The Visible World discussion

While beginning to read Mark Slouka's The Visible World, I could not help but notice the beautiful art and craft of Slouka's storytelling. He tells us stories of his mother and father when they were young, as well as stories of when he was a young boy himself. We can look at these stories and see them only as they appear to us on the page; old memories and moments, but if we look close enough Slouka is telling us these stories for a reason. He is trying to get a point across to us about a particular person, place, or significance of a moment.
A particular example of how Slouka portrays this is when his father tells him the story of how Mark's mother got, and soon after lost, her first dog. The story of Mark's mother going after and trying to find her dog could be remembered just as a childhood tale, but it was meant to mean more. Slouka writes, "He had only told me this story about my mother and her dog because, he said, he wanted me to know something about my mother" (50). Later on towards the end of this chapter, the story is brought up to Mark agian, 25 years later by friends of his parents. Although the ending to the story is altered, they still agreed, "the story said something about her character. How strong she was" (53). A lot of the time we tell stories about someone to make others realize something they hadn't before about that person. To make others see, feel, and believe something they hadn't before. A lot of the time we tell stories to make an impact on others.

Which brings me to what I would like you all to do...think of a story that has been told to you, or one that you have told to others, that has been told for the purpose of trying to make others understand a particular person or situation better. It can be a story that has been altered and changed over time, one that is fairly new, one from childhoodm, etc.... Any story you would like to tell that tells us something of a person, or even yourself, that we wouldn't have known otherwise. A story that shows somebody's character.

Hope you're all enjoying the reading on this snowy, windy, and cold day. It's the perfect day to curl up, read, and reminisice back on stories we've heard and told throughout the years.