoids being the center of attention connects itself to the simile without the use of conjunctions.

“All the blue veins showing through Sam's waxen skin worried him.” (Paragraph 76, Part II)

The above line is an example to the specific arrangement of words in a sentence. The line above is one of many sentences that are designed for the way Hallman wants them to be read. If the sentence read, “He was worried of the blue veins showing through Sam's waxen skin,” the influence on the reader changes. By providing the description of the veins within this “waxen skin” at the beginning of the sentence, the reader is able to draw the image, and then also feel the worry that Dr. Mulliken feels. In this case, rather than feeling empathy for Sam, you are able to identify with the worry of Dr. Mulliken thanks to the precise sentence structure.

I also hinted above to the pacing of this article, and the sentence structure plays a part in dictating the speed of the writing. Again, to the first example above, if all of it becomes one sentence structure, the pace changes dramatically, and throughout the writing the changes in speed are noticed. One of the areas, where the pace of the article sees a distinctive change, is during Part III, and the intensity of the surgery. Unlike, the rest of the article, this part consisted of rarely any extra details not relevant directly to what was happening. The rest of the article consists of transitions of extra details and background information, but this scene had bared an anxious and pressured pace. The significance of the pacing in scenes, such as the surgery, is to again, put the reader in the text. If Hallman adds a bunch of extra stuff to a climatic scene, the reader would not feel the empathy towards what is happening. However, during the surgery it is a natural physical and mental feeling as if you were actually in the surgery room. The bags of blood that signify time, but also the pressure on the doctors. The search for the nerves, and the hope not to cut one. The feeling that it is an improbable surgery, but still the desire to move forward remains. It is all created through this fast moving scene, and the empathy that is stimulated is not for Sam, but you are toe to toe with the surgeons. Yes, you are pulling for Sam to make it, but that is why the doctors continue with time closing in on them, it is all or nothing. It is this part of this article, where language is highly crafty, and the empathy is felt strongly.

“She wept.” (Paragraph 67, Part I)

It is a transition like the one above that Hallman uses extremely effectively. First of all, it creates a unique structure, a two word sentence with so much meaning. The organization of using lines like this one, gives the reader an opportunity to shift with the text. It also signifies to the reader that there is some importance to why the line has been left all alone. When you read the section, and then you hit the transition, it provides the full impact of what is happening. This transition followed a description of Mrs. Lightner covering up the deformity on Sam's face in a picture to see what he was suppose to look like; it hits hard, but the simplicity of the sentence gives delicacy to the situation. All of this contributes to the empathy of the specific example, which is the wonder to why it is her son that has been given such a burden, and the sadness of knowing he is going to have to live with it the rest of his life. It is a feeling that can only be created through the specific organization Hallman uses.

Another very obvious thing that Hallman does with organization, he uses the order in which the events take place. He doesn't take the ending put it first, he starts with the present building the reader's connection to the 14-year old Sam, and then goes to his birth, and then takes off from there. He doesn't go day by day, or year by year, but he highlights the meaningful events of the overlaying article. This organization creates empathy by establishing the reader with a sense of knowing the history, it is difficult to relate to something that you don't have the knowledge of, but Hallman assures his reader with what is happening, and then from there he creates the empathy through the events in Sam's life.

“The mass was soft. It jiggled. Debbie thought it looked like Jell-O.” (Paragraph 64, Part 1)

There is an abundance of literary devices in this piece that enhances the clarity of imagery. It builds the feeling of actually being apart of what is happening. In the example above, Hallman describes Debbie's experience of touching the deformity when Sam was an infant. This description introduces the reader to the mass that would be otherwise difficult to picture, but it can be conceived in this simile. Hallman presents “Jell-O” as something most anyone can relate to in order to successfully make the comparison concrete. These images play such an important role to the text, because without them the reader can't capture the atmosphere and can't completely depict the images that they are feeling empathetic towards. A reader needs comparisons of things relative to their own lives that way they can distinguish the items in the text. It is literary devices that complete the empathy of this piece of writing by inviting the reader into the image of each word.

“A huge mass of flesh balloons out from the left side of his face. His left ear, purple and misshapen, bulges from the side of his head. His chin juts forward. The main body of the tissue, laced with blue veins, swells in a dome that runs from sideburn level to chin...” (Paragraph 10, Part I)

This is just one example of several used by Hallman to create imagery for his reader. This one above is easily the best in the article. First, he uses it at the beginning of the article which is going to be a bit of shock for his reader; he doesn't ease into it, and by not doing so he makes his reader judge just like everyone else that meets Sam would. The imagery however, is very clear, and the reader is able to quickly come to terms of just what this deformity looks like. As the reader you can almost feel this growth on your own face which develops the empathy of being Sam. It is powerful imagery like this that holds the boldest impact on the reader, and gives them a passage towards empathy. If there was never a description of the deformity, it would be nearly impossible to feel the burden placed upon Sam which means feeling empathetic also becomes difficult; reasons why imagery is needed to solidify a connection to the article and ultimately empathy.

“The 14-year old lay motionless in his bed at Portland's Legacy Emanual Hosipital & Health Center. (Paragraph 2, Part II)

The strong and powerful use of word choice that can be created, like “motionless” in the above line, gives way to the reader's portrait of imagery, and their empathy towards the subject. The informal diction of the writer can or cannot produce the right flow to the piece. In Hallman's article, his word choice is impeccable, because each adjective, each detail, and every word used allows for the successful creation of empathy. In the example, if “motionless” were to be removed, the impact on the reader is entirely different, but with the word, the reader can see the child laying in bed, and they understand his state. Word choice is a device in language that can make or break the affect, and Hallman most definitely makes his article. Each word grabs the reader into the story and leaves them with so many different impressions, and so many images. Without the right word choice, feeling as though you are one with the subject becomes vague. Hallman ensures his piece to be as clear, and definitive as possible giving way to the reader's empathy.

The details that Hallman uses ties into the word choice, and together they make the combined effort of dragging in the reader. In Part II, Hallman sets the reader in the middle of Dr. Marler's plead to get the hospital's top doctors to take on the case. Hallman doesn't simply state that after hours of negotiation and deliberation, they decided...instead he brings the deliberation to the text. He makes it clear that it wasn't something they just said “oh well” to, but it was in fact a highly complicated decision to make. Through details like these, the reader again develops empathy to the specified subject, and can also weigh the situation at hand. Everything comes to life to the reader through Hallman's precise use of details.

“I'll wait,” Sam says firmly. “This is where I belong.” (Paragraph 129, Part IV)

Considering this is a journalist piece of writing, dialogue is a must, but what it adds to this piece is just a tremendous bonus. This truly brings the text to the reader, and establishes the feeling of everything happening in the present. Hallman uses dialogue extensively through the surgical procedure which further advanced that scene, because the doctors set the mood for the difficult and dangerous surgery. In the line above, Hallman uses a piece of dialogue from Sam that gives parallelism to this piece, because at one point Sam is trying to keep himself unnoticed, but in this part, a shift in behavior is experienced. Through the use of dialogue the reader is only more compelled to feel empathy towards the piece, because the words of the characters speak so much more loudly than the anything else in the text. It brings character to the characters, and allows the reader to make identifications with them. An understanding is created, and through the words of the characters, the reader is engulfed by the writing. The overall feeling and emotions are felt by the reader when Hallman uses these quotes to establish the full interaction of each time frame.

Through a boy with a deformity that never seemed to relate to anyone, Hallman uses Sam's life to create empathy in the reader, and leave the footprint of Sam on the hearts of everyone.

With language at hand Hallman holds us to a mirror of empathy.