More Than Meets the Eye

We have all heard the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” however it’s kind of in our blood to see things as they appear to be. Examples are all around us: media, books, real life.

One of my favorite books is Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, the book that inspires the Tony award winning musical by the same name. It surrounds the story of Elphaba, a girl from the land of Oz born with green skin. Being outcasted her entire life for being different, Elphaba grew up not believing that she could be anything other than a monster, for that was all people saw her as. It wasn’t until she met Galinda (later Glinda, the Good Witch of the North) at school that she started being someone else. After a rough beginning, Glinda started seeing Elphaba as a kind, unique, determined, smart, and talented young woman that was just misunderstood and didn’t need to follow anyone else’s opinion other than her own. The two eventually become best friends and help each other reach their full potential.

Rhetoric works the same way: seeing writing as more than what it appear to be. Understanding rhetoric can help us informed of the world around us. Take Wicked for example; a young adult book that uses a fictional land to tell the backstory for the girl who would eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West that we all know from the Wizard of Oz. But Wicked goes even further, telling the all-too familiar story we’ve all heard: a misunderstood teen that is trying to find themselves.

People around Elphaba were quick to judge her just based on her appearance. Even Glinda didn’t want to associate herself with Elphaba at first. We do the same things in similar situations, not associate ourselves with people that may look a certain way. But it’s our duty as human beings to see past the appearances and see their hearts and where they lie.

 

Works Cited

Bolin, Laura Carroll. “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 1. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor P, 2010. 45-58. Writing Spaces. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

Maguire, Gregory. Wicked: The Life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West: A Novel. New York: Regan, 1995. Print.