Letters To Wendy's
Sylvia Baez
November 19, 2008
English 1B
Essay #3
“October 7, 1996” Analysis #1
In Joe Wenderoth’s poem, titled “October 7, 1996” from the book Letters to Wendy’s, the narrator wonders if there is not an existing place in society like Wendy’s. The popular fast food restaurant is truly just being used as a symbol for all consumer spaces, not as the actual Wendy’s itself. The poem depicts a contemporary mainstream world engorged everywhere with brands, advertisements, and logos that consumers devour. The beginning of the poem questions “Why”, because ironically Wendy’s is everywhere. The realism of the question is “somewhere that is not Wendy’s” cannot not be found, but in the narrator’s mind there is no such place that is not Wendy’s.
The narrator knows the reality of Wendy’s is everywhere, and the concept of not having a Wendy’s is impossible. The poems voice asks the question “why” in a cynical way to make to reader realize the truth of Wendy’s being everywhere. The American Culture has been trapped in consumerism from the corporate market based on capitalism. Wenderoth connects the reader to two sides of the hyper-real of the world, one side is the Wendy’s side which is existing, and the other is the fantasy of a place where there is not a Wendy’s. Haunted by the question, the narrator is wondering how come a non-consumer space with no brands, advertisements, and logos are in existence, satirically in reality it is impossible and ridiculous. One can feel that the narrator wants the reader to mentally construct a possible undistorted image of a world that has a “not Wendy’s” located somewhere.
The setting of the poem is based in a simple fast-food restaurant which is renowned for selling hamburgers, shakes, and fries, but ironically Wenderoth uses Wendy’s as an icon to represent Corporate America. Wenderoth takes the simplicity of the restaurant, then in a very clever and genius masterminding way he transforms Wendy’s into a powerful and complex representation of everyday American Culture. In other words, Wendy’s is so big and one can’t miss seeing it because it right in front of their face abundantly, but hidden from sight and unseen. In this poem, Wenderoth makes the reader consciously aware of the significant presence Wendy’s has everywhere in contemporary society, before Wendy’s was only seen unconsciously. The last line of the poem questions, “conception of where we are have developed within and unconscious need, to forget how far Wendy’s truly extends?” The poems voice is saying that Wendy’s expands further past what the consumer actually sees. Now the reader consciously is aware of how the author labels Corporate America with the Wendy’s. The poem talks about how Corporate America manipulates consumers into falling into their corporate ideas. This poem is based on the possibility that a place that is not Wendy’s exists, however the author knows it cannot be true, so in reality, Wendy’s is always there.
“January 16, 1997” Analysis #2
November 19, 2008
English 1B
Essay #3
“October 7, 1996” Analysis #1
In Joe Wenderoth’s poem, titled “October 7, 1996” from the book Letters to Wendy’s, the narrator wonders if there is not an existing place in society like Wendy’s. The popular fast food restaurant is truly just being used as a symbol for all consumer spaces, not as the actual Wendy’s itself. The poem depicts a contemporary mainstream world engorged everywhere with brands, advertisements, and logos that consumers devour. The beginning of the poem questions “Why”, because ironically Wendy’s is everywhere. The realism of the question is “somewhere that is not Wendy’s” cannot not be found, but in the narrator’s mind there is no such place that is not Wendy’s.
The narrator knows the reality of Wendy’s is everywhere, and the concept of not having a Wendy’s is impossible. The poems voice asks the question “why” in a cynical way to make to reader realize the truth of Wendy’s being everywhere. The American Culture has been trapped in consumerism from the corporate market based on capitalism. Wenderoth connects the reader to two sides of the hyper-real of the world, one side is the Wendy’s side which is existing, and the other is the fantasy of a place where there is not a Wendy’s. Haunted by the question, the narrator is wondering how come a non-consumer space with no brands, advertisements, and logos are in existence, satirically in reality it is impossible and ridiculous. One can feel that the narrator wants the reader to mentally construct a possible undistorted image of a world that has a “not Wendy’s” located somewhere.
The setting of the poem is based in a simple fast-food restaurant which is renowned for selling hamburgers, shakes, and fries, but ironically Wenderoth uses Wendy’s as an icon to represent Corporate America. Wenderoth takes the simplicity of the restaurant, then in a very clever and genius masterminding way he transforms Wendy’s into a powerful and complex representation of everyday American Culture. In other words, Wendy’s is so big and one can’t miss seeing it because it right in front of their face abundantly, but hidden from sight and unseen. In this poem, Wenderoth makes the reader consciously aware of the significant presence Wendy’s has everywhere in contemporary society, before Wendy’s was only seen unconsciously. The last line of the poem questions, “conception of where we are have developed within and unconscious need, to forget how far Wendy’s truly extends?” The poems voice is saying that Wendy’s expands further past what the consumer actually sees. Now the reader consciously is aware of how the author labels Corporate America with the Wendy’s. The poem talks about how Corporate America manipulates consumers into falling into their corporate ideas. This poem is based on the possibility that a place that is not Wendy’s exists, however the author knows it cannot be true, so in reality, Wendy’s is always there.
“January 16, 1997” Analysis #2