This week’s blog readings seemed to fall neatly into two
categories united by the theme of travel: travel narratives and advice about
travel. I really enjoyed the first blog, “Whitewater Rafting at the Source of
the Nile in Uganda
1) En media res: the authors plunges us immediately into the
action of the story, beginning with instructions spoken by the rafting guide.
An immediate sense of movement, of physicality, excitement, and the thrill of
danger are all communicated from the very beginning. The title (which could
have been catchy, but is instead straightforward) is really all the context we
are given—but it is all the context we really need. This quick pace is maintained throughout the
piece, even though he does back up a few times and give short bits of
background information. This pacing, again, mirrors the swiftness and
attention-demanding nature of the white water areas that he highlights on this
run.
2) Dialect: not only does the story begin en media res, but
the very first line is written in dialogue, creating a slight disorientation
that suspends the reader’s interest until it becomes clear who is speaking and
why he sounds like that. The use of dialect also communicates an instant
characterization; in such a short piece about such a sensory-heavy experience,
every detail needs to serve the purpose of the story and this use of dialect
goes a long way. As the only character with dialogue, it also places Lee as a
focal point in the blog; not only was he the author’s guide while rafting, he
is now a vehicle to guide us through
understanding this experience.
3) Structure: the structure of the blog is used very
effectively to keep the pacing quick and . Paragraphs are very short, often
only one line. This made the piece feel very journalistic, like it was designed
to keep interest and with clarity always in mind. If the blog had been composed
of big, cumbersome paragraphs it would have weighed the narrative down and
maybe been more difficult to follow. The author also used subheadings on some
sections and then wrote those sections like snapshots—very succinct, very
clear, and concentrated. My favorite one was "Everyone Screams and Everyone Gets
Wet": “The stretch of whitewater we were rafting was made up of class
three, four, and five rapids with names such as "Rib Cage",
"Silverback", "Jaws", and "The G-Spot"
("because, if you hit it right, everybody screams and everybody gets
wet," Lee told us).” The title links to the end of the paragraph, making
it a discrete and unified unit, while also making a pithy little joke, and
furthering the feeling of adventure and the camaraderie that comes with it. It
almost felt to me like it could be a little vignette on its own.
4) Specific description: the author uses description very concisely
in the relatively short space of the blog. He uses detailed, concrete language
to paint vivid pictures of what he is going through. For example in the
passage:
Then a heavy, violent sheet of water
would smack down on me, snapping my body around in summersaults, corkscrewing
me into the deep. With the safety line just a distant memory, I'd see blue sky
and white water, then pure green as the undertow sucked and sped me downstream”
First we get the characterization
of the water as “heavy” and “violent,” as he is thrown down helplessly into the
water. Then his body is “Snapping” and “corkscrewing,” more violent imagery
that connotes he is being moved by the water with such force that he cannot
control his body. Finally we get vivid color imagery and a moment of peace in “Blue
sky” “white water” and “pure green.” In such simple, yet vivid terms, he
describes the juxtaposition of air, water surface, and then the plunge back
into the violence of being under water.
I too think travel narratives are inherently interesting, and that it's pretty hard to not get a reader interested in a topic that may also be outside their realm. I kind of enjoyed this assignment because I saw that it still takes some work other than a new place/experience for the blog to be interesting. (I didn't find any blogs except the one you talked about particularly interesting or very good at grabbing my attention).
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job zeroing in on this one blog and breaking it down. I also talked about this one in my blog and after reading yours I see how much I missed. I particularly liked you making the connection to Lee being a vehicle to help us understand the authors experience.
I like how you broke down your discussion/analyzation of all the elements of this blog. The author's decision to begin en medias res was really effective to creating that sense of action and quick immersion. It was also really useful how you pointed out his juxtaposition of detailing - I hadn't noticed that in my own reading.
ReplyDeleteexcellent analysis. Going to the class with it.
ReplyDeletee