TOW #8 - Cash

The autobiography of Johnny Cash, Cash, was written by the famous singer, guitarist and songwriter whose work spans many generations.  The author is credible simply because he is writing about his own life and the events that occurred.  The audience for whom the book is written for would definitely be those who are at least slightly familiar with Cash's work.  Often he alludes to events that occurred in his life in relation to his music.  While someone who is unfamiliar with Cash's work could still enjoy his anecdotes, a familiarity with his music helps the reader to understand how important Cash's life experiences were.  The purpose in Cash writing his autobiography is for his fans to understand the hardships he endured throughout his life, and to reveal how these hardships paved the way for not only his music, but for the eventual happy times he had the privilege of experiencing.  Throughout the second half of the book, Cash uses a variety of sentence structures.  For example, after a long winded description of a fellow singer and a show they did together, Cash ends with a simple comment, "That's fun" (383).  This abrupt change from the carefully crafted and intricate sentence that Cash used prior is not only a break for the reader, it also helps to establish his tone.  The short sentence shows his outlook in a simple way, and shows how objectively Cash can look back on all the emotional and life changing moments he experienced.  Multiple times Cash ends paragraphs with short sentences, providing a sometimes abrupt, but effective ending to his anecdotes.  Another strategy Cash uses is repetition of ideas.  In the first half of the book, he refers to the fact that his outfit for almost every show he has ever done has been completely black, and he even has a song called "Man in Black".  Near the end of the book, Cash references this idea once again when he writes, "I'll put on my black shirt, buckle up the black belt on my black pants, tie my black shoes, pick up my black guitar, and go put on a show for the people in this town" (395).  Not only does this sentence repeat the idea of "black" once again, it also helps to characterize Cash and the emotions he feels.  Black represents a dark color, and Cash seems to repeat the idea to show how he can relate to the emotions that are evoked by its darkness.  Overall, Cash was very effective in writing his book.  The stories he told were interesting, thought-provoking, and helped to characterize Cash in a new light.  Not only was he just the extremely talented songwriter, singer and guitarist, he was also a man who had to endure many hardships, but was able to come out stronger on the other side.