Writing Style In Richard Hugo's The Triggering Town

In reading Richard Hugo’s “The Triggering Town” it was as if I was literally sitting in a room with him discussing the different aspects of writing poetry, over a glass of wine. Hugo uses a conversational style of writing to inform his reader of the “triggering” concept. His informal method of voicing his concerns is presented in a candid and frank manner, often sprinkled with profanity for emphasis. He explores the formal aspects of writing in an informal manner to entice the young poets of today. The only expectation of Hugo’s ‘triggering’ concept is—to thine own self be true. For the most part, the book’s target audience is today’s youth. Although Hugo does refer, from time to time, to experiences by using second person pronouns like the word “you” which could denote any age. He also reflects on prior time periods, using phrases like “us.” In the fourth chapter, he acknowledges the writing skills of today’s youth as “far better writers.” Hugo expresses the need to shift from traditional styles of writing. Styles of writing that is independent of the influence of another. The author emphasizes the use of language based on individual observations created from personal perspective as the key to becoming a poet. He terms these observations from personal experiences, obsessions.
Hugo offers balance in the creation of individual …show more content…
It became apparent the author’s tour of duty in Italy did have some influence. Hugo attempts to understand how his past experience impacted his emotion and desire to write a specific poem. The author’s return to his past as an officer in a war torn country emphasizes the impact on our life experiences, past and present, on writing. Hugo reflects this theory about the poems written during his military service in Italy, a country he returned to visit in later