User:JHadaway/sandbox: Difference between revisions

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Another such exchange occurs when Jig and the American try Anis del Toro. Upon imbibing the drink, Jig comments that "[i]t tastes like licorice," to which the American responds, "That's the way with everything" (212). The American's response plays into Jig's beliefs about irreversibility, for she seizes upon the chance to rephrase the statement and direct it back toward the American: "Yes," she says. "Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for, like absinthe" (Hemingway 212). Perhaps the American only meant to dismiss Jig's childish statement about licorice; however, in doing so, he opened the door for her to make a philosophical statement about consequence. In saying that everything amounts to one thing—one "taste"—Jig suggests that actions have an absolute consequence, one that leaves a bitter taste that cannot be undone. After a succession of comments about each rhetorician's motivation, Jig concludes, "That's all we do, isn't it—look at things and try new drinks?" (Hemingway 212). Jig's statement indirectly reproves the American for not allowing action within the relationship. The only action she has seen, in her opinion, was the conception, and the American will not even allow that to progress to full term. Detecting Jig's intimation, David Wyche writes that "[Jig] manages to articulate, again figuratively, what has no doubt been an increasing awareness of the emptiness of the couple's lifestyle to date" (62). Similarly, Paul Rankin surmises that, despite the American's desire to "act" on the conception, his character is "essentially passive in nature": "the man has nothing to offer, nothing to contribute to the story, just as he has nothing more to contribute to Jig's pregnancy" (235). As such, despite the American's desire to reverse the action—the life—he created through the abortion, his passivity inhibits his rhetorical position.

The rhetorical struggle culminates in a battle between the ''cans'' and the ''cannots''—a battle that Jig incites when she looks upon the field and the mountains and says, "And we could have all this....And we could have everything and every day we make it more impossible" (213). She clearly makes this statement to spite her lover, who agrees with her that, once Jig had the abortion, they could do and have anything they wanted. Every time the American suggests something (clearly impossible) they could have or do {{pg|409|410}} post-abortion, Jig responds, "No, we can't" (213). After the American's concluding remark ("We can go everywhere"), Jig replies, "No, we can't. It isn't ours any more," and later comments that "once they take it away, you never get it back" (213). At this point Jig cements her belief in irreversibility in the face of the American, who now is at a rhetorical disadvantage and can only make impossible remarks. In these lines, Jig insists that "undoing" something—reversing something—such as the conception of life is an impossibility, for though something can be removed or killed, in the case of the fetus, ''that'' something was once present—was once a reality—and, as such, can never be truly reversed. True reversal would require Jig and the American to "forgive and forget," so to say—something that Jig, once having had life within her, cannot do. It is clear that if Jig went through with the abortion, she would never be able to view the world in the same way—nothing could ever be hers again, for she would have lost something that was truly important to her. After this exchange during which Jig seemingly wins the rhetorical battle over the potential of irreversibility, she refuses to discuss the matter anymore. Whether or not she has the abortion is open to debate, although the issue of irreversibility, once on the table, has been removed from the discussion.

Revision as of 10:36, 31 March 2025 view source JHadaway (talk \| contribs) 33 edits Added the fourth paragraph ← Older edit		Revision as of 10:45, 31 March 2025 view source JHadaway (talk \| contribs) 33 edits Added the fifth paragraph Newer edit →
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	Another such exchange occurs when Jig and the American try Anis del Toro. Upon imbibing the drink, Jig comments that "[i]t tastes like licorice," to which the American responds, "That's the way with everything" (212). The American's response plays into Jig's beliefs about irreversibility, for she seizes upon the chance to rephrase the statement and direct it back toward the American: "Yes," she says. "Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for, like absinthe" (Hemingway 212). Perhaps the American only meant to dismiss Jig's childish statement about licorice; however, in doing so, he opened the door for her to make a philosophical statement about consequence. In saying that everything amounts to one thing—one "taste"—Jig suggests that actions have an absolute consequence, one that leaves a bitter taste that cannot be undone. After a succession of comments about each rhetorician's motivation, Jig concludes, "That's all we do, isn't it—look at things and try new drinks?" (Hemingway 212). Jig's statement indirectly reproves the American for not allowing action within the relationship. The only action she has seen, in her opinion, was the conception, and the American will not even allow that to progress to full term. Detecting Jig's intimation, David Wyche writes that "[Jig] manages to articulate, again figuratively, what has no doubt been an increasing awareness of the emptiness of the couple's lifestyle to date" (62). Similarly, Paul Rankin surmises that, despite the American's desire to "act" on the conception, his character is "essentially passive in nature": "the man has nothing to offer, nothing to contribute to the story, just as he has nothing more to contribute to Jig's pregnancy" (235). As such, despite the American's desire to reverse the action—the life—he created through the abortion, his passivity inhibits his rhetorical position.		Another such exchange occurs when Jig and the American try Anis del Toro. Upon imbibing the drink, Jig comments that "[i]t tastes like licorice," to which the American responds, "That's the way with everything" (212). The American's response plays into Jig's beliefs about irreversibility, for she seizes upon the chance to rephrase the statement and direct it back toward the American: "Yes," she says. "Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for, like absinthe" (Hemingway 212). Perhaps the American only meant to dismiss Jig's childish statement about licorice; however, in doing so, he opened the door for her to make a philosophical statement about consequence. In saying that everything amounts to one thing—one "taste"—Jig suggests that actions have an absolute consequence, one that leaves a bitter taste that cannot be undone. After a succession of comments about each rhetorician's motivation, Jig concludes, "That's all we do, isn't it—look at things and try new drinks?" (Hemingway 212). Jig's statement indirectly reproves the American for not allowing action within the relationship. The only action she has seen, in her opinion, was the conception, and the American will not even allow that to progress to full term. Detecting Jig's intimation, David Wyche writes that "[Jig] manages to articulate, again figuratively, what has no doubt been an increasing awareness of the emptiness of the couple's lifestyle to date" (62). Similarly, Paul Rankin surmises that, despite the American's desire to "act" on the conception, his character is "essentially passive in nature": "the man has nothing to offer, nothing to contribute to the story, just as he has nothing more to contribute to Jig's pregnancy" (235). As such, despite the American's desire to reverse the action—the life—he created through the abortion, his passivity inhibits his rhetorical position.

			The rhetorical struggle culminates in a battle between the ''cans'' and the ''cannots''—a battle that Jig incites when she looks upon the field and the mountains and says, "And we could have all this....And we could have everything and every day we make it more impossible" (213). She clearly makes this statement to spite her lover, who agrees with her that, once Jig had the abortion, they could do and have anything they wanted. Every time the American suggests something (clearly impossible) they could have or do {{pg\|409\|410}} post-abortion, Jig responds, "No, we can't" (213). After the American's concluding remark ("We can go everywhere"), Jig replies, "No, we can't. It isn't ours any more," and later comments that "once they take it away, you never get it back" (213). At this point Jig cements her belief in irreversibility in the face of the American, who now is at a rhetorical disadvantage and can only make impossible remarks. In these lines, Jig insists that "undoing" something—reversing something—such as the conception of life is an impossibility, for though something can be removed or killed, in the case of the fetus, ''that'' something was once present—was once a reality—and, as such, can never be truly reversed. True reversal would require Jig and the American to "forgive and forget," so to say—something that Jig, once having had life within her, cannot do. It is clear that if Jig went through with the abortion, she would never be able to view the world in the same way—nothing could ever be hers again, for she would have lost something that was truly important to her. After this exchange during which Jig seemingly wins the rhetorical battle over the potential of irreversibility, she refuses to discuss the matter anymore. Whether or not she has the abortion is open to debate, although the issue of irreversibility, once on the table, has been removed from the discussion.