"Objects of Affection" By: Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough

Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough grew up in Poland during a time of shortages and communism. At a young age she learned to value possession of few items and to accept the unavailability of them, these teachings led her to associate inanimate objects with memories and emotions. The essay, “Objects of Affection” describes her life in Poland, adjustment to the US and grandmother’s life after World War II.  The juxtaposition of life in Poland against the US was often used to show how drastic the difference was, describing the US as, “almost obscene” (Hryniewicz-Yarbrough 170).  At the time, American citizens mindlessly filled carts with unnecessary objects and food, meanwhile in Poland, people waited in endless lines for bread, milk, or shoes with the possibility of leaving the store empty handed. She is a well-published author, who in this instance wrote to teach privileged adults to invest in practical and meaningful items that will obtain memories for generations. Personified as, “mute witnesses to human life” (Hryniewicz-Yarbrough 167), objects are more purposeful than to take up space to provide décor, which Ewa learned after her simplistic grandmother passed away leaving only a paperweight for her. Due to everything humans endure in their life, they should have something tangible to contain all of the memories, to represent the journey taken. This is what she hoped to share, that life is not about having the most expensive and beautiful belonging but the most meaningful. I believe that she did accomplish this task through her description of her grandmother’s practical yet fulfilled life as well as her own, with few prized possessions that brought with them a sense of home. She illustrated that objects true purpose is to provide comfort and belonging. Her grandmother did not have that, but Ewa did and she encouraged her audience to do the same, to invest in meaningful items and lead a more practical life.

American Materialism
URL: http://viewallpaper.com/the-corporate-states-of-america-wallpaper.html