For My Brothers And Sisters In The Failure Business Summary

Through the use of point of view, a writer’s work has the ability to change immensely. In Seymour Krim’s personalized essay, “For my Brothers and Sisters in the Failure Business,” his utilization of second person creates a special bond, solidifying a unique relationship between himself and his audience. Fresh and exciting aspects are introduced into his work that include new perspectives and the transformation of his story through the use of subjectivity. The author’s pairing of second person with other features of form is both exciting and brilliant. He shifts away from the norm of first person and chooses an appropriate level of formality for his theme of ambition. Krim uses his second person vocabulary which eliminates status while drawing

readers in. The main theme of ambition and striving to reach one’s goals are addressed through the author’s writing in a unique and captivating way. He uses his ambition to motivate his audience to ponder their life choices while allowing them to open their minds in unison with his. Overall, when pairing second person writing with stand-alone sentences, colloquial expressions and captivating questions, personalization in text grows stronger while the readers mind becomes one with the authors.
Krim displays within his writing the ability to make a connection while solidifying a relationship with the reader through the use of subjectivity and point of view. Even before the introduction, the title addresses the audience of his paper as his metaphorical brothers and sisters. Through the author’s title choice, I was able to grasp a sense of connection because the title spoke to me on a personal level. The author could’ve referred to his readers as whatever he wanted, but he made the stylistic choice to refer to us as one of his siblings. By doing this, he puts both himself and the reader at the same place on the hierarchy while creating special bond. All I had to do to feel connected to Krim, was think about how close I am with my brothers and sister and relate that back to the way he was trying to reach me as his reader. Furthermore, Seymour executes his introduction while stating that, “we are all victims of the imagination in this country” (Krim 577). In the opening sentence, the author establishes a relationship with the reader through the use of the word ‘we’. Suddenly, the entire paper is altered into a story that the reader is now a part of. Since writing in second person isn’t often used, reading Krim’s writing was something different, something new, something fresh. Throughout the entire piece, I remained captivated and my attention didn’t seem to wander. Seymour brings his followers into the action in other ways by stating, “but you have company, friend” (Krim 578). This sentence alone establishes a clear connection between writer and reader. The writer calling his reader a ‘friend’ is enough to make the audience feel important and connected not only to the story but to Seymour Krim himself.
Although point of view is important in any form of writing, there are many other features of form that aid in the proper construction of a story. A specific feature utilized by Krim includes the use of short sentences and ellipsis. This aspect of his writing helps to bring his essay to an even more personal level while creating a sense of deep thought and uncertainty. The author begins to tell the reader that, “I [he] was confident…that there would be a sudden confluence of all the roads at some fated point and that I[he] would put it all together with a gorgeous thunderclap. No soap” (Krim 582). By using stand-alone sentences in writing, readers get the feeling that the author is actually speaking to them beyond the black ink on the paper. While reading Krim’s work, I actually began to imagine what his voice would sound like, deep and serious, with a little bit of wit when he swore in his exclamatory sentences. The use of ellipsis is also prominent in Seymour’s work. He uses this feature of form when he talks about, “being weighed on the common man’s do-it-or-shut-up scale…” (Krim 583). Then, he uses it right at the very end of his essay when he expresses that, “this country has to offer to history much more than its tangible steel and the bright blood too often accompanying it…” (Krim 585). This writing technique creates an uncertainty within the reader; an uncertainty that begged me to ask myself personal questions while I wondered what the next sentence would be. I found myself wondering how that paragraph would’ve ended if there wasn’t an unending ellipsis sitting in its place.
The addition of colloquial word choices and expressions allows the reader to be able to recognize and relate to the writing in an emotional way because of the familiarized dialogue.

Krim makes the decision to state that, “we’re-all-fucked-together-so-let’s-make-the-best-of- it” adding in another expression later on the page that reads, “do-it-or-shut-up” (Krim 583). These informal statements transpose the reader to a time where they may have deemed these expressions appropriate in context, creating a sense of connection within this real life expression. For me, I began to think about my day to day vocabulary and where I would use these specific expressions. I soon realized that because Seymour was using words that are highly relatable to form his sentences, he introduced me to a new world within writing, a world that began to connect with mine. The authors colloquial word choice is evident again when he says that, “you may think sometimes everyone lives in the crotch of the pleasure principle” (Krim 578). Seymour’s decision to use the word ‘crotch’ is both bold and highly relatable. He approaches his audience on a more personal level while demonstrating proper use of subjectivity. As the reader, the use of informal writing in this piece made me feel a heightened connection with Seymour Krim. It was almost like this wasn’t a public piece, but more of a private piece, like a letter he had written to me and only

me.
Additionally, Krim asks captivating questions which strike an important conversation within the reader. “When do you stop making a personality,” he asks, “when do you stop fantasizing an endless you and try to make it with what you’ve got?” (Krim 582). Although these questions are answered by the author as, “never, really,” the point of these enriched questions is not really about his answer, but more importantly about his readers. Asking these questions begs the reader to dive deeper within their souls while truly considering the answers to them. Furthermore, Seymour successfully manages to eliminate status by not only asking real questions but writing like he would talk. For example, Krim states that, “I [he] literally live[s] alone with my[his] fierce dreams, and my[his] possessions are few” (Krim 578). When I read this, I felt like I was reading the author’s diary entry for a second. This was a sentence that really stood out for me because I was really able to imagine Krim saying this while in conversation. Using informal words such as ‘literally’ evolve his writing into something more personal and close to his heart. Without the authors elimination of status through the use of highly relatable writing, a reader is less likely to feel comfortable enough to answer his questions honestly and feel connected. This elimination of a hierarchy within writing is important to establish because it sets the tone for the piece. He opens up a whole new world of possibilities with his second person questions and answers and real life words which allows the reader to explore within themselves further than they’ve ever been able to explore before.
In conclusion, Seymour Krim does an amazing job of captivating the reader’s attention while creating a level of pure personalization. He allows the reader to dive into his life through the use of honest words and his stylistic choices are highly efficient throughout his entire essay. Each choice made successfully pulls together all aspects and ideas of his writing. Ultimately, Krim is careful not to over-do the amount of informality and subjectivity used. This essay encourages readers to dive deep into their personal being, and the author allows this connection to take place. Overall, writing in second person paired with other elements and stylistic choices creates an extraordinary home away from home for the writer and his audience.