A Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Grief

The emotion I chose to convey through my mask is grief. Grief is defined as “a deep sorrow, especially caused by someone’s death“ (Oxford Languages). Grief is a universal experience, as loss is inevitable in life. Everyone goes through grief differently, but some common things to experience are psychological distress, separation anxiety, confusion, depression, obsessive dwelling on the past, and apprehension about the future. People throughout the world are constantly experiencing grief in one form or another, whether it be a result of losing a loved one, or maybe a beloved pet. As someone who has had many losses in my life, including my father, several of my grandparents, pets, and most recently my step-father, I feel I have a lot I can speak

To start with, the background is a wood grain pattern that represents strength and resilience. Wood can be scarred, irregular and damaged by weather or outside influences, but it remains strong and resilient. This is similar to coping with grief because individuals who have experienced grief have emotional scars but remain resilient and still have the strength to navigate through sorrow and keep going. There are also lit candles in the background of my piece to represent hope, remembrance, solace and comfort to those who are mourning. People use candles around the world when remembering lost loved ones, lighting them to honor and respect the lives of those who have

The mask is faceless because people can become overwhelmed by sorrow and grief to the point of losing their sense of self. Facelessness shows numbness, disconnection, emptiness, and anonymity because grief is universal and hard to express. The clock is very significant and has several meanings concerning grief. Clocks represent the passage of time, as time continues to move forward, despite any hardships one may be experiencing. They represent the idea of frozen time. Time can feel like it’s come to a complete stop and you can feel trapped, especially in the first moments after a significant loss. Inevitability is another meaning of the clock. Death and loss are inevitable parts of the human experience, and it draws us to consider our mortality. The final reason I chose a clock is to represent healing and remembrance. Healing is a slow but continuous process in life. While grief may never go away completely, it slowly diminishes and we can gradually progress to a new normal. There is a large spiral because healing is a nonlinear journey full of revisiting memories and emotions. Spirals can be used to show layers of emotion and gradual growth and healing. They also show natural cycles, as they are often found in nature, and grief is a natural part of life. The last thing they represent on my mask is continuity. Spirals have no clear beginning or end, like feelings, and grief has an ongoing nature that remains