Week 6 - "Time and Distance Overcome"

 I really enjoyed the work "Time and Distance Overcome" by Biss. Namely, I like how she took this seemingly ordinary object, the telephone pole, and showed us the rich history behind it. Generally, most people don't even pay attention to telephone poles; they just fade into the background. However, as Biss demonstrates, the pole symbolizes so much American history. She discusses how Mark Twain was one of the first people to own a telephone, the Sioux resistance to the poles, and the lynchings that utilized the telephone poles. As I read the hate crimes that used the telephone pole, the pole took on this monstrous identity. But in reality, the pole is an inanimate object. As Biss contends, "The poles of course, were not to blame. It was only coincidence that they became convenient as gallows, because they were tall and straight, with a crossbar, and because they stood in public places. And it was only coincidence that the telephone poles so closely resembled crucifixes." Thus, it is us humans who distorted the original genius of the telephone and telephone pole. That said, next time I see a telephone pole, I will see it in a different light.