I really liked Eileen Myles’ “An American Poem”
audio clip because of how honest and transparent it was. I feel that we truly
got to see and understand a part of her, we got to hear about her deep
insecurities (her accent, her sexuality, her family history) and we got to
understand her on a deeper level. That is powerful to me, and stories like that
have more of an effect on me personally. For my story, I want to emulate what
Eileen did by also opening myself up and sharing a story from my personal life
that allows me to feel transparent and exposed as well. I think I am going to
write about the theme of being “frozen in fear” by sharing about an incident
that happened this summer where my friends and I had a gun pointed at us on the
streets of Los Angeles. No one got hurt or anything, but it was a moment that I
think about a lot because of the reaction I had to it. Like Eileen said in “An
American Poem” that “we are all Kennedys” I think that she is saying that we
all have certain insecurities, certain moments we don’t like to talk about,
that are hidden behind our perfect façade that we put on for the outside world.
But allowing that façade to break down, and sharing a part of yourself through
the art of storytelling can be extremely powerful for yourself and for others,
because I believe there is power in vulnerability.
I also really liked this poem. I thought Myles was sort of opening up to her readers and laying everything out in the open. Her opening up in the first few lines really paved the way for the rest of the poem. It allowed the reader into her life, as she revealed some very personal things about her not normally shared with strangers. I think trying to emulate this poem in a way is an excellent idea. I too believe making yourself vulnerable through storytelling can potentially make for a very good story.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a wonderful idea to open up about something and make yourself more transparent. I think the concept of being frozen in fear is incredibly prevalent in today's society, and I think many of us will be able to connect with you on a deeper level as a result of this. Also the fact that you have the courage to write about something that would be so traumatizing to many, really shows your strength as a writer, and as a human being. Myles does a great job of portraying her emotions to the viewer, without having them get lost because of it, and I think if you can replicate this same emotion you will have a fantastic story.
ReplyDeleteI can also relate to the power I felt in this poem. Because of the personal nature I felt a connection to what she was saying, even though I did not have the same experiences. I believe your story could invoke similar feelings because of how intense of a situation it was! That is not something I have ever experienced, but I really look forward to how you present that in a story. This idea of breaking down the front you show the world truly can make other people feel inspired to break their own walls. Sounds like a powerful story!
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