A Writer is Born Blog Entry Two

In the short story “How to Become a Writer” by Lorrie Moore we are introduced to a young girl by the name of Francie, who by chance and certain circumstances discovers her true passion for writing. Throughout the short story it is clear that the author Lorrie Moore is writing about herself, and all the struggles, criticism and career choices she contemplated on, before finally realizing that writing was a skill she possessed and enjoyed doing. The tension that is created in the story is between Francie, the narrator, and all the people she encountered throughout her life who criticized her choice of becoming a writer. The story would not have been as effective and successful had the author used a different point of view. By using the second point of view, the author is able to engage the reader and have them believe that Francie is speaking about them and the steps that they should take if they want to become a writer.

  

    Francie encounters countless times of tension throughout the story. The tension is between her mother, classmates, and professors. For the most they all try to discourage her from the dreams she has to become a writer. Her classmates, mother and professors all try to discourage Francie from the dream she has to become a writer, “You have to think about what is happening. Where is the story here?” (Moore), or “Francie, Francie, remember when you were going to be a child psychology major?” (Moore)  Throughout all this turmoil and conflict Francie refuses to give up on her dream.

   Throughout the story the point of view that is used, makes the reader believe that they are being spoken directly to by the narrator. With phrases like, “Decide that you like college life,”(Moore) or “You will continue, unfortunately, to view the world in exactly these terms for the rest of your life.” (Moore). Slowly throughout the story it becomes evident that the narrator is not speaking to the reader, but she is telling her personal life story in a humorous tone. She tells her story to the reader in a sarcastic manner, making fun of the idea that a person would actually believe there are steps taken, in order to become a writer. The title of the story “How to Become a Writer”, makes fun of the very thought that a writer can be made, the narrator is actually trying to insinuate that a great writer is born and not made.  

   In conclusion, a different point of view would have changed the story dramatically. A different point of view would have been impersonal, and would not have connected the narrators own struggles with similar hardships that the reader may have encountered throughout their own personal life. 

Blog Entry One

After reading the short stories that were assigned for this blog, I became intrigued with the countless ways that the authors jumped between several different time periods within their stories. For example in the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’ Brien, the author uses this technique several times throughout the story.  In the story we are introduced to Lieutenant Ross, he is at war, and struggles to maintain his focus on keeping his soldiers alive and away from daydreaming of a life with a young girl named Martha who he fell in love with before going to war.  For example, the men had missions in which they were required to search out and destroy the tunnel complexes in the Tan Khe area south of Chu Lai. Ross travels into the tunnels and once again finds himself reminiscing of Martha, “After five minutes, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross moved to the tunnel, leaned down and examined the darkness. Trouble, he thought-a cave-in maybe. And then suddenly, without willing it he was thinking about Martha.” By switching between Ross’ current situation and his fantasies about Martha, O’ Brien has the ability to control the suspense in the story. The reader is involved in more than just one aspect of Lieutenant Ross’ life. The fact that O’ Brien gave us some details about Ross’ life outside of war, made him more human. It gave the reader the opportunity to become more involved with Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’ character.

   

   Another technique used by authors is omitting certain information from the reader until the story nears its conclusion. William Faulkner uses this technique in his short story, “A Rose for Emily.” By withholding certain information from the reader Faulkner is able to shock the audience at the end of the story. Throughout the story the reader is left in the dark about the whereabouts of Rose’s lover, “And that was the last we saw of Homer Barron. And of Miss Emily for some time.”  By building suspense William Faulkner is able to maintain the reader’s interest in the story. Without suspense Faulkner would lose the readers interest.  He allows the reader to come up with their own assumption about what happened to Emily’s husband Homer Barron, and then at the end of the novel he hits the reader with a huge revelation and an ending that was completely unexpected, “For a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin. What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay.”

  

    In conclusion, both of these techniques achieve the goal of maintaining the reader’s interest in the story.Tim O’ Brien engages the audience by providing the reader with a back-story to the character. He takes the reader on a journey that jumps from Ross’ present situation, and then moments later the reader is experiencing a past event. On the other hand William Faulkner omits facts throughout his short story, which engages the reader into fantasizing their own version of events, and helps to engage the reader. Both techniques are equally successful and help to maintain the readers attention.