TOW #2 - "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" by James Agee

When a plate is first bought, its flawless, untouched surface only lasts for a short amount of time. Before long, the plate becomes scratched, clearly used, and possibly even broken. In "Knoxville: Summer of 1915", James Agee describes the time in his life when he was the new plate, before he became damaged. His credibility comes from the fact that he is depicting his own life, and this allows him to bring intense emotion into the piece. Before the reader can begin to understand Agee's purpose, they must recognize that this piece was not meant to stand alone; it is an introduction for "A Death in the Family", an anecdote about the death of his father. Now it is clear that this story of his childhood is meant to tell anyone that will listen to his story about a simpler and more innocent time in his childhood, before it all became rotten. He depicts an extremely average summer night in Knoxville, where nothing exciting happened, yet everything was peaceful and he was content with the world and his family. To achieve his purpose, Agee uses specific diction. It illustrates how a little boy would think and act, which allows the reader to connect emotionally with a young Agee and really step into the time period of his life that he is describing. This helps the reader understand the purity of youth by reading about it first hand. Symbolism also plays a huge part in helping Agee achieve his purpose to depict the innocence of his childhood. He writes, "those who receive me, who quietly treat me, as one familiar and well-beloved in that home: but will not, oh, will not, not now, not ever, but will not ever tell me who I am" (Agee 175). Knowing oneself and being comfortable in one's skin is sign of maturity, whereas on the other hand having to be told who you are is a sign of naivety and youth. This really drives home his purpose of showing innocence and purity in the description of the daily life of a young James Agee. Agee expertly aides his audience in understanding the innocence of his youth before corruption in "Knoxville: Summer of 1915".

Source:
Oates, Joyce Carol, and Robert Atwan. The Best American Essays of the Century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.


David Fleming