Ambiguity.  Concealment.  Obscureness.  In a strictly auditory world, is it possible to perceive the same facets exposed in a visual world?  Is it possible to experience a unique disposition even further aggrandized due to the lack of discernable characteristics?  As a result of the absence of visual media, the auditory stimulating podcasts "Visible" written by Louis Kornfeld and "Drive Straight Ahead" written by Jonathan Goldstein and Mira Burt-Wintonick rectify the loss of the reader's visual sense by means of amplifying other characteristics.  Emotion, vivid description, and specific sounds are all necessary elements in making up for the lack of visual media.

The first characteristic that aids the podcasts in expressing the lost attributes of visual media is emotion.  In the first podcast, the main character Tom is completely blind and unable to describe the things around him without the help of others.  In one scene, he is standing in an art gallery asking his personal assistant named Visible “...what feelings does (the painting) evoke?” and is answered with “I’m afraid I can’t say” (Kornfeld 8:51).  Although Visible gives an accurate description of what the painting looks like structurally and the colors displayed in it, Tom is searching for a more personal description of how the painting makes people feel.  The answer from Visible does not satisfy Tom on an emotional level.  Soon after receiving the straightforward response from his personal piece of technology, Tom is approached by an employee of the art gallery.  He asks her to give him a description of how the painting really makes her feel and is fronted with the response: “It’s warm and small and personal.  I think it does a nice job of evoking a sense of memory.  There’s something bittersweet about it.  When I look at it, it makes me think of that time when you’re just drifting off to sleep.  Like when an idea becomes really vivid in your mind and then it vanishes and you can’t remember what it was… that afterglow to it.  That’s what this painting feels like” (Kornfeld 9:46).  The personal description of the painting enables the reader to understand how the newly satisfied Tom feels.  Tom is satisfied with the personal and more emotionally engaged description rather than the description of the obvious surface details of what is right in front of him.  In the second podcast, the GPS assistant takes a toll on the main character’s emotions when she rudely announces, “Do not picture your ex-husband Allen… Do not picture him sleeping with his yoga instructor on your honeymoon” (Goldstein & Burt-Wintonick 13:55).  This depressing scenario reflected by the main character can be experienced by the audience in an eye-witness kind of way.  Because emotion exists in many scenes in “Visible” and “Drive Straight Ahead,” the reader can encapsulate the character’s feelings throughout.  The writers not only target the emotions of the audience, but also use vivid description to enable the audience to further develop the scenes within their minds.

The second characteristic used to assist the podcasts in depicting similar attributes to that of visual media is vivid description.  As heard in the podcasts, accurate descriptions of scenery are the culminating method of visualizing pictures in the reader’s mind.  In the first podcast, Visible describes the surrounding landscape; “The sky has scattered clouds, the temperature is seventy-four degrees, and there is a light breeze from the northwest” (Kornfeld 4:55).  This description enables the reader to visualize what is right in front of Tom’s blind eyes.  The attention to detail in Visible’s description makes the scene come alive.  Visible further describes that “We’re facing a lawn with a tall Juniper tree in the center.  A shaft of sunlight is spread across the tree causing its bark to appear a shade lighter than burnt umber.  Song sparrows are bathing in a puddle directly to your left” (Kornfeld 5:25).  While listening to this podcast with headphones, I could perceive everything that Visible described and more.  When I closed my eyes, the beautiful April day suddenly engulfed my imagination and it seemed as though I was walking beside the main character.  In a far gloomier scenario, the second podcast gives a vivid description of a part of the main character’s life.  The GPS instructs her to “Merge into the right lane behind the minivan with the family that doesn’t fall asleep in front of the TV alone every night” (Goldstein & Burt-Wintonick 13:32).  With this description, the reader can surely anticipate the main character passing out in front of her destitute method of entertainment.  A feeling of isolation and solitude enveloped my emotions while listening to this striking description of the main character’s life.  The writers of the podcasts also incorporate various sounds to further solidify the vivid descriptions of the scenes.

The last characteristic encompassed to remedy the lack of visual stimulation is the use of specific sounds throughout the podcasts.  Certain noises and chimes are used to depict the scenes and emotions of the characters.  In a scene from the first podcast, Tom is using Visible to assist him in crossing a city street via a crosswalk.  The sounds of cars rushing by and honking, the counting down of the crosswalk timer, and Tom’s nervous panting all intensify the scene and enable the reader to accurately illustrate what the main character is experiencing.  In two separate scenes from the first podcast, a jubilant tone rings aloud from Visible after Tom executes self-accomplishments.  The ring can be heard when Tom reaches the elevator at the end of his hall and also when he reaches the other side of the crosswalk.  The reader must take into consideration that Tom is blind and these are monumental feats for him.  The jubilant tone accurately portrays Tom’s sense of relief and accomplishment.  In a scene from the second podcast, the main character finally reaches her mother’s house after being emotionally battered by her GPS.  The specific sound of the girl restarting her car and leaving her mother’s house combined with the gloomy tunes in the background help the reader visualize the melancholy facial expressions of the main character.

All three of the characteristics (emotion, vivid description, and specific sounds) are essential for making up for the absence of ocular stimulation in visual media.  The incorporation of these characteristics enable the reader to accurately visualize the scenes depicted in these strictly auditory forms of storytelling.  These characteristics combined with the use of my headphones enabled me to envision the scenarios as if they were reality.  
