Speechless. Perhaps that is the best way to describe how I felt after I finished reading Annie Dillard's "Seeing". Confused and dazed I made my way through her stupendously written essay, without knowing the significance or motif of it. Certainly not my style of reading, but she did make me realize how oblivious we are about the things that surround us because we take them for granted. I found it fascinating all the studies she incorporated into the essay about the surgical procedures Dr. Von Senden performed on blind-from-brith patients and the consequences after performing them. I certainly did not expect to see such drastic reactions like wanting to be blind again or even suicidal contemplations. Yes, such big lifestyle change can be overwhelming, but I never expected it to be to that extreme.
Although I struggled comprehending Dillard's claim in "Seeing", I really did appreciate how descriptive she was, especially when she talked about her adventures at Tinker Creek. Her lively descriptions of her interactions with nature make the reader feel like he/she is actually in the scene along with Dillard. In my opinion, she over used her encounters at Tinker Creek, but her excellent way to describe the things she saw made the story not dull. This just goes to show the importance of getting the reader involved in the essay by successfully describing what is occurring in it. It stimulates the brain and makes it easier to read.
I agree that the author definitely over explained to draw the reader in and let them see into her own experiences, but you said you were "confused and dazed" at the same time. Do you think this author crossed over the point of drawing her readers in and instead drew away from her main points by giving so many details that her stories became drawn out and even boring?
ReplyDeleteI think it's an interesting style of writing. Annie Dillard takes a seemingly simple idea and transforms it into a lengthy and arduous piece of literature. She does however, make it worthwhile in the end with the resounding message she leaves for us. Hope you liked the read!
ReplyDeleteThats how I felt when I read this article, dazed and confused. The way Dillard wrote this is very descriptive and very in-depth. It sure does show how oblivious we are to the world around us. If we just opened our eyes and actually looked at everything around us, we will take in so much more.
ReplyDeleteI agree that her use of literary devices and detailed descriptions helped the reader put him or herself in the story. However, I think that her overuse of difficult vocabulary and inundation of similes, metaphors, and analogies did nothing but trouble the reader and put him or her off of reading it.
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