"Objects of Affection"

Recognize What You Have

The theme of gratitude is a big one in Ewa Hryniewicz- Yarbrough's "Objects of Affection". As a child who didn't have the same opportunities as most typical American children, Hryniewicz- Yarbrough learned early on to appreciate and be grateful for the possessions that she had. Passing along this sense of gratitude and emotional significance attached to objects is the main purpose of her essay.

(Sondibruner.com)

In “Objects of Affection”, author Ewa Hryniewicz- Yarbrough tells a sentimental and nostalgic story of her relationship with possessions throughout her life. The author illustrates for readers the unparalleled importance of holding onto objects that she experienced during her childhood in Communist Poland, the lessons that she learned from her grandmother’s life, and the way that her relatively deprived childhood has affected her attachment to possessions in later life. Growing up in an environment so different than the free-market consumer haven that Americans are accustomed to, Hryniewicz- Yarbrough offers an interesting perspective to the American public that she targets with this essay. The stories from her own life are meant to give her audience a completely new way of looking at possessions, and a greater sense of appreciation for the things that typical Americans take totally for granted. The structure of this piece is instrumental in achieving the author’s purpose. Hryniewicz- Yarbrough starts out with details about a flea market she frequents in Poland. The mysterious and exciting description that she gives of the objects she finds there immediately starts the reader thinking about objects a different way than they normally would. Now that the reader is open to a new perspective, the author dives into information about her childhood and her grandmother’s life, explaining why objects are so emotionally significant for her. To wrap up her wonderfully fluid and well-constructed essay, the author ends with an anecdote from a literature class that she had taught; this I believe serves as a perfect conclusion to her structure and conveys her purpose flawlessly. While reading a short story in class, her students couldn’t understand why the main character would carry his only remaining possessions with him still when he knew he faced immediate death. In explaining the reasoning behind it to her students, Hryniewicz- Yarbrough conveys both her message and her purpose. Her message is that objects are a reliable and stabilizing force against the chaos of life, and her purpose is to help people, especially the American audience for whom she writes, recognize this importance and learn to treasure it.