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A Rose For Emily: The Value Of Uncomfortable Art

1064 Words5 Pages

Emily Dietz
Dr. Christopher Burlingame
Rhetoric II
June 9, 2023
The Value of Uncomfortable Art Art and literature is created to push the boundaries of normal ideas. Each involves bringing different ideas to the table that are not usually thought of. Art generates outlets for artists and authors to express themselves and provide different perspectives. They are more than just entertainment. These make people feel emotions. Tears may emerge, ears may start smoking, a smile may appear. Uncomfortable art is like looking at a car accident while not wanting to look away. It is human nature to be intrigued by changes but not embrace the change. When changes are portrayed, an uncomfortable feeling may arise. This is a good thing. It shows the attachment …show more content…

The ending of stories may provide some clarity but there are often still unanswered questions. Events that are described in the literature may be a symbol for personal events. Uncomfortable art provides value by portraying a truth that may be uncomfortable and finding a connection. An example of uncomfortable art is William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”. Throughout the story Emily could be viewed as a pitied character until the end of the story when it is revealed what is in her house. There is so much that builds up the town’s sympathy for Emily like her mental instability or the loss of her father, but then the odd behavior begins with the denial of her father’s death, the poison, and the sudden disappearance of Homer (Faulkner). This modifies the normal expectations of the outcome of this story. This creates an uncomfortable environment for the storyline but reveals the truth. Rather than the ending of this story ending with Emily and Homer getting married and having a happily ever after, it ends with a twist and maybe a more realistic ending. A mentally unstable women falls in love with …show more content…

It can change perspectives or even bring clarity to certain situations. This is why it essential to experience uncomfortable events. McGregor quotes another idea of Attridge’s stating, “literary experience ‘involves the emergence within the reader’s set of assumptions, routines, and expectations of an element of foreignness, something unanticipated, not immediately graspable, at a tangent to ingrained habits of thoughts and feeling.’” (121). Literary experience involves breaking the barriers and bringing different ideas to the table. Uncomfortable art is there to provide clarity on the truth and to build connections of personal experiences to the art.
Works Cited
Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” The Forum. 1930.
Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. National Bookstore, 2014.
Helgeland, Brian, and Thomas Tull. 42. Warner Bros., 2013.
Johnson, Michelle. "Art Should Make You Uncomfortable." World Literature Today, vol. 92, no. 6, 2018, pp. 32-35. https://libdb.mtaloy.edu:2443/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/art-should-make-you-uncomfortable/docview/2212658762/se-2.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1960.
McGregor, Rafe. The Value of Literature, Rowman & Littlefield Unlimited Model, 2016, pp. 120-121.

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