Meet at the bottom of the tower
Look me in the eye
I’ll rise up to the top of your stories
If you assure me you’ll hear mine

A damsel in distress—
The story does start that way, yes?
An unwilling guest held under duress, yes sir—
Rapunzel was trapped in a tower (and in overpowering need of a hairdresser.)

To reach her, your only hope
Was to climb that untamed mane of hers like a rope.
And at the cost of split ends, the prince went to catch her and snatch her,
And that’s where the story ends? Nope!

Consider: Rapunzel is atop a hundred stories, at best.
Consider: To get her, that prince needs access.
That’s just a simple pact to add this ponytail to the madness,
A small act with a huge impact on rhetorical practice!

THE RAPUNZEL EFFECT:
ASYMMETRICAL CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN AUTHOR AND AUDIENCE

Rapunzel’s overgrown gaudiness
Was the only route offered for her prince to the top—
She should have built him some stairs to prepare for the drop!

‘Cause not everyone’s tower is the same distance tall
And not everyone’s tower is ivory-walled.
With our perspectives we take our directive to follow the way up
With the language we’re able, but like the Tower of Babel, we fall.

Instead, imagine an audience diverse in their histories,
Unique in their preferences, references, mysteries,
Rhetorical situations,
Knowledge, needs, and motivations—
That’s the only way out
Of this ivory tower into greatness.

Dame Gothel trapped Rapunzel in an ivory tower,
Authors are trapped in an ideology
(Where one form of text is how to mine their minds best)
But I’m looking for rhetorical equity!
So meet me at the bottom of the tower

Look me in the eye
I’ll rise up to the top of your stories
If you assure me you’ll hear mine

When you’re a veritable eight or nine miles from the prince and he’s your savior,
Isn’t the obvious solution to build an elevator?
Rhetorical equity means that the enemy isn’t the loss of tradition—
It just means that your mission has changed and you have a more inclusive vision.

Reach out with texts of more than just one kind.
Acknowledge your bootstraps may be different than mine.
It’s my duty to reach you with all of my creativity
Bring what makes you who you are and leave the rest up to me

We’re clashing with the white, classist techno-patriarchy.
I won’t make you tie your experiences behind your back to have dialogue with me,
Or deny you the right to your favorite transtextualities,
Accessibility or even kairotic needs.
I’m gonna cease

THE RAPUNZEL EFFECT
WITH A CONSTELLATION OF TEXTS
TO SHARE A THEME WITH AN AUDIENCE

A good rhetorical lobbyist
Won’t minimize one as paratext
For derivative heretics.
There’s no hierarchy of authenticity
If you really want fairness—
That’s why we’ve prepared this

TLDR…

‘Cause a supplemental text can be any physical-digital expression of art,
And a really good start to consider each part of the equation…
• Technological
• Distributive
• Readability
• And preference access.

Add reader capacity, and you’re right on track. This
Is your permission to share yourself with joy. The fact is
In the world where we live, we’re beyond sharing narratives—
We’re making databases to give…

Dame Gothel trapped Rapunzel in an ivory tower
Authors are trapped in an ideology
(Where one form of text is how to mine their minds best)
But I’m looking for rhetorical equity!
So meet me at the bottom of the tower
Look me in the eye
I’ll rise up to the top of your stories
If you assure me you’ll hear mine

Stamp of Rapnuzel in Tower with Dame Gothel holding onto hair.

Rapunzel stamps: Six German stamps on "a recipe" page. [Scanned image].
https://commons. wikimedia. org/wiki/File:Stamps_of_

songwriter

Mable Buchanan has a Bachelor of Arts from McDaniel College and is working on earning a Master’s in teaching. She works as a financial news editor but moonlights as a songwriter, lindy hop dancer and puppeteer. She loves thinking about improvised and outsider art, Jungian psychology, the strategy behind children's programming, applications for creativity that promote social justice, and how to make the best dairy-free ice cream. She can be contacted at mablekwb[at]gmail[dot]com.

Meet Me at the Bottom of the Tower

songwriter