In My Body by Shelley Jackson, the author is able to connect with the reader by using universal symbols as metaphors by creating personal stories involving the pictures the reader chooses. On the authors website, which includes a picture of a female body sectioned off by different body parts the reader is able to control his or her path to discovering the author by clicking on different pictures or words in the poem which lead to different stories. For example, if one was to click on the drawing of the author’s shoulder one would be directed to a story or memory that involves her shoulder somehow. Then one would have the option of clicking on various phrases or words in that story that relate to a monumental time in Shelley’s life when she was able to complete several more push-ups in grade school than the other children in her class or a moment that represents the inspiration for a tattoo she got later on in life.

                In one of the reading for this week, New Media Theories and Practices of Digitextuality, Tarleton Gillespie discusses meaning of tools in The Stories Digital Tools Tell. Gillespie’s discussion of the importance of the functions and politics of objects in media pair well with Shelley Jackson’s use of objects in My Body.  Shelley’s collection of poems, pictures and communication create an atmosphere in which the reader can be involved and relate to the drawings and stories they represent. In Gillespie’s article he discusses the use of an object or tool as a metaphor, where it is understood by various cultures because of its general nature, but can also be misinterpreted.  The general uses of objects have the potential to be misinterpreted because it allows the reader to create his or her own meanings behind the object. However, Shelley creates a more personal story and narrows in on  the ambiguity of the object by using a relatable and widely understood object, the human body, and focusing in on meaning and purpose of the body parts through intimate stories and memories.

Mary Barnes