"The Silence"

                                                       

                 The article that i read from the Writing Places book was "The Silence of the Lambswool Cardigans" by: Rebecca Solnit. Starting off, Solnit talks about how things used to be viewed much differently and how everyday objects lost their meaning, daily items such as a cup or a dinning utensil. They weren't just object with no meaning; they had a story behind it. The Author goes into how objects were stepping stones in civilization and how they defined us as humans. One quote that really stood out was when she said "It's as though every object spoke out"(pg. 131) and also when she said something on the lines that items used to have a history.

                 As the article goes on, the Author talks about how people don't even know where their daily things are from, such as their shirt and pants. Then Solnit talks about how a mall has taken over an area that used to be call Shellmound Park. After discussing the origin of the amusement park, she goes into how that a mall with "fake" things took over a place that had a better purpose/meaning. Malls are places that have objects with no meaning and they are a part of what is making objects "shut up" in sense. But the Author goes into how some objects stories are not good,such objects dealing with sweatshops, prison, and child labor.

               Solnit goes into the main reason why she thinks items are losing their meaning. She thinks that “somewhere in the Industrial Age, objects shut up because their creation had become so remote and intricate a process that was no longer readily knowledgeable". Also, she states that marketing had a huge affect on this as well and that people and how people prefer meaningless objects over homemade. And to end her article she goes back to the mall that took over the park. The main reason she is upset about this is because of the silence. Hopefully one day people realize that there is still objects that still sing.