On the last day of the Macaulay Orientation, we were given the honor of meeting Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of a New York Times bestseller, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Since I have never met such a successful author before, I was very excited for Arts Day. Unfortunately, the evening failed to meet my expectations. I was looking forward to hearing more about Foer’s book, rather than details about his life as a writer and how he adapted to living in New York City. I felt that I didn’t learn as much as I thought I would during the brief hour and a half we were sitting in the auditorium with Foer. However, I still enjoyed the eloquence of Foer’s speech and admired how strongly he held his opinions and beliefs. I also found it interesting when he mentioned that he did not plan on being an author when he started college. That made me more comfortable, knowing I am able to change my mind during college about which career path I want to take.
During one part of the night, Foer read us an excerpt from his novel. I know this gesture was a great privilege for us. Not everyone gets the opportunity to experience such a superb story through the voice of its author. However, I was quite disappointed with the way Foer read the passage. His voice was rather monotonous and low. I found myself straining to hear what he was saying from time to time. I also got the feeling that he did not really enjoy reading to the audience as much as I had expected. The interview between Tim Caron and Foer frequently strayed from the main topic, which was about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Mr. Caron attempted to encourage Foer to tell the audience how his novel is related to the arts. Foer would reply with general responses, instead of mentioning specific examples from his book. Thinking back to that night, I find myself remembering more about Foer’s opinions on technology and cultural events in New York than discussions about his story and its relations to the arts of New York. Although the interview was interesting, I felt that it was emphasized on the wrong topic. Overall, I did not enjoy Arts Day at orientation very much. I felt that it could have been more organized and the author could have made more insightful comments about his novel, which was what most of us were anticipating.
In my opinion, art is anything that allows people to express themselves. It could be presented in any form, whether it is a painting, song, dance or even the way someone speaks. Art should be able to allow people to appreciate its aesthetic beauty and teach them about the essential aspects of living. The performance given by Jonathan Safran Foer during Arts Day should be considered art. The author was expressing himself to hundreds of people, even though some found his personality pretty apathetic. I am pretty sure Foer influenced a significant part of the audience that night. I appreciate that I was given the chance to experience Arts Day with my peers.
