Close Reading #4

"What Out Below!!!" by Maureen Dowds

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/watch-out-below.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

In the article, “Watch Out Below!!!” Maureen Dowd expresses to her readers that “the cliffhanger” is being overused and is hindering to society. She uses her diction, figurative language, and incorporated details to do this.

The words used by Dowd help her to show the reader that cliffhangers are becoming overkill and are disruptive to society. An example of this is when she refers to the use of the cliffhanger of the end of the world (particularly the most recent outburst—the Mayan prediction) as an “attempt” to alter the general state of mind. In calling it an attempt, Dowd diminishes the logistics of it being the end of the world and makes the idea of it being true seem trivial and foolish, and since it is so impossible, the worry that it causes hinders society. Another example of how Dowd uses her diction is when she says, “There’s a new American trend in hysteria”. By using the word “trend”, Dowd makes the idea that the world is going to end seem like it is just a phase—something insignificant that will soon pass. It also emphasizes the overuse of that particular cliffhanger because it makes it seem like it happens all the time. By using the word “hysteria”, she makes the idea seem unrealistic.

Dowd also uses figurative language to emphasize her idea that cliffhangers are overused and disruptive. For example she says, “…to continually whirl the whole American population into a state of apocalyptic excitement …[is] exhausting”. By referring to it in this way, Dowd makes the end of the world theory seem to not only be perpetual, but also overkill. Figurative language is used again when she says, “But the cliff metaphor is so overused it makes me want to walk off one”. By saying that cliffhangers are used so often she would like to die to be rid of them, it adds drama and the humor makes the reader feel more involved. In doing this, it emphasizes her point that they are overused.

Dowd also incorporates specific details to ensure that her viewpoint towards cliffhangers is prominent and persuasive. An example of this is when she says, “We have reached the quivering moment of truth that Jon Stewart calls “Cliffpocalypsemageddonacaust”.  By including this humorous detail, it diminishes the realism that could have been evident with the cliffhanger of the end of the world. In doing this while relating it to the prominence of the theory of an apocalypse in American society, Dowd shows how this idea hinders society. If everyone is obsessed with the false idea that the world is about to end, they will be unable to pay attention to what really matters. Dowd makes use of detail again when she says, “Lincoln wasn’t cliffy … Lincoln had a goal and pursued it methodically through various means, some shady. He wasn’t interested in hysteria”. By showing the reader that Lincoln, a commended and prosperous President, was the opposite of “cliffy”, she enhances the idea that cliffhangers are hindering to people.

Dowd incorporates strong usage of diction, figurative language, and detail to emphasize the idea that cliffhangers are overplayed and straining in today’s society. She does this by referring to it in ways that make the idea of certain cliffhangers seem insignificant. From there, she continues to examine the hindering effects that believing and obsessing over these cliffhangers has on individuals, and the public as a whole.