Response to a handful of dates
I enjoyed reading the story a handful of dates I found the story very interesting. The story of the experience of a young boy growing up in rural Sudan I have gotten the opportunity to see a life and a culture entirely different from my own. The themes in the story make for a very interesting picture and feel that I find is very authentic. I was left at the end wondering if it was a memoir rather than a fictional account.
The very vivid account of the desert, the Nile and the colorful characters made for a very interesting account of a world dissimilar to my own. It is filled with a certain warmth that is not only described physically in the hot Sudanese sun but mentally through the grandfather an the other characters through the eyes of a child. It is also apparent of a sense of community and closeness that is almost unheard of in western society. All in all this makes for a wonderful escape story that can paint a very vivid mental imagery. For a person who has never been to Africa it is a wonderful escapist story.
The setting also complements the story well as it permits the author to have a certain symbolism that enriches the story with feeling and compels the reader to feel as the narrator (and by extension the author) intends. This feeling is the core of the artistic enjoyment of a text and this short story really helps prove this. The boys emotions, the root of the story are propelled by the settings immersive atmosphere.
I personally recommend reading the story simply to hear a tale of a time and a land far away and see the life of a person who's culture and upbringing is completely perpendicular to my own.
Second sentence: missing "through" (as in: Through reading the story, I was...).
ReplyDeleteI liked the imagery you used here. Make sure to couple this with particular imagery from the story (the date palms, the river; paraphrase or use quotes).
In what way does the setting propel the boy's emotions?
Although this may be a story set in a place that is unfamiliar, are not the themes similar to ones you've experienced? (Growing up/gaining experience; encroaching industrialization, family disputes).
You have such great insights when we read--try not to lose your great ideas in wordiness. George Orwell gave some advice on this subject: "Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out always cut it out."
It is important to be precise, and to use evidence.
Overall, another interesting response.
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I still have not received your score.
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