Review of "A Cage of Words" by Joel Dreyfuss

The essay "A Cage of Words" by Joel Dreyfuss discusses how Haiti is portrayed in Western media. Every time Haiti is mentioned in the news it is called "the poorest nation in the western hemisphere." The author says that phrase is seven words that "represent a classic example of something absolutely true and absolutely meaningless at the same time." It is true that Haiti is the poorest nation on this side of the world, but …

…with the author completely. Haiti is not understood by anyone in America, and a lot of the reason for that is due to the media coverage. Instead of working to understand the complex issues surrounding Haiti, it is easier to just label them. I love how the Joel Dreyfuss finishes his essay talking about the phrase, "it was shorthand. It was neat. And it told the world nothing about Haiti that it didn't already know."