TOW #9: This Messy World

This is a  personal essay called "This Messy World" by Richard Abrons, who received his BA from Yale, MBA from Columbia, and his MFA in Writing from NYU. In this piece the author describes all the conflicts going on in the world. The author also the ones that have already happened in the past including the Depression, World War 2, the Holocaust, the Cold War, etc. Although all these upheavals are going on, Abron's purpose is to point out that it's okay enjoy certain things without feeling guilty through his use of allusions and diction. 
     Throughout the essay Abrons talks about several situations that many would know about. He gives importance to these tragedies and mentions, "Syria, ISIS, Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, ebola, a reporter decapitated on YouTube, murder in Brooklyn.." (Abrons). These historical allusions in our current generation are commonly known throughout, and help the audience understand what is going on in the world. It helps achieve Abron's purpose by backing up his knowledge of current events. 
    The author also cleverly crafts his writing through diction. Although he is writing about serious topics, he gives the essay an informal tone, and does so without being disrespectful. He brings up valid points of how Americans have much to worry about and sometimes don't give importance to serious problems going on in other parts of the world but also describes himself as "damn lucky" and that people should also "do some good and enjoy". He isn't necessarily telling is audience to be ignorant, he uses these phrases to show that even though there is a lot going on, one can still live a little.
    This personal essay was intended towards an audience who pays attention to current events and watch the news because it uses information that they can understand and connect to, through the occasion of a conversation that the author has with his wife. I believe that Abrons does a great job of achieving his purpose because he points out that yes there are so many issues going on in the world that people have to worry about but feeling guilty, empathetic, and showing acts of generosity, "may make no difference to the whole but they can make a difference to the part, and that is all we can do" (Abrons).