American Heart and Sole

In class this week, we read a piece called 'The Partly Cloudy Patriot'. It followed the casual thoughts of Sarah Vowell, and were a collection of her musings on patriotism, society, and the sense national unity that surrounded the aftermath of 9/11. She wrote of how the meaning of the American flag had changed-- the days following the attack, the flag was a symbol of pure American grief over those lost, but also a mark of the togetherness that connected the nation. Even after we had finished discussing the piece, it sparked a train of thought of what else had the power to connect the masses. The most obvious things came to mind first; the Internet, everyone's immeasurable need for companionship, and sports (not for all of us, because I still don't understand football). But there are also things that are hidden directly in plain sight. 

We all own socks. 

That's right. Whether they're no-shows or knee highs, dress socks or patterned, all socks serve a particular purpose that we all have a need for. After all, I don't think I've ever seen anyone at Troy High going sockless. But back to my point, I have never once thought of how socks can be such a clear expression of your identity. Think about it: If you saw a person wearing socks with bright green frogs on them, you'd definitely think they have a different vibe at first glance than the person wearing dress shoes with black dress socks. Your socks could've been your unspoken first impression so many times, and you just never realized it. And if you choose them to be, your socks can be completely unique to you. 

For example:

If you're a fan of George Washington: 

 Or maybe, if you're more of a Jefferson-head: 

                                Or even if you like whatever these are:

  

Socks, in many ways, are just like an individual's personality traits. You can choose to show them off or hide them whenever you want, and they can change as you grow older, just like your taste in socks. I, for one, no longer wear bright pink socks with cats on them like I did in elementary school.


To conclude, I think that we should start to embrace the mundane aspects of our lives that we usually ignore because we’re so used to them. And for me, socks is where I’m going to start. Maybe I’ll go out and buy a pair of weird socks today, just for kicks. 


(Get it, kicks, because kicks is another word for shoes!)

From, 

Vinaya 🧦

Comments

  1. Erin JeongSeptember 17, 2023 at 1:50 PM

    I thought this was so funny. I also loved how you mentioned that socks can give people impressions because I never realized how much I make judgements based on socks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linsey ChenSeptember 17, 2023 at 2:35 PM

    I liked how you used socks as the object for expression, I thought this was a really creative and unique to relate to how Vowell uses the flag in her writing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Annabella PrisciandaroSeptember 17, 2023 at 2:55 PM

    This is so good! I liked how you used socks as a representation of identity and personality, because there are so many different options for socks.

    ReplyDelete

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