Kowalczyk 1 Samantha Kowalczyk Mr.

Newman English 101: Rhetoric 2 October 2013 Saved Through the Inspiration of Dance Regardless of how much devotion we have toward our passion--such as a sportthere is always something or someone that helps inspire an even deeper understanding of what we love. Finding that deeper connection or reason for being so intrigued in what we love helps everything in our life make more sense. In the 2013 issue of Vogue, Jennifer Homans article, The Last Dance demonstrates how the experiences in Balanchine Muse Tanaquil Le Clerqs life create an inspiration into Homans life and the experiences that come with it. By using pathos and ethos, Homans parallels her hardships in life to those in Le Clerqs which helps her successfully fulfill her purpose of showing how she was inspired through the arts of dance to take on the difficulties that occur during her life. In the beginning of her article, Homans uses an emotional appeal to get us to connect with the feeling of devastation after losing what we love. She explains Le Clerqs admiration for dancing only for her fate to result in being diagnosed with polio, making her paralyzed and no longer able to dance. In parallel, the love for dance that Homans has had all her life results in her having to give up her dream of dancing due to her no longer being able to keep up with the physical toll on her body. To this issue, she expresses, But leaving dance was hard, and it was that sense of physical emotionfrom the bodythat I missed the most (135). Following her concern, she explains that she, ... was trying to write a booka history of ballet but most of

Kowalczyk 2 the ideas in the book did not come to me in the quiet research time I so coveted; they came instead while I was walkingand at the ballet; watching dances and imagining how they might feel in my own body; just as I had once done with La Valse (135). The idea she uses demonstrates pathos to show how dedicated she is toward her passion of dance; she couldnt stay with it physically so she chooses dance in a different formwriting. Choosing to include this in her article helps her show the inspiration she received through the affects of Le Clerqs life. Homans again references pathos as it is brought to our attention that not only did Le Clerq lose something she loves, she lost someone she loves. Homans explains in short detail of Le Clerqs failing marriage which resulted in Balanchine --her husband-- divorcing her. Her loss coincides with Homans, who also lost her husband who Fell ill with Lou Gehrigs diseaseWithin six months he was quadriplegic and on a breathing machine (135). Homans goes on to explain, His experience made me understand in a starkly tragic way what dancers know instinctively that drew me to Tannys fate even before I live through Tonys: When you lose the body, it matters more, not less (135). In this section, Homans utilizes pathos not only to have us to feel for her loss, but to notice her realization of what the bodys really worth. Her choices of words explain that because she is a dancer she can feel things a different way just as she felt while watching La Valse a ballet about death (135). She explains, It was as if I was living inside the feelingsand it was my world somehow, even though it wasnt (135). To reiterate, Homans high emotions received from dance help her get through her difficulties in life. We as readers feel her pain through her grasp of emotion. In addition to pathos, Homans expresses her credibility as an experienced dancer and writer through the creation of her history of ballet book and being accepted into an art school of dance. We as readers have an accurate sense of trust in Homans knowledge and technique of

Kowalczyk 3 dance due to her study at Balanchines School of American Ballet, where Tanny [Le Clerq], as she was known, had also been trained (134). Homans attending this art school, where a legendary dancer once trained, gives her the credibility of being very well trained in her technique and knowledge of dance. As mentioned before, at the age of 26, Homans could no longer continue dancing. Homans explains, I went to college, eventually did a doctorate, and became a writer and historian (135). This establishes her professional ability to explain dance, which helps her cope with her urge to move as she once did. The use of ethos helps Homans successfully explain how dance has helped her throughout life on a professional level. Although we may feel as if we have reached our full potential in a certain circumstance, there is always room to improve in whatever we execute. Taking on difficult life challenges by ourselves isnt always the best solution; an alternative would be through inspiration from a role model or someone more experienced. Through the use of pathos and ethos Homans successfully accomplishes her purpose of showing how the use of dance, mentally or physically, has inspired her throughout life to deal with the hardships she is faced to deal with. Both are assets to Homans intention of explaining her inspiration from the arts of dance to real life troubles.

Kowalczyk 4 Work Cited Homans, Jennifer. "The Last Dance." Vogue May 2013: 134-136. Print.