In his essay full of self-reflection and, well sorrow almost, a man (Samanth) realizes the importance of family, and getting to know them. However, he realizes this too late, and because of his appreciation for what he has now lost, the story takes on a saddening, heartfelt tone. It is because of this tone that the story is most effective in achieving its purpose. Since Subramanian feels as though he has failed his family in a sense, broken the bonds that made them connect to history, he tries in this piece to have others come to the same realization that he did; family is more important than anything, and we should appreciate them while they are still here. His audience is not people who are like him. Instead I would say that he directs this at anyone whose grandparents are still here, whose culture is alive and vibrant, especially the young people of today’s world. Subramanian serves to inspire them to connect (or reconnect) with their culture, and to appreciate people to their fullest potential.
One way that Subramanian does this is through the gorgeous imagery with which he tells his story. ONe of my favorite examples is when he says “The air around him crackled; his aura was so strong that invariably, towards the end of each of these sessions, ripples of doubt would run through my mind” (I would cite this but I can’t). I am not sure why I liked it so much, but I just felt that it stood out, and made the grandfather seem larger than life to this man. The detail with which Subramanian tells the story of his grandfather emphasizes the mans importance in his life, even if he only discovered the importance when it was too late. Because of his attention to detail, the story hits home, and I think he will indeed inspire people to appreciate others through it.
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