Time Indefinite and documenting the lives of loved ones

When I consider the film Time Indefinite in light of our recent discussion in class, I am drawn to the fact that Ross McElwee's family doesn't quite understand his art. It brings up the idea of how non-fiction storyteller (whether it be a writer or a film maker) addresses the most important people in their life without offending anyone. Of course, I believe this is pretty much impossible. Your recollection, and portrayal of an event or events you have shared with someone are not going to be identical. Details will be argued about and the picture you paint will be questioned. I think this is unavoidable.

It is they duty of a non-fiction narrator to show the reader or viewer how it was. Sometimes this means portraying something with words that describe a feeling rather than a concrete event. If you simply tell someone a sequence of events they have no idea what happened. In class we are always asking for more about what significance the event had. Why they are choosing to waste the words to say it. There's always a reason. We strive to get that reason across. Of course, perspective on the why of events is always blurry.

I feel as if non-storytellers don't understand this. This may be why McElwee's family doesnt understand his life as a filmmaker. He chose art, while he could have been a doctor like his family wanted. The mind of an artist tends to think conceptually while doctors think in facts. The edges of experience may not be so blurry for them. It's hard to know for sure, but I imagine this is the case.

The important thing to remember, is they still ask him to come back year after year. Consider him, as well as other non-fiction storytellers. It is impossible not to ruffle the feathers of anyone in your writing if you want to be truly honest. Of course, it doesn't make it any easier to write about things that may upset people you love. I personally think these are the most important stories to tell, however. I think it's essential to write these stories because it's when your best writing comes through. Whether you share them with an audience, or the people in them, is another question. There are definately consequences for telling the truth. That's why it's harder than lying. It's also why creative nonfiction is especially challanging.

Response to Brevity

I really enjoy the shortness of every one of these pieces, and know every word was carefully chosen to have an exact meaning. This is really hard to do, and for this reason I think all of these pieces are even more of an accomplishment than other non-fiction. I appreciate precision language from my journalism experience.



The essay that stood out the most to me is Swerve. It was packed full of tension. Every sentence about hitting a piece of wood was loaded with veiled deeper statements. It had a sense of mystery, but at the same time you knew exactly what was being said. It was about regret, and the fact that one decision can often change everything. There were really no consquences for hitting that piece of wood, but it isn't about one event. Everything they passed earlier on that road, including the piece of wood, is still a part of their journey down that road. In this essay it lasts moments, but you get the sense that it will be there forever.



I was also struck by the essay In Case of Emergency. The entire essay is based around a vase. A vase that is a symbol of a relationship that is gone. Papa gave her the tools to destroy it. This is something she had never done before, but needs to do. It's a transition from being numb to taking action. To destroying the part of her life that in a way destroyed her. I loved the last line because it leaves the reader with the question we always have: "What now?" It hits hard here because she finally destroys the vase, but this accomplishment doesn't bring her any peace. It's just the beginning. I like that this situation of hers is considered an emergency, but not the kind of emergency that she imagined she would ever use a hammer for. It brings urgency to the situation.

I love this line: "Her next blow hits home, shattering the vase with a sound that makes the child inside her scramble to come up with the right words to follow I didn’t do it!" This image put me in the moment as a reader. It made me immediately feel the feeling she describes. I thought this essay did the best job of revolving a larger topic around a small item. It was very esay to take the mental journey with the author.

The Essay as Genre (and what I think it really is)

The Essay as Genre demonstrates a lot of truths about the essaying process. For example, I enjoyed the concept of essay fresh because "there are more books about books than any other subject" (2) which is interesting because it seems easier to engage a reader through experiential evidence than academic research.

I also liked the idea that the only organization of an essay is the concept of self. An essay needs no formal doctine to work within-- it is what it is as long as it's relatable to other people. It's not exact truth, it's "knowledge of the moment" (8). It's legitimate as long as it's authentic, true, real, honest, etc.

One thought I do not agree with is that the essayist should be disinterested. In the essay this refers to not being tied down by a trade or profession. However, I think essayists are most efficient when they have a focus. This lets them explore a cerain area from different angels and leads them to a deeper understanding of self and how to portray this self on the page.

This ties in with the idea of essayist as "combiner". The essayist has the ability to string together experience to make it relevant. If the essayist has feredom to write about whatever they want it will be more vibrant. It will be about what makes them tick, or whatever is bothering them. It helps them come alive on the page. I think the most important aspect of the essay writing after truth is freedom. Of course, it is also up to the writer to be motivated enough to work within the freedom. Finding time is always a challange.

Man on Wire

Man on Wire was one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. The story had everything: love, trust, friendship, adventure, fear, etc. I'm still in awe of seeing this man walk inbetween the World Trade Centers partially because it's an amazing feat, and partially because these landmarks build to represent world communication are gone.

I recently went to New York City and visited Ground Zero. It was strange to me to see the intial construction of these towers because what I saw a few months ago is also construction, but of a new monument. It made me imagine that space with these towers, and it also made me consider how big the void it left it in the city.

I thought the film did a good job of illustrating not only the dream to walk on air, but how each person in the process was involved. They were each characterized so thoroughly that I feel it was a story about the crew too. I really enjoyed that fact.

In general, it was a film about dreams and what happens when they are fulfilled. I also found it interesting that once this mission was accomplished each member in a sense went their own way. They had reached a high point, and they said it was beautiful to leave it that way. Always to be remembered. It was time to move on to a new dream, a new life.