Sunday, October 3, 2010
Blog 4 EP
Fatal Light By Richard Curry tells the story of the narrator's life during the Vietnam War period. The book tells the story of the narrator's life before and after the war as well as describes the events he experienced as a medic during the war. Curry utilizes "flash fiction" to portray account the events of his character's Vietnam experience. "Flash fiction" is a form of story telling where the author uses a small amount of words to tell short "flashes" of events in order to string together a story. These small scenes describe the setting character and events in a very quick yet detailed way that shows the reader the action as if it was experienced in a traumatic manner. This flash fiction greatly benefits the idea of Curry's story. Curry portrays a war that was fast and action packed, with many traumatic events. He portrays life after the war as slow and a let down compared to the excitement the soldeirs experinced during combat. This is evidenced by the quick, energetic and vivid chapters that tell the story during the narrator's time in country. After he returns the life he lives, and the chapters that depict it slowdown and focus more on conversations and emotioanl moments. Curry also wants the reader to see how hectic, fast paced and violent the war was. He does this no only with the content of the text but how fast and short the chapters are during the war action. Another thing Richard Curry wants the reader to undertand is how fast everything in Vietnam could change. Curry also addresses how the longer a soldier spends in Vietnam the farther away the life they lived becomes. They forget about girlfriends past and stop believing theyll be waiting. They partially distance themselves from their family. This is seen by the main chanracter's letters to Mary becoming less frequent as he spends more time in country. When the main character leaves for Vientnam his family is on the forefront of his thoughts. After his return he visits his grandfather before seeing his mom and dad, who were so important to him. The fast paced and frantic pace to "flash fiction" allows Richard Currey to add emphasis to his text through the format that it is presented in.
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Fatal Light By Richard Curry tells the story of the narrator's life during the Vietnam War period. The book tells the story of the narrator's life before and after the war as well as describes the events he experienced as a medic during the war. Curry utilizes "flash fiction" to portray his account of the events of his character's Vietnam experience. "Flash fiction" is a form of storytelling where the author uses a small amount of words to tell short "flashes" of events in order to string together a story. These small scenes describe the setting, character and events in a very quick yet detailed way that shows the reader the events as if they were experienced in a traumatic manner. This flash fiction greatly benefits the idea of Curry's story. Curry portrays a war that was fast and action packed, and filled with many traumatic events. He portrays life after the war as slow, boring and a “let down” compared to the excitement the soldiers experienced during combat. This is evidenced by the quick, energetic and vivid chapters that tell the story during the narrator's time in country. After he returns to the life he lived, the chapters that depict it slow down and focus more on conversations and emotional moments. Curry also wants the reader to see how hectic, fast paced and violent the war was. He does this not only within the content of the text but how fast and short the chapters are during the war action. Another thing Richard Curry wants the reader to understand is how fast everything in Vietnam could change. He portrays this by presenting the reader with very short chapters that bounce between a variety of settings. Curry also addresses how the longer a soldier spends in Vietnam the farther away the life they lived becomes. They forget about girlfriends past and stop believing they will be waiting. They partially distance themselves from their family. This is seen by the reader when the main character’s letters to Mary become less frequent as his time in country wears on. When the main character leaves for Vietnam his immediate family is on the forefront of his thoughts. After his return he visits his grandfather before seeing his mom and dad, who were so important to him. It is almost as if Curry has decided his parents can wait, he will see them when he gets around to it. He does not meet with his girlfriend Mary even as the weeks go by. The narrator decides his time is better spent with his grandfather. The narrator’s pre-war life was extremely distant during his time in the service but it may be the farthest away when he returns to the states. He shows no urgency in returning to his previous life. The fast paced, scene changing characteristics of flash fiction greatly benefits the ideas of the novel about the pace of war as opposed to the pace of life at home.
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