A$AP Yams, one of the leading contributors to the success of many rap artists due to his powerful promotional skills and connections he made throughout his life, died last year of "acute mixed-drug intoxication." In the December issue of the New York Times magazine, "The Lives They Lived" is a section that they do annually to honor those who passed away in the given year. A$AP Yams, also known as Steven Rodriguez was among those honored in the 2015 "The Lives They Lived" issue. Amos Barshad, author of the article and writer for the New York Times, honors Rodriguez's life so gracefully by using captivating diction and having a positive outlook on Yams life.
Barshad's use of captivating diction allows the reader to process the words in aw, as they give a special touch to Yams life. Barshad describes Yams as "an ideal Internet user: a cultural polyglot who found beauty in its expansiveness." The sentence has a rhythmic feel that the reader is automatically attracted to which draws their attention in. Barshad captivates the audience to want to read about Yams, and then moves onto his life once the reader is paying attention.
Barshad speaks only once about Yams actual death; he focuses on the positives in his life and the features that made Rodriguez the man he was. His overall positive outlook that he provides on Yams gives the reader a different viewpoint than of the drug-addict Harlem raised rapper that others knew him as.
By using captivating diction and focusing his article on only the positives in Yams life, Amos Barshad and the New York Times Magazine successfully honor a cultural icon that died too young. Barshard also teaches a further lesson to his readers; looking at the bright side and appreciating the positives in life is much more uplifting than focusing on the down side.
No comments:
Post a Comment