In America’s streamlined culture of 2017, the idea of specialty catered to the individual has long been lost.  Ian Bogost touches upon this idea in his article, Egg McNothin’, where he discusses the distinctive nature of the Egg McMuffin, offered as a breakfast by the fast-food chain McDonalds. He argues that there were many losses suffered once the chain began offering this breakfast as an all-day option in 2015. With this offer came a lack of anticipation, creating a generally impersonal nature about it, and in turn, the misplacement of luxury. As a department head at Urban Outfitters, one of the world’s highly recognized fast-fashion retailers, I find truth in this argument of the losses found in mass-produced specialties, and argue that the true failure in this is the clash with human nature.

     Bogost begins his article with a definition of luxury, which is essential to the crux of his argument. He states, “The greatest luxury is the one we cannot have – or at least the one we cannot have very often… a decadence limited…” This rings true in my own exploration of human nature, where one major rule is that we want what we cannot have. For me, it is a private villa in Cancun: something I cannot have, but I can imagine and aspire to, and maybe even sample for a week in January in one opulent moment. This is key to Bogost’s following arguments against McDonald’s introduction of all-day breakfast, including the famed Egg McMuffin. He claims that the glory in the specialty of breakfast, meant just for the morning, is now lost, and the sheer anticipation of the egg McMuffin can no longer exist as it is available all day. Just like my villa, Bogost presents “The Egg McMuffin as an idea rather than a reality.” He works with the idea that while the McMuffin in itself is not necessarily something to rave over, it was the limitation of access that made it unique, and therefore sought after. Its distinction was the fact that the McMuffin symbolized “an indulgence meant mostly to be missed rather than savored.” Americans might not have made it in time for the 10:30 McMuffin deadline, but they could try. Even if they missed it, it was the hunt that mattered and the chase they could pursue yet again the next day.

     It is most apropos when Bogost quotes Adam Chandler, author for The Atlantic, who argues  that with the all-day breakfast, “‘America is reverting to its adolescence.’” The impulsivity in indulging in one’s wants, generally associated with teenagers, has instantly been granted to all Americans, as the structure of breakfast found strictly in the morning has been replaced with all day gratification. The McMuffin has become all the more impersonal with its increasing mass-production. As Bogost says, “The surest way to spoil an extravagance is to destroy the suspense that animates it.” Just like so many other mass-produced items in American culture, the suspense is robbed from consumers, and companies cut a loss from it. Bogost notes that even with the introduction of the all-day breakfast, McDonalds still closed more stores than it opened in 2015. So the issue clearly lies in the fact that, as human nature dictates, we want what we cannot have. It   is the chase as opposed to the result that makes a product special.

     Having worked at Urban Outfitters for a few years now, Bogost’s argument strongly resonates with me. The company carries clothing defined as “fast-fashion,” referring to  the quick transition from runway to retailer, to capture the moment’s trends at an easily accessible price point for fleeting moments followed by replacement on-trend items. I began my career there with wide eyes that were fascinated with the individuality the company proposed, and I wondered why managers discussed the company’s dipping numbers during our team meetings. As I made my way through the ranks and landed myself a position as a women’s department head, I found that the dwindling numbers speak for themselves. The issue lies, yet again, in the fact that humans want what they cannot have. Take, for example, the embroidered mesh shirt. High-end designers showcased this style during global fashion weeks presenting Spring 2017’s anticipated trends. The moment I turned my head, Urban Outfitters began allocating this style to my small-volume store, but in copious amounts. Hundreds of units of different styles of embroidered mesh shirts hit the floor, in varying degrees: short-sleeve, long-sleeve, sleeveless, cropped, long, and every other variation one could even dream of, leaving nothing left to imagine anymore. Now this special style that seemed to be of limited quantity and available to only those with $900 to spend on a single piece of their wardrobe, became available to everyone, using  mass-produced labels stamped with the impersonal sizing of small, medium, and large all for the reasonable price of $59. The chase is gone, as the shirt has been practically handed out to the masses. The specialty of the item once considered a “luxury good” and looked at as unattainable by young ladies flipping through Vogue magazine has now lost its anticipation as it hit various retailers in overwhelming amounts. The idea of “humans want what they cannot have” simply became “humans want and therefore they can have.” And so the sales of this mesh shirt have decreased with each coming week, and the specialty in the suspense and anticipation found consume culture has been lost to the regularity in the fastness and accessibility that replaced it. America has slowed down to the all-day Egg McMuffins of the times, and has forgotten what it is to truly chase what they want.

What is verbal art? How can the study of verbal art (poetics) inform the science of language? How can the study of language (linguistics) elucidate the field of verbal art? In “Linguistics and Poetics,” Roman Jakobson attempts to tackle these difficult questions. For Jakobson, “poetics may be regarded as an integral part of linguistics” (1145). Hence, the field of linguistics is incomplete without poetics, and poetics is void of context when studied without linguistics.

Before establishing the poetic function of language, Jakobson first lays out a general framework of the various factors present in any form of verbal communication. In its most basic form, an event of verbal communication is made up of an ADDRESSER (the one who is speaking, writing, etc.), who sends a MESSAGE (the content of the verbal communication) to an ADDRESSEE (the one who listens, reads, etc.). The thing to which a message refers to is called the CONTEXT. The transfer of the message relies upon an agreed upon CODE, or system of communication (such as the English language), as well as a CONTACT, which is the actual mode by which the communication happens (speaking/listening, writing/reading, etc.).

With the factors of language established, Jakobson then lays out its various functions. However, he prefaces this by saying: “The diversity lies not in a monopoly of some one of these several functions but in a different hierarchal order of functions. The verbal structure of a message depends primarily on the predominant function” (1148). In other words, every function of language combines various linguistic factors in different ways, yet each of these functions employs every factor, albeit in varying degrees. After this disclaimer, Jakobson lays out the six different functions of language, in correspondence with their predominant factors. The functions are: REFERENTIAL (context), EMOTIVE (addresser), CONATIVE (addressee), PHATIC (contact), METALINGUAL (code), and POETIC (message).

By placing poetics within the matrix of all verbal functions, Jakobson provides reasoning for why poetics is an essential field of study for linguists, and vice versa. “The poetic function is not the sole function of verbal art but only its dominant, determining function, whereas in all other verbal activities it acts as a subsidiary, accessory constituent” (1150). If one is to better understand the functioning of language, they must understand poetics, as it is active in all verbal communication, if only as an “accessory.” Also, if one is to better understand verbal art, they must understand the other functions of language as well, for they are all active within verbal art.

With all of the groundwork laid out, Jakobson attempts to define the distinctive characteristic that designates a work of verbal art as such. To do so, he considers how poetics interacts with the two “modes of arrangement” (1151) used in verbal communication: selection and combination. Using the vernacular of Saussure, these are equivalent to the syntagmatic and associative qualities of language, respectively. Selection is primarily concerned with similarities Whereas equivalence is usually a quality of selection (e.g. choosing between the terms ‘woman,’ ‘girl,’ ‘dame,’ or ‘lady’), while combination is concerned with continuity (i.e. creating a logical sequence). Jakobson uses these ideas to define the poetic function as such:  “The poetic function projects the principle of equivalence from the axis of selection into the axis of combination” (1152). Whereas equivalence is usually a quality of selection, poetics applies it to the verbal combination as well. Hence, “Equivalence is promoted to the constitutive device of the sequence” (1152).

In an attempt to better grasp the implications of this assertion, and the functions of language in general, I will apply Jakobson’s ideas to a poem by the masterful Shel Silverstein.

                Turkey?

I only ate one drumstick
At the picnic dance this summer,
Just one little drumstick–
They say I couldn’t be dumber.
One tough and skinny drumstick,
Why was that such a bummer?
But everybody’s mad at me,
Especially the drummer.

In this poem, we see the poetic function at play, with a “focus on the message for its own sake,” (1150). The poem, as a whole, serves no other function than to exist as a message, and to be enjoyed as such. Delving into a closer analysis, we can see some of the other functions of language throughout the poem. Most of the sentences are primarily referential, as the narrator tells the tale of the drumstick he ate, describing the “context”, or referent, as “one little drumstick,” or “tough and skinny drumstick.” We see the emotive function as the narrator betrays his belief that he did nothing wrong. This can be seen in the use of “only” in the first line, “just one little” in the third line, and “Why was the such a bummer?” in the sixth line. Though there are many other functions at work, they are all serving the greater purpose of the poetic function, by crafting a message whose value lies in itself.

If we look at the poem in view of Jakobson’s claim about the principle of equivalence, we see that equivalence was clearly the determining factor in forming this particular combination of words. The first, third, and fifth lines all end with the word “drumstick.” Also, the last words of the second, fourth, sixth and eighth lines all rhyme. None of these words could have been changed without dramatically altering the message. In a broader sense, the essence of the poem is derived from the non-equivalence of the last line. While the whole poem had been structured as if the referent (drumstick) were a piece of poultry, the non-equivalence of the last line makes us realize that the referent was actually part of an instrument, and gives a retrospective meaning the whole verbal construction. So, thank goodness, Shel Silverstein passes Jakobson’s test, and can be counted among the ranks of verbal artists.

In 2017, smartphones are the lifeline for many individuals who use them for work, entertainment, food, and social media. Amongst the millennial generation, phone calls are becoming a thing of the past. It is an ironic concept that phones are used the least for actual phone calls. This is primarily due to the increasing usage of the simple text message as an easier and quicker form of communication. There are various text messaging and chat apps that make for an easier form of communication and an often less intimate form of communicating with others. Bogost suggests that people are when people talk on the phone with one another there is often an intrusive nature included with it. I believe that this is true because the younger generation of today has a relatively short attention span. It is easier to text someone rather than call someone because the call requires undivided attention that most millennial find hard to give. It is easier to shoot a text message to someone because you can continue with whatever else you may be doing like watching a video, listen to music, all of which could be done on the very smartphone you are using.

Bogost suggests that there is a “telephinobia” among the younger generation which is when even the simplest phone calls, like ordering Chinese food, causes an anxiety with the caller. This is because there is an improvisational nature that can cause stress or a burden on the caller. When calling someone, you have to think quickly about how you want to convey a message to the recipient. There is a certain awkwardness when you are on the phone with someone and you feel vulnerable to anything that the recipient might say that you are not prepared for.

To me, this idea of “telephinobia” identifies with the average millennial New Yorker. There is never a time,whether you are on the streets of New York, the subway, or even the classes at Hunter College where a kid is not on their phone. New York City has a fast “move and go” pace that encourages productivity. Our smartphones help us keep up with our daily lives and it is all at our fingertips. There is no need to actually call someone anymore unless it is for a business purpose which is usually a quick and productive call. Millennials can check their bank account, school and work schedule, and even grab an Uber all at their fingertips. This type of lifestyle requires a quicker pace and there is really no time to stop and call someone.

I am a big proponent of keeping up with the times. The smartphone allows for much more than a simple phone call and the times of just calling someone for the sake of calling someone could be a thing of the past for millennials. Being the generation that falls right in the forefront of this technological revolution is giving us the resources to do more at our fingertips than any other generation. Despite this, hopefully we don’t take a step backwards in human interaction and be comfortable with interacting with people without the anxiety that a phone call may give us.