King Of Accordion

“Barry does not ask for much. He only wants to be known as the King of Accordion.” These are introductory lines of Brian Dubé’s blog post on Barry Hamdyk, a simple New Yorker who spends his days sharing a musical talent. Barry can be found playing the accordion in various parks of New York City. He seeks to entertain onlookers while not asking for money in return. Within his blog, Dubé brilliantly portrays the average Barry who is not known for much, while not expecting much in return.

Average Americans who are not recognized or well know, but have a love for expression is the theme of Dubés blog “New York Daily Photo.” Dubé seeks to make known these, as he puts it, “hidden gems” to the outsiders of New York City. Ultimately, through the design of his blog, personal photographs, and usage of links, Dubé successfully reveals expressionists like Barry and ultimately, allows readers to capture the essence of New York City and learn to appreciate its intriguing inhabitants.

Within Dubé’s blogs multiple strengths and rhetorical tools are used to his advantage. The first recognized tool is the actual design of his blog. The search box is found at the top corner making the rest of the blog accessible to readers. Furthermore, Dubé has included a right-hand tab with additional blog posts for bloggers to further enjoy and explore. Unlike other blogs, Dubé’s additional posts are not listed individually, but organized into categories, such as, “fashion” and “education.” Not only does the particular organization of his blog provide clarity for the reader, but overall, the organization provides attractiveness to the blog and interests. Readers are encouraged to fully understand Dubé’s cause and relate with his purpose. Ultimately, Dubé has a great design for his blog; allowing readers access to all aspects of his posts, while encouraging them to further discover and appreciate all his posts regarding unique New Yorkers.

Because of the easy-going format, I was quickly encouraged to explore other blog posts of Dubé’s. Each blog post is a very similar format, and he uses his own pictures for rhetoric. Using his personal photographs makes it seem very subjective to outside viewers. Even if you are not a frequent visitor of his blog, the reader notices that outside rhetoric is his own.  It is evident to viewers that Dubé appreciates his own blog posts and finds them of interest. Using his own rhetoric suggests that his theme and purpose of his blog is cohesive. Dubé’s clarity enlightens outsiders to the distinctive nature of his city that he clearly adores.

 In Barry’s case, seeing the Dubé had captured his own images, made me quickly realize that he was on a personal basis with Barry. That he had sat down and discussed his past experiences in an attempt to truly understand the man who asks for so little. Dubé does a wonderful job of setting up the scene for the reader.  The reader gains the opportunity to hear Barry’s life story and begin to understand Barry’s true nature. Dubé states that Barry has been playing the Accordion since he was five and thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to express his talent and “outlandish wardrobe.” Moreover, Dubé reveals that Barry has a “preferred repertoire [of] waltzes and rhumbas.” He even goes on to say that “at one time [Barry] played organ for roller skating rinks.” Dubé brilliantly portrays Barry as a unique civilian with in interesting past.  Through his interesting and intriguing facts, Dubé implants within readers a desire to further explore Barry’s life and begin to understand individuals different from themselves.

Above all, Dubé’s greatest strength in both this particular post and his blog as a whole is his usage of links. Within his post “King of Accordion” Dubé includes four additional links for readers to explore. The first is an “Occupy Wall Street” link in which he writes about his personal experience with this eccentric movement. He also provides a link on the phrase “this love that [Barry] endeavors to communicate” which takes readers to an addition post of Dubé’s where he recalls his own experiences with the Accordion. Other links follow such as the reference to “Mark Birnbaum” who has a “shared passion for music,” and lastly, a link to “flamboyant dress,” in which Dubé brilliantly links another individual who inhabits the parks of New York attempting to make a fashion statement; which is nonetheless, is a form of expression. Dubé through every aspect of his blog is consistent in his purpose. The reader can appreciate Dubé’s passion and his personal form of expression. He clearly has a love for New York and wants to make additional posts regarding his love accessible to readers. Both, his clarity and passion aid him in his blog’s purpose, while attracting readers of all kind.

In Barry’s blog post, Dubé reveals that his writing “has evolved from the fact-reporting style for the news journalists to one that is highly personal, waving in connections from [his] life experience.” This personal approach on his blog is strength of his. Dubé is clearly not afraid to express his feelings on a particular matter and share his love with outsiders. It is evident that Dubé eventually realized that even though unique individuals inhabit New York City, there is a universal principle acknowledged: all persons, world round, seek to be understood and appreciated and Dubé, in his blog, seeks to do just that. In his particular post on Barry, Dubé portrays Barry as a man of interest and discreetly encourages readers to recognize the beauty behind the rare King of Accordion.

It didn’t take me long to realize that Brian Dubé and I would get along. I believe we both have a desire to share and a love for different. Ultimately, through Dubé’s rhetorical tools and organization of his blog, he makes the simplistic life stories, like Barry’s; unique and intriguing to outside readers and in doing so, grasps the uniqueness of New York City. As Dubé so brilliantly introduces his blog, he simply exposes his ultimate purpose: to share his love for “the ordinary, the extraordinary, the classic, [and] the unexpected,” and moreover, Dubé has every reason to consider that mission accomplished.