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.