TOW #19 - Lucozade: "Find Your Flow"

     Last year energy-drink brand Lucozade released its "Find Your Flow" campaign, an effort to rebuild its image as a drink for everyday energy, not just illness recovery as it was before. They made a commercial glamourizing generally mundane moments such as washing windows, doing crossword puzzles, and grooming a dog to push forward this idea: "You can have good days when you feel on form, then you can have bad days when you don't, the difference is energy. And that's what 'Find Your Flow' is all about. It's about having the energy to get on with your everyday, to find your rhythm, to hit your stride" (from creative director Darren Wright). While I appreciate and even agree with the message of high-energy living, I have never been a big fan of energy drinks in general. Lucozade's ads are humorous and clever, but I simply do not see how "finding your flow" would best come from an energy drink.

     Throughout the one-minute video, a deep voiceover describes the effects of "finding your flow" with Lucozade: being unstoppable, always at your best, making the best of the unexpected, and simply finding a rhythm (as dramatic drumbeats echo in the background). I think it's really important to have the energy to always feel capable and ready, and I believe that any moment can be made great with the right mindset. However, I also believe that is a completely mental and psychological process that won't be helped by an energy drink. I understand the occasional physical energy boost (whether from expertly-mixed chemicals or just a sugar rush) may help, but that should continue to be part of illness-recovery, not a normal-day thing. People would probably be able to "find their flow" a lot more easily if they put in more effort towards things like a healthy diet, exercise, and the often-ignored concept of sufficient sleep.

     Lucozade's commercial and ads are entertaining. If I were in a store deciding between two energy-drink brands, I might remember that and choose Lucozade. But as someone who generally doesn't use energy drinks, the campaign doesn't make me any more convinced I need them.

(Partial argument)

TOW #18 - My Life Is A Joke

"His words no longer hurt me. They make me feel so proud.

Why did the chicken cross the road? That’s me. I am the chicken. And I got to the other side. He knew this would happen when he spoke those words. How beautiful to be seen."

     Sheila Heti is a very creative writer, with a style and voice that is perhaps best described as "alternative." So this article causes many readers to stumble back thinking, "Am I missing something?... Why is this hodgepodge essay in The New Yorker?" This is mostly caused by a lack of a proper introduction to the piece - it was actually written for a specific event in response to a specific prompt. Not having that background information causes some parts to be admittedly rather disconcerting. However, once that is cleared up, the piece truly contains some fascinating ideas and rhetoric.

     As described here, Heti prepared this piece for an event at a literary arts center. The theme "Laugh After Death" was meant to prompt the speakers to write about the concept of death in humorous way, as opposed to the usual "monotonous and morbid and drab" essay on death. The context clarifies the most seemingly out-of-place sections of the article, such as when the narrator discusses travelling a long way to speak at an event (the humor in which would have been much clearer in context). Perhaps The New Yorker and Heti would have done well to include a brief introduction - even if it subtracted from the drama of the beginning, it would have cleared up larger issues for many readers.

     The piece is narrated by a woman who has come back from the dead to brag that after a life lived and ended in loneliness, her death has allowed her to finally be "witnessed" by others. She has also apparently conquered an ex-boyfriend's criticism of her: "You are a joke, and your life is a joke." She presents herself as the chicken who crossed the road: she was a chicken who could not bear life any longer, and crossed to the other side in her suicide. Heti's character ascribes this victory - fulfilling the joke and therefore having a witness to her life (see the quote above) - to be the reason for coming to the event to speak.

     Beyond the morbidly fascinating metaphor of the chicken joke, the piece is intriguing because of the character Heti creates. The narrator speaks directly to the audience, her tone growing increasingly desperate and almost crazed. The piece is short but cleverly written, through a character that the reader cannot help but pity, wanting to scorn her and shake her into realization all at the same time.

     Heti responded to the prompt in an undeniably creative way. I would like to have watched her present this piece, to see if she made it dramatic or comedically dry. And there may be a greater message to this as well - the speaker is miserable her whole life because of others' words and criticisms against her, and ultimately "avenges" herself by fulfilling those ideas. I see the piece as revealing, through a sort of satire, the pitifulness of a life designed solely to please others.

TOW #17 - Hearts of Fire (Part One)

Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, the leads of the fourth story and the founders of VOM

     If asked why I love reading and writing, I would generally respond with two things: the capacity of words to be crafted into something intricately beautiful, and its capacity to be an escape from the world and its realities. Hearts of Fire doesn't quite fit either of those things - the writing is clunky at times and it forces the reader to acknowledge the harsh realities of this world - yet it surpasses all conditions of telling a good story. Published by The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), an organization "dedicated to assisting the persecuted church worldwide," it shares the testimonies of eight courageous women of the underground church. And it was written with this purpose in mind: "It is our prayer that you come away… with a deeper conviction and steadier direction for handling life's difficulties. If you are only amazed at these incredible testimonies, we have failed… if you can gain strength from these examples of extraordinary courage, we have succeeded." To put it simply, VOM succeeded.

     I read four stories, from Adel of Indonesia, Purnima of Bhutan, Aida of Russia, and Sabina of Romania. The compilation was an effort to tell contemporary stories from different nations and backgrounds. It was published in 2003 and many events happened in the late 1900s, so it could be considered outdated, but the messages are powerful regardless of each story's exact setting.

     One major success of the stories was the balance between keeping it honest and making it a captivating read. That can often be a weak point for books like this, as testimonies from memory are filled in with details and end up sounding terribly fake or awkward, but VOM did a good job. One misfire would be with the dialogue, as it was sometimes odd between the use of English and likely paraphrased quotes.

     VOM was also successful in terms of structural choices. Each story began with an intense scene from the climax, before zooming out to the start of the woman's story and then continuing through the rest of the events. It was very effective, as with each new story the reader would be immediately drawn in.
     To be completely honest, I chose this book because I needed an IRB and it seemed to be an adequate choice. I also expected the clunky language to get in the way, as I've seen so many other faith-centered productions and publications sacrifice technical prowess for spiritual idealization. But I was pleasantly surprised by the powerful storytelling, and emotionally impacted by the pages of struggle and sacrifice, as I curled up in a blanket in a warm home, my most imminent worry getting this TOW done tonight.