Literary Stick Figures –The Remedialization of Modern Linguistic Prose

Literary Stick Figures –The Remedialization of Modern Linguistic Prose

If a picture “is worth 1000 words”, are “1000 words worth a picture” ?

 

Show a man a stick figure, constructed of 5 lines and a circle. It’s a pretty simple concept, right? Well of course it is, because who hasn’t seen a stick figure?  And therefore I’ll bet that we only need an amuse- bouche, not even an Hors d'oeuvre of words to describe the stick figure. Let’s try an imaginary empirical use case involving test subject “Bob”.  We clarify that our test subject knows very little about anything, and sees the world only through his own eye.  So here goes:

“Ok Bob, I’m thinking of an image.  It has a vertical line, a horizontal line intersecting its top third. At the bottom of the vertical line are two shorter lines extending at roughly 45 degree angles in opposite directions such that they make a triangle shape.  At the top of the vertical line, is a smallish circle.” Now Bob, being a fairly simple man, tries to create an image in his head.  He struggles with different lengths of lines that could be used, and how big should the circle on the top be?  A triangle on the bottom made from only 2 lines?  Now Bob did get to play with one of those plastic peg boards with rubber bands when he was in 2^nd grade, so he knows full well that triangles need 3 lines( or one continues one if you don’t lift your pen….Bob is more clever than we thought….and like someone once said: “never underestimate a man who’s name can be spelled the same backwards or forwards”…).  But Bob is armed and dangerous, not only has he got a sheet of paper, he ALSO has a pen. So, attempt number one: draw vertical line. Done. Draw horizontal line “intersecting its top 3^rd”.   Hmmm. Interestersecting….

But Bob is not one who backs down from a challenge, so he takes a deep breath, steadies his hand, and with a degree of focus, matched only by possibly a preschooler, he takes the risk that he knows he may deeply regret( Bob’s pen does not have an eraser…and he knows this), he draws that

interesting line in nearly the best possible position, and of incredibly idealistic length.  Bob has drawn a cross.  And he knows this because he has seen crosses before.  And while he was not certain of how many thirds there are in a line of indeterminate length, his subconscious compelled him to turn that vertical line into a recognizable geometric form: a cross.  Now Bob recalls the description given to him in X number of words, and since the whole 2-side triangle conundrum seems a bit tricky, he opts to go for the circle first.  So, Bob sets about to draw the smallish circle at the top of the vertical line.  But darn. Should that circle be touching the top of the vertical line?  Should the vertical line run through the middle of the circle?? Why can’t anyone explain things in ways that make sense??

Bob starts imagining circles above, through, asymmetrically placed, large ones, small ones, and soon Bob’s head is as filled with circles as a Spirograph is filled with spiros( ok, jaggedy circles, fine).  Bob has been in situations like this before.  He recalls the great blizzard of ’88, driving his rig west bound across Nebraska in near white out conditions.  So many snowflakes, visibility zero, where’s the ROAD??!!  Ok, settle down Bob( wait, who said that…).  Drawing upon his many years of truck driving he knows that in all likelihood the road will not suddenly start making S shapes, or even worse W’s!  This is Nebraska, and while it may not be the traightest place on earth, even AAA triptychs refer to this part of the route as having “good alignment and grade”.  So with a renewed sense of calm, Bob drives straight down the middle (but who’s to say really, if no one can see, but the point is he went straight despite the sensory maelstrom of confusionary swirl).  Faced now with similar circumstances, Bob is determine to draw that “smallish” circle straight down the middle, parting the ways of a vision filled with more circles than spaces, and Bob nails it indelibly!  He plants that smallish circle with exactly ½” of space at the “top of the vertical line”.  Having been down this road before, Bob knows that it’s always good to leave a little extra space.  Because Bob knows from experience, that space can easily be used up, but, it’s much harder to get back. So ½” above the vertical line goes the “smallish” circle.  Now, admiring his handiwork, Bob is starting to see the image come together: a cross with a smallish hovering ball just above it! Ha. Bob thinks. A cross with a smallish hovering ball!  And all of this before his first cup of coffee and his first breakfastarette (Bob made that up.  Very clever…) But what to do about that 2 sided triangle?  Time for that breakfastarette. Then back to work.  But, zippo-be-nimble, zippo-be-quick, Bob just drew a cross and ball made of stick(s).  Accomplishment is sometimes its own reward, especially if there is also a real reward that comes with it…

And so on to the keystone of stick-figuredom: The Biangle (you Tri and figure that one out…I have faith….oh wait, I don’t, but that’s a different thread entirely).

“And visions of Biangles danced in their heads”, at least that’s how Bob remembered it, although he didn’t quite use those words (despite being an only child, he was in fact Valedictorian of his Home School, and that, is an achievement). Bob did have a secret, unbeknownst to his convoy brethren, Bob was a “closet Trekkie”. And “two shorter lines extending at roughly 45 degree angles” could obviously be only one thing in any space, including that part that hadn’t been explored yet( T4Life Yo): The Vulcan Biangle! 

And with a smallish ball hovering subtly(but importantly) above a cross, supported by a Vulcan Biangle, Bob had drawn the image described to him.

And so using only 57 words (arguably inefficient), the image was transferred from one person to another.  It has taken another 1,000 words to describe the process, but every work of art needs a museum constructed around it.     

And so, Bob interpreted the vocalized words given to him as a description of a picture he had never seen before, and set about manifesting this sensory/cognitive vision into his tangible interpretation: a Picture.

Now the challenge I propose is to describe Bob’s picture to someone else, who has never seen the picture, and has no a priori knowledge of anything uniquely constructed by Bob.

And after that, let’s see if we can do the same with the Mona Lisa.

Part of the catalyst for writing this article was a scene from the movie “Legends of the Fall”.  The scene presents the little boy working on an essay assignment for his father.  As each iteration is handed over to Father for review, the response was always the same “Again, now half as long” [I paraphrased, but am darn close].  Unless you are writing a recipe for boiled water, at what stage does literary imagery become something that is less than an Art form, less than even a minimalist Art form, less than a primitive art form?  And what are we left with? Literary Stick Figures.

And so I leave you with this:

I was hiking by myself down a trail and came to an intersection.  I tried to see where each path went, but I couldn’t see very far.  I ended up taking the one that I figured would be less conventional.

Hiking alone, there was an intersection, I had to decide without knowing either routes destination, but chose to avoid people.

Hiking, the trail divided, I decided to travel on unknowingly.

Hiking, at intersection, destination uncertain.

Hiking, decision, fate.

[ and just as jam packed with literary imagery as the original, right?]

This is a complex, and very real topic of consideration.  It has nothing to do with Bob or Trekkies, but it is my hope that this serves as an adequate introduction to the subject of “Literary Stick Figures”