After reading The Moth story, “Honest Colors,” my overall impression was a little disappointed because I wanted more. Despite Okeoma Erojikwe’s piece being captivating, I felt as if it was missing something. I felt as if she was speaking and telling me the story directly, which I loved. She did have me captivated and drawn in. I do feel as if she is a great storyteller.  I also appreciate and am very fond of her transition from simple language to using metaphors and similes to give us the overall picture she’s trying to convey. When I write, I like to write passionately and use what I consider complex language. I want my reader to have to sit and sometimes even reread to understand what I am conveying. I use several rhetorical devices for thought-provoking effects. I also want to evoke strong feelings and emotions. That is what I was craving from Erojikwe. I wanted her to play on the emotions of her audience and evoke reactions. Though given all this criticism, I know I do things in my writing that readers don’t like per se. Such as not presenting evidence to support my claims. When I do present evidence, such evidence does not support the claims being made. I guess I want readers to wonder if I did it on purpose or if I did not even realize it. I want readers to think that the lack of ethos in the article simply made for a very interesting reading, one that was filled with anticipation and awe at how I relied on rhetorical devices to evoke stark reactions and intense emotions. Overall, we both have things to work on; maybe I should take a page out of Erojikwe’s book.

Sincerely James Baldwin

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