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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
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- Reading responses are due Thursdays at midnight, no exceptions.
While reading the essays I noticed that they all had their own personality, they have something different yet are tied together in the sense that they’re vivid in the emotion, the imagery. “In bed” by Joan Didion expresses the pain of migraines the physical pain and emotional pain. The shame, due to accusatory people who give us phrases such as “Why not take some aspirin” (page 222) like that little thing could help the big problem. making them feel as if their pain is imaginary. She gives us an inside look of living with a migraine. “In the Dark” by Pico Iyer gives us the life of a man going to Bali and meeting a local woman (Wayan), he then revisits Bali to get away not even telling Wayan he was there. Reading this essay confused me I didn’t understand what I was supposed to feel, yet I could see the beach and feel the water “Snake armed masseuses putting their things away, boys were kicking the soccer ball into the coloring waves” (page 224). In “El Torro Rojo” by Dinty W. Moore was straight to the point. Giving us the image of the spinning mariposa move. It didn’t give the idea, it had to be looked for, she talks about the bull how it didn’t know that death was near. How close death could be to the unsuspecting victim. While reading I felt guilt from the narrator I could be wrong, but it jumped out “whispering Torro! As if you don’t want the bull to hear” (page226). “The Witching Hour” was something I could relate too, having teachers think of you as weird or different then when other adults arrive put on a fake smile and act as if you’re their favorite student. ”And even hugged me on stage as if nothing had happened” (page 229) With Aimee it was her aswang, with me I would sing Christmas songs in March cause I couldn’t think of another one, and instead of playing I would read, but when my mom came I was a “normal student” not a weirdo. In “Late July, 4:40am” it gives tons of imagery. Showing us what a truck driver sees and hears when going through Kansas. I didn’t understand the meaning to the story, if seeing the open road meant something to him or if it was a way to pass the day. I enjoyed “Dreads” by Alice Walker. I may not connect on a personal level but going through mainstream media today and seeing how black women are embracing their natural hair instead of putting harmful relaxers makes me happy. They’re accepting who they are “From a downtrodden, hardworking Sothern woman black woman she was transformed into a free Amazonian Goddess” (page 232).
ReplyDeleteKendra Lara
From all the readings the two I related with the most was with “In Bed” and “The Witching Hour”. Let’s start with the first one which focus on the theme on having a migraine. I liked how relatable it is especially the part where the author says how he or she will get migraines and still have work to do. In the past and still till this day I will sometimes be at work and get them and tell myself I wish I could go home but I can’t because I just started my shift. In pg. 221 “went to school and later to work in spit of it”. The other story that I could really relate to is “the witching hour” from the title alone I thought it was going to be a story about witches and it kind of started off like it was, but it turned into a surprisingly related able story. This story is about a kid who’s in the third grade and is in a art contest and he draw an endangered spice which of the teacher thinks its fake. Which then causes the kid to start crying and draw an eagle. Long story short he wins, and he gets the last laugh. We all have been there when they tell us no, but we end up being the one’s who get the last word. I especially love the last couple of sentences in pg. 229 “She came over to see what I was drawing, sighed and hurried the rest of the class”. That’s what I call the sign of defeat to me. The other stories where great as well like El Toro Rojo which always fun to read a story with a few Spanish words, reminds me that I can read in two languages. In the Dark kind of felt like a short supernatural story with the whole island and taking something from the island which is causing strange things to happen. And the story of “In Late July, 4:40am” is a story that goes well with the song “Country Roads” by John Denver even though it set in Kansas rather than West Virginia, but the open road is something I like seeing when I drive back to hometown on the weekends.
ReplyDeleteJuan Carlos Guerra
The short essay by Joan Didion, “In Bed”, explains migraines in her past and how she has dealt with such an awful sensation during her lifetime, and she concludes that her migraines are heredity and that she has to deal and accept this persistent phenomenon for the rest of her life, despite the remedies she has done to prevent such things. Didion used vivid imagery and description in her writing to make us feel what she felt and inform the audience of that your ancestry can rule and affect your life. Lastly, I didn’t like that this was on a negative topic, yet we all will encounter some articles or stories now and then in our lifetimes (unless you watch the news).
ReplyDeleteFrom what I could understand from Pico Iyer’s short essay, “In the Dark”, he’s on a vacation in Bali and strange events that could be influenced by magic. Iyer used his descriptive writing to paint the world of his topic and used hints of personification like “as if the darkness was chattering” on the island he was on. Like I said before, “from what I could understand”, this essay is confusing on the aspect of speaking of his topic and informing his readers unless I, as a reader, needed to know something else before reading the essay.
From what I understood from Dinty W. Moore’s short essay, “El Tora Rojo”, he sets the audience in Spain, in an arena where an active bullfight is occurring at the moment. One fighter, Reyes Mendoza got injured majorly then a second fighter replaced him, who was Tomas Lopez and, I believe, that he fatally injured the red bull. Lastly, I didn’t like the sport of bullfighting, and I didn’t understand what the topic and the information was to explain it precisely yet I have a broad understand of what was going on in the essay.
From the short essay, “The Witching Hour”, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, she explained of a creature of legend from her homeland of the Philippines, the aswang. In her elementary 3rd grade class, she drew the aswang for an in-class assignment of endangered animals. Yet, her teacher, Mrs. Johnson, didn’t like what she saw and discarded it and told her to draw something else and she did. I really disliked the fact that Mrs. Johnson didn’t approve of Aimee’s drawing due to the fact it was something she and anybody else wouldn’t approve of, which was a form of discrimination, a massive negative topic, yet Aimee doesn’t speak about directly.
After reading the short essay, “Late July, 4:40 a.m.”, by Reg Saner, I was left in confusion on what was the purpose, topic, and purpose of description of the essay. Therefore, I can’t say much on this essay.
From what I can comprehend from Alice Walker’s short essay, “Dreads”, it was about the so-called mystery of natural hair. In my opinion, it was an interesting read despite it confused me a bit and left me with minor questions.
(Jose Contreras | 500 words)
Reading Joan Didion’s “In Bed”, I can feel that this relates to not just migraines, but other psychological ailments, the obvious ailment; depression. What makes me believe this is when Didion notes other’s remarks about treatment. Such as “why not take a couple of aspirin?” or “I’d have a headache, too, spending a beautiful day like this inside with all the shades drawn.”(Page 222), which are people trying to relate or defuse the condition. There is also the line of “my husband also has a migraine, which is unfortunate for him but fortunate for me.”( Page 222). The people who know and experience your pain tend to be the few people you can talk too. Pico Iyer’s “In the Dark” was a bit of a confusing read, but I believe it covers about how deep or how far someone can get away that they can’t comeback no matter what. It was difficult to find an exact theme(s) or maybe he was just describing a trip. The short story “El Toro Rojo”, by Dinty W. Moore, captures the senses and moderately describes watching, hearing and the feeling of live bullfights, even if one is foreign. It also beautifies the gore in the sport, as if it is an art. I suppose it can be said that the text is descriptive, “all in service of the slaughter.”( Page 226). Death is an oddity that many fear or have accepted but here; it is entertainment. Nezhukumatathil’s “The Witching Hour” covers the themes of hypocrisy, erasing culture and the love of a mother and child. When Aimee is berated for drawing the Aswang, a creature from their Philippine culture, it is erasing or degrading one’s inheritance. Yet, in the class, they talk about Paul Bunyan or the Greek gods as if they exist or did exist and no one got in trouble like Aimee did. This falls under hypocrisy and erasing one’s culture. But what comforts Aimee is the pride and embracement of her mother’s culture when she tells her about the Phillipines and that no matter how busy she was, Aimee’s mother always found the time to spend with her. It empowers her to finish multiple drawings of the creature after the contest is over, giving her a sense of closure. With Reg Saner’s “Late July, 4:40 a.m.” it covers life on the road and how it has shaped society. Saner describes the road as “endless, auspicious”(Page 230). Saner brings up the pollution that cars and trucks bring, making machine and nature contrast each other. One example is “Despite that pack of engines idly burning off foliage of the carboniferous period, the early air is astonishingly clear, even delicious.”(Page 230). He also makes the road seem like it is in charge of the driver, giving it personification such as in the last paragraph, “On.” It says. “Farther.” (Page 231). Alice Walker’s “Dreads” shows how one stands out in their own way. Within the opening lines, we can see where the writer is coming from. Walker writes about how their family had “…poured gallons of possibly carcinogenic “relaxer” chemicals on themselves,” (Page 231) and that their hair lies “flat as the slab over a grave.”(Page 231). It shows that Walker is the black sheep of their family while everyone remains in the normal, something that Walker is rebelling with their hairstyle. It is comparing the industrial live style to the more natural, free-spirit type of lifestyle that Alice has chosen to live.
ReplyDelete(Michael Lucio 578 words)
I really like the all stories. The in bed story will tell to deal with your everyday life and not to complain all the time because things happen and then pass. The story that me and son related is the Witching Hour as child drawing his aswang and trying to convince his teacher. As a child was always trying drawing unicorn and trying to convince my teacher that it exist. I felt it had a good amount of comedy although a bit discrete. By ready the title, The Witching Hour, I thought it was going to be a story about hunting or a Christmas story where children will tell about their wish. Dread was the one I like the most, it will keep you away from combing and breading. It makes your life easy just grab it as a ponytail and go. When people usually ask Black African about their hair, now I can understand a lot how frustrating and amusing it can be to watch the expression on people's face change when you give them the honest answer and it was not something that they were expecting. Many people because of Bob Marley do the dread but the down part of it is to shampoo. It take longer to dry.
ReplyDeleteFatimata Traore
I really enjoyed reading "In My Bed" as it's able to depict something as mundane as a migraine into something more serious and complex. Joan Didion does a really good job of going in depth into the issues that a migraine brings and you're able to tell how much he struggles with it. I found it interesting that he was able to find some sort of peace with them as he describes " there is a pleasant convalescent euphoria" which he says he feels after the migraine goes away (Page 223). I wasn't really fond of "In the Dark" as I found it pretty dull in terms of the content. I did enjoy the way Pico Lyer described his surroundings, I found it really vivid and authentic. In "El Toro Rojo" I found the perspective Dinti W. Moore to write the essay really interesting. Though not much to read I was able to find it entertain and in a way immersive. "The Witching Hour" was probably my favorite reading out of all of them. I was able to sympathize with the main character. I thought the teacher was randomly harsh for no reason when she his drawing. I enjoyed that he chose to draw the "aswang" again in the end as for him it represented something bigger. In "Late July, 4:40 am." I get that the story was supposed to entail a bigger message but I just found it bland and not interesting. While in "Dreads" I found the topic of the essay random.
ReplyDeleteAdrian Martinez
Within the small collection of short essays, I drew a connection with Joan Didion’s “In Bed.” I’ve often witnessed my mother succumb to the same types of migraines Didion describes, and while I have had a few similar cases, none to the extent of having to be in bed all day. On page 221, Didion mentions migraines are “an essentially hereditary complex of symptoms” and goes on to say her grandmothers and parents had migraines as well. Which reminded me of a time when I complained to my dad about my head hurting and him saying I was beginning to sound like my mother and would eventually too become addicted to taking medication to help relieve the pain. Dinty W. Moore’s “El Toro Rojo” is short in comparison to the other essays yet is also the only one to not be written in the perspective of the writer themselves which I found interesting and another way to write creative non-fiction. I really couldn’t find myself interested or gain much understanding in “Late July, 4:40 a.m” by Reg Saner, but maybe that could be due to not knowing how to drive and experiencing the open road like others who do. Alice Walker’s “Dreads” on the other hand was by far my favorite from the short essays with her curiosity of the “black ropes” in people’s hair and coming to realize they were in fact hair itself. Walker describes the beauty of her first encounter with someone’s dreads and how she explored and discovered how natural black people’s hair are able to do this. Leaving behind her uninformed past self and instead embracing her natural self, and in turn finding happiness through this.
ReplyDelete- Savannah Lopez
While reading the collection of short essays provided in the Textbook ‘Creative Writing’ by Starkey pages 223 to 232, I have found parts that were bothersome towards me. I usually love writing texts involving magic and the unknown, but I found that the way the essay ‘In the dark’ by Pico Iyer was a bit difficult to read through and had to read it twice to understand truly what the author was trying to portray. I felt that I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other essays due to the fact I couldn’t necessary visualize B
ReplyDeleteali through the words written. There was a lack of connection to me. I could not feel the thrill or emotion the author wanted to convey. My favorites out of the assigned readings were ‘El Toro Rojo’ by Dinty W. Moore and ‘The Witching hour’ by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. On page 226 in the text, El Toro Rojo happens to be the shortest of the short Essay’s. I felt it was quite unique of the author to delivery such a moving piece of work delivered in only four short paragraphs. The essay really did cut your heart out with one punch in the last paragraph, “In your own life, death has lingered. Your father, for one. All lives end badly. But for now, you are watching the instantaneous moment.”
-Valerie Valentin
On first glance, El Toro Rojo is a smudged reflection of Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, in which Moore attempts to spur a precise reaction from his audience using a systematic method of equation. He assembles all parts of a story to force emotion: in the second person, he submerges the reader into his setting by using Spanish words and names. So the reader guesses where he is; it’s simple enough. Then he shows a death. This is to reveal the danger of the situation that he sets up for his next character. He hides the crowd from the reader but displays the energy of the crowd with the main character’s inspired dialogue: Ole! He wants to show the pure nature of the beast, in that it does not expect its death. Its death is sad. The author wants the reader to be sad. Insert: brief, personal anecdote. Another death.
ReplyDeleteBut the author lacks something that he doesn’t see. He doesn’t see into his second person point of view. He feels emotions and leaves only enough detail to stir shadows of emotions for his reader. He did not write this essay for the reader-- an option that leaves Moore in a pure light. Or perhaps Moore did write this essay for the reader… and has never been to Spain.
Through a second glance, the author uses sparse details in a way similar to Hebrew poetry, letting the reader dwell on the few facts given. The death is a slaughter of something undeserving of its fate, and this grips the author so that as he projects himself into the second person. This narrative is in the whisper that escapes him before he can close his mouth. Then, in his head, he calms himself down. (“You count to one.”) So while it may seem that the author tries to force emotion on the reader by ignoring his main character’s (presumably himself) surroundings, he might actually be displaying the silence in his head of the electrified crowd. The author writes for himself.
Raquel Williams
What I liked most about these essays was how clearly personal they all are. Of all of them though, “In Bed” was my favorite because of how it was so universal and relatable while also being so personal to the author. Having gone through my own share of health issues I was especially able to relate and bring in my own experiences; when Didion said “I used to think that I could rid myself of this error by simply denying it” I could still recall those days where I’d try and do the same thing, before undergoing my own journey of acceptance just like Didion (221). “In the Dark” was an interesting read, and I understood some of what Iyer said, such as when he said “The bush is burning only for those who are completely foreign to it,” but overall I didn’t really understand what he was trying to say with the essay (223). “El Toro Rojo” was a similar situation for me, but I think I understood what I think to be the overlying theme of the excitement of the moment. As for “Late July, 4:40 a.m.” I also found that essay confusing and a little hard to follow. I liked how it felt like we were going on the road trip with Saner, however, and it reminded me of similar trips I’d take with my family. I was also very fond of “Dreads” and “The Witching Hour” because I felt like I could also relate to those more than the others. I may not be able to relate to having dreadlocks specifically, but I do understand how empowering choosing to embrace such a hairstyle must have been for Walker. I choose to cut my hair extremely short after years of having it down to my waist and I can’t imagine having it any other way. When people ask me about it, I think I respond with the same sort of humor as Walker too, and I can relate to choosing to make such a decision after years of idolizing women with similar hairstyles. As for “The Witching Hour” I can relate to that sense of embarrassment at the hands of a non-understanding authority figure, as I had a similar experience also in elementary school where I tried to submit a drawing in a student art contest, only to ultimately not do so due to a teacher’s harsh, discouraging criticism of it. Overall, I think that the value of all these essays came from their ability to resonate with readers and their own experiences, while also depicting moments that are unique and personal to their authors.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Garza
The 6 essays for this week’s reading assignment all felt dreary, save for “Dreads” which inspires discovering yourself (without any somber undertones, most of the essays were notable for this trait, even if it leads with inspiration and critical thinking like “Late July 4:40 am”. There was a constant, foreboding sense of failure and a feeling like the simplest hint of dread. “El Toro Rojo”, albeit short, rushes the reader into a controversial situation and immediately whisks them out. The verisimilitude worked decently in the beginning, with the use of traditional Spanish language to more accurately describe the event, however it just falls short, brining little attention to the crowd and the people in the stadium. While that can be accredited to the fact that the essay was more on the bull and the narrator, it should be noted that the immersion weakened for me halfway through. In contrast however, “Late July, 4:40 am” beautifully created the scene and the feeling of a road trip, describing the trucks at the station as a herd, pulsing and throbbing. Though the word choice is peculiar it creates such a homey feeling that I cannot shake off while reading. The author’s description of motion, a constant force that he’s become a part of, feels entirely believable. Less can be said about “In the Dark”. Reading the essay felt like a fever dream, which seems to be its intended goal, to put the reader in the same position as a foreigner in a mysterious world. “The Witching Hour” felt genuine, reflecting the melancholy of being denied your culture in a subtle scene. This essay was the most believable, likely because it was just the most realistic. “Dreads” was interesting because its subject matter is the least dynamic, but Alice Walker makes up for it by adding vivid description to the feeling of dreadlocks, the beauty of its length and how bold and powerful they look. “In Bed” balances helplessness with an array of facts and proof to distinguish how migraines, despite being common, have little awareness and aren’t perceived as seriously as they should be. The vocabulary from these latter two essay’s helps construct a believable and genuine story. These essays all tell an important story about an author, such as being able to accept the pain of an invisible pain, or finding significance in the process of notion and applying it to reality. All being so different, the essays show that the creative nonfiction genre can be spread out into subjects one would not consider able to fit easily.
ReplyDelete-Kedrick Wyatt
The essays seem oddly close to short stories. I find them entertaining and in a few cases I feel like I’m reading the outline or a summary of a short story rather than an essay. The Witching Hour had a really great opening the description of the witch and how to kill her; I didn’t think I would turn into a story of a young boy learning legends or myths from his mother. The part where teacher who ripped up his drawing got me a little upset. In the Dark was good as well as both open eerily wanting to read more there was no more; just sadness. El Toro Rojo made me laugh so hard because, I remember trying to turn in a paper that short in high school. In Bed was not bad it didn’t tickle my fancy as the previously mentioned. Late July, 4:40 a.m. was confusing even after a third read. I couldn’t tell if the character telling the story was a truck driver or a fella who enjoys long road trips. Dreads was a surprise not that it was about hair but an essay about she handles bingeing asked about her dreads. The final essay kind of reminded me of a friend who is so excited cursed out a boss or something.
ReplyDeleteKristopher R. Price
After reading this week’s readings, I was thrown for a loop. Of the six essays read, I'd have to say “In Bed” would be my favorite. Joan prompts us to analyze an underrated illness as something cruel, inescapable, and relentless. Emphasizing the science behind migraine further exemplifies the struggle she's undergone to be recognized for her plight, and it's the way she takes you through her experiences that really rallies my sympathy, pity, and second-hand pain. She's real in her retelling and the acceptance at the end really inspires me to overcome adversity myself. “We have reached a certain understanding, my migraine and I...i count my blessings.” I noticed a few connections between the texts during my readings, such as that both “In the Dark” and “El Toro Rojo” deal with foreigners learning or experiencing something of a different culture. It's a theme that brings to mind self-discovery. In fact, in “In the Dark,” the speaker realizes that walking deep in the dark means remaining there, away from the light. Other themes in the text leant toward a poisoned chalice type of vibe (“we stand at the gates of eden..choose to forget that one central inhabitants of the Garden is a snake” “...offer me a jig-jig or some other amenity of Paradise.”) but the overall, concrete meaning of the reading, I'd have to admit, was lost on me. “El Toro Rojo” dealt with animal abuse, something I personally don't favor, and yet his intention was to focus on the beast’s swift death after a period of gallantry and ‘freedom’ and fame. A contrast to his own father’s death—a slow death, forgotten or unrecognized? “I count to one.” Another dialogue lost on me. “The Witching Hour” And “Dreads” both touch upon the theme of culture, and how cultural conflict may be hard to overcome. Aimee reflects on a moment in childhood where her family’s legends and myths were rejected by an authoritative figure, but she ends up sticking to her resolve and having others marvel at her work. Similarly, Alice Walker deals with a revelation of her own cultural identity in the form of a hairstyle. Finally, “Late July, 4:40 a.m.” speaks of motion and how it's become his primary focus, an abstraction pulling at his soul, his “anima.” It's somewhat roundabout and the focus seems a little off until the last paragraphs, but still entertaining.
ReplyDeleteSandra Martinez
I believe the similarities between all six essays were that they were very descriptive. All of them were described so well and in detail that the author made me, as the reader feel very connected to each of them. I felt emotionally connected to them. One of my favorites was “In Bed” by Joan Didion. In that essay she mentioned everything that could possibly do with migraines from medications to emotions. Honestly that essay made me feel so connected that I was thinking about my own migraines and imagining how she felt during hers. The author did a really good job at connecting the essay to its audience. The essay “El Toro Rojo” by Dinty W. Moore, was very descriptive as well, but it was descriptive in an imagery way. The author describes the scenery very vividly. She mentions how the “lean Spaniard in the white suit… cinches his hips, centers himself before the horns of the bull, raises the heavy cape.” (p4). Reading that sentence made me feel as if I was at the event myself. Describing the scene with every detail as possible was the best thing that the author could do. Doing this process and reading it made me feel like I was watching movie. Another example of an essay be very descriptive was “Dreads”, by Alice Walker. The way walker describes this essay is a bit different from the other essays. In this essay she describes the description through the sensation of touch. She describes the hair of an African American and how it feels. She mentions that their hair was “interestingly crinkled, or kinky hair has been forced to lie flat as the slab over a grave.” In my perspective I imagine the hair being very rough and dead. I may be wrong but that is what I believe and gathered from reading this essay. All in all, like I mentioned before, I believe all essay were very descriptive and that’s how I connected to each of them.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Gonzalez
After having read the short essays, there were two in particular that I felt were stimulating. First, in the short essay “Late July, 4:40 a.m.” by Reg Saner, Saner is able to beautifully paint a vivid picture in the reader’s head of just how fascinating the sight of an open road before sunrise is. For example, throughout the essay, Saner appeals to our senses of smell, sight and sound through his writing by describing the sounds of vehicle motors passing by, the colors of a transitioning sky, and the smell of our Earth. Reading this reminded me of my own experiences of watching Arizonian night skies or driving through the early morning fog of an empty road. By reading this, I was taken back to what it feels like to witness such surrealistic views. I find it interesting how this writing piece was able to strike a chord with my own self in that way. In addition to my response created by this short essay, I found “Dreads” by Alice Walker to also provoke my senses similarly. For example, on page 232, Walker talks about the awe that she feels while observing dreadlocks up close. She describes the fine details of how “sunlight was caught in each kink and crinkle” and was amazed by how leaving it “to itself, [their] hair would do this.” Her appreciation for natural beauty and how it captivates her is something that I feel I can relate to. Together, both Walker’s and Saner’s use of imagery significantly enhance the picture and the feeling of what it is that they are describing.
ReplyDeleteKimberly Cervantes
I’ve never experienced migraines before in my life, only heard of them until one week last year I suffered the most intense frontal lobe headache of my life. To this day that week of engorging head pain will still leave me with more questions than answers. Was it a migraine? Was it a virus?
ReplyDeleteJoan Didion states her symptoms and remedies and reveals when the pain is lifting away, “ For when the pain recedes, ten or twelve hours later, everything goes with it, all the hidden resentments, all the vain anxieties.” (Starkey 223) I felt like a medical patient reading from the wiser for information that could help me find closure in my alien attack encounter of the brain. What I’m going to say next will seem like a dramatic stretch, but when I was experiencing that one week of continuous headaches, fatigue, nausea, unable to perform minimal tasks or communication just as she, I went to the hospital because the pain in my forehead was searing me to the breaking point. I took different tests, medicines, even an uncomfortable spinal tap of my lower lumbar spinal fluid to check for signs of anything that could’ve been the source of cause for pain not just seemingly in my head but aching throughout my body too. My “headache” (or as my hospital doctor so condescendingly said the word) was so unbearable to me I remember thinking in one desperate moment as crashing waves of torture in my brain began to make me cry, how shooting myself in the head would end my suffering and I wouldn’t have to endure it anymore.
So when Didion describes her ‘euphoria’ of release, I’ve never related more to how life’s other problems seem so small after encountering this kind of invisible trauma. My hospital doctors never found any precise cause but assumed my tremendous head pain and body aches/ fatigue to be the work of some kind of virus.
I do have to say I love creepy stories even in the slightest kind, so these were joy reads for me. I was thinking as Aimee Nezhukumatathil in her essay of The Witching Hour described her strange teacher-student moment about the aswang, that maybe her teacher was an aswang herself for acting so weird. Maybe her teacher had recognized the figure Aimee drew on her poster and snapped as a reflex due to some other linked familiarization.
I also thought it is true when Pico Iyer mentioned in his In the Dark story that, “Part of the excitement of being a foreigner in a place like Bali is that you can’t reduce the signs around you to an everyday familiar language.” When we travel to other cities, countries, we become the alien to discover a new world. The people we encounter in it can be even more of a mystery too. I believe in that eerie presence of magic good or bad, energy or “unseen currents” (Starkey 224) Some people might be more in touch with it too. I was a little unsettled by that woman’s actions, and maybe she really was a witch, but this is supposed to be non-fiction still, right? I wonder if weird unexplained life events that could be as spooky/ questionable as this could still be counted as non-fiction as it feels like it’s venturing into Twilight Zone territory at moments.
I personally am thrilled.
-Naissa J. Acosta