I have to say, even though this story did not have the same depth in vocabulary as the other pieces we have read, I had a much harder time comprehending what was going on. The first few pages were full of details that I tried to pay attention to-- thinking they would come into play later in the story. I was wrong. I especially thought the clown picture would answer some question after a while but it never did. It was just a creepy picture in an insignificant hotel.
On the other hand, I enjoyed how she detailed the story. Even though the vocabulary wasn't as complex, the way she uses her words describes things just as vividly.
When she began to describe the total eclipse, I was again very confused. I thought that an eclipse was supposed to be an amazing act of nature. The way she described it made me never want to experience one! The whole time I kept thinking to myself, "horror movie!" I even wrote that in my annotations. It really turned horrific when the screams were brought into play: "From all the hills came screams. A piece of sky beside the crescent sun was detaching."
I was trying to get a grasp on if there may be some hidden message in her story, but I could not come to any conclusion. I believe this may have been just some scribbles of hers that were transformed into a story to share with the public. Some scribbles that may or may not have helped her get a grasp on reality.
I couldn't agree more! I'm so glad that every blog post I've read about this essay has been negative as well! The clown picture really threw me off too! I can even remember thinking to myself "Okay, now remember this for later: It seems important." Nope.
ReplyDeleteNow I know Dillard describes the eclipse as being horrific, like a "horror movie" you said. (That's exactly what it sounds like!) After I read Dan's post about this, I see it a different way. Dan even backs up his argument that they are one of nature’s most beautiful experiences. How could anyone see it any other way? I just don't get it!
When you said that this essay was just the outcome of Dillard’s 'scribbles' (love that word) that could have possible help her "get a grasp on reality," that really spoke to me (In a way.) I never thought of it that way, and now that I do, I can understand all of the crazy jam-packed into this essay. Yet how it got published, I don't know.
I'm with both of you girls! The massive amount of tiny details Dillard included in her writing threw me off, and turned me off to the essay. I was a little bit frustrated when that clown picture reference didn't really have much significance after I paid so much attention to it! I also agree with you Danielle, that I would have expected a writing about a total eclipse to be more descriptive of the event in majestic terms, not horrific ones!
ReplyDeleteI love how no one understands this essay. I also agree, this essay is super frustrating in many areas. I honestly hope Kunkle goes over this essay with us and we reach a consensus on what the message behind it truly is.
ReplyDeleteDanielle and Brook, the mentioning of Dillard's "scribbles"...brilliant! Like everybody else, I'm trying desperately to grasp onto anyone else's interpretations of this essay and new ideas they bring to the table. Any new insight is one step closer to trying to figure this essay out!
I googled Anne Dillard to see if there was anything more I could read to help me understand her. I happened to find her official web page that may be useful in decoding this essay. Here it is -- http://www.anniedillard.com/ After reading it over, I realized that she is a very pessimistic person in general. It didn't say much about this essay, but it may have helped understand her character more and where she gets her style of writing from. Might want to check it out!
Hi Danielle,
ReplyDeleteI too kept thinking that this story was great material for a horror movie! Except hopefully if it ever does become a horror film, they do some revising first so people can understand it easier. Though this story was very difficult to follow most of the time, I would say it was probably my favorite out of all of the readings. I would say this because this story let your imagination kind of wander a bit. So instead of understanding everything and searching for the meaning like I would in the other articles, this one I pictured more just as a pleasant bedtime story. It seemed to be easier to read that way if I wasn't hunting for a meaning in the rambling story.