Roger Ebert: A Man of Many Words

Before I begin, I would like to say how much I really enjoyed reading this article on Roger Ebert. As a person who oftentimes read Ebert’s movie critiques, I found this article about him to be refreshing and allows, not only Ebert’s work to shine, but it brings him out of the page and makes him more human than just a movie critic that you hear often in media.

Jones does a remarkable job in capturing Ebert’s voice in his article. He captures the essence of Ebert’s blossoming career to his downfall when his cancer took over. Be that as it may, it was not as somber as one would think when writing about cancer. In contrast, it’s written in an enlightened, almost hopeful tone that leaves readers, myself, in awe.

I was able to differentiate between Jones and Ebert’s voice because Jones was able to capture Ebert’s voice in a rather wistful, nostalgic tone whereas his voice was more practical. Jones does such an amazing job writing Ebert’s voice and what’s so amazing about it is the fact that despite the fact the he lost the ability to speak, Jones is able to bring out Ebert’s voice by presenting a series of post-it notes and letters that Ebert wrote himself to express his musings, dreams, and ideas. It’s poignant how the reader can still make out Ebert’s voice from the article without much difficulty.

We also get a birds’-eye view of Ebert’s life from his perspective that I believe brought more depth to the article. We were able to glance a day in the life of well-acclaimed movie critic Roger Ebert and go on a whirlpool of a journey when Jones chronicles his battle with cancer. All in all, Jones’ article succeeds in illuminating the essence of Ebert’s character and how his legacy would continue on as his words transcends the pages.