The flow of energy in Carolyn Forche's “The Colonel” is subtle yet still present within the ever-changing flow of the short story. “The Colonel” is about the average household life of the Colonel who does a not so average thing after dinner by dumping a grocery bag full of human ears onto the dinner table. The overall pace of the story was perfect for allowing the reader to get a glimpse into the average life of the Colonel and then allow said reader to experience the rest of the story. Before reading the article I thought that it would be about a man in the military doing heroic deeds, not something as grotesque as collecting human ears. The energy swiftly changed in the small leap of time when the ears were brought to the table despite the
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The specifically of the Colonel’s actions and the verbs used greatly aid in intensifying the energy felt while reading this passage, while also revealing the Colonel’s emotion. However, great use of the things that make energy sizzle and crackle in a story such as leaping and good writing won’t matter if the subject at hand is not one that that reader finds interest in or sees as relatable to his or her life.
The main subject matter or topic in a story can normally be gleaned from the title of the story. In this case, the Colonel and what he does with the ears is the main subject matter by the end of the short tale. This is evidently seen in the following excerpt from the ending of ‘The Colonel’.
“Something for your poetry, no? he said. Some of the ears on the floor caught this scrap of his voice. Some of the ears on the floor were pressed to the ground.”
The energy that is transpired when the Colonel stops speaking and the ears ‘react’ to his voice is evident in the sense of closure that is evoked in the above passage. Therefore based on the evidence compiled, the three principles of energy were expertly used in creating this wonderful, saddening, yet surprisingly short
The specifically of the Colonel’s actions and the verbs used greatly aid in intensifying the energy felt while reading this passage, while also revealing the Colonel’s emotion. However, great use of the things that make energy sizzle and crackle in a story such as leaping and good writing won’t matter if the subject at hand is not one that that reader finds interest in or sees as relatable to his or her life.
The main subject matter or topic in a story can normally be gleaned from the title of the story. In this case, the Colonel and what he does with the ears is the main subject matter by the end of the short tale. This is evidently seen in the following excerpt from the ending of ‘The Colonel’.
“Something for your poetry, no? he said. Some of the ears on the floor caught this scrap of his voice. Some of the ears on the floor were pressed to the ground.”
The energy that is transpired when the Colonel stops speaking and the ears ‘react’ to his voice is evident in the sense of closure that is evoked in the above passage. Therefore based on the evidence compiled, the three principles of energy were expertly used in creating this wonderful, saddening, yet surprisingly short