"You Owe Me" ~Miah Arnold

"You Owe Me", written by Miah Arnold, was one of the more compelling essays, in my opinion. The essay revolved around a woman who taught writing and poetry to children in a cancer center. As she meets several patients, none over the age of twenty, she learns to love them all, and grieves when cancer steals each child from her classroom one by one. The author, Miah Arnold, has written multiple essays and short stories. Her most famous pieces are "You Owe Me" and "Sweet Land of Bigamy". She is a credible writer, and participates in many events in which she can teach children how to write and sometimes read to them. Throughout the essay, I noticed that Arnold repeatedly explored an idea: although she was a teacher to the children, the children were also her teachers. They taught her how to love. They taught her how to grieve. I believe the purpose of the essay was to tell a story about how we can learn from those who pass, and instead of grieving, find ways to celebrate them instead. In terms of Arnold's audience, I think she wrote to a wide group of people of all ages. In my opinion, her purpose was well achieved. The biggest contribution to the story was the emotional effect (logos) that it was meant to have on the reader. One quote included was, "I assumed that his death was a template of sorts: this is how the very young die; they become almost holy. Unlike older people, who die scared and uncertain, dying children are endowed with grace. They are able to peek into ahead into the world they are about to enter..." (Arnold, 30) In this quote, the author describes a death of one of Arnold's students, Gio. Because the story surrounds children with cancer, the author is able to use the idea of peacefulness and grace to help the reader understand what Arnold is thinking about the death of children. She also uses comparisons such as currency and the "eventual death of most of her students" (31) to help the reader comprehend what she goes through everyday with these children, and how scared the children must be.  The way the author appealed to the audience's emotions through comparison assisted her when trying to deliver her purpose. 

                                                    An Empty Classroom, An Empty Heart
                                                                 (cornellsun.com)