all over but the shoutin
9 September 2013
All Over but the Shoutin’
In the excerpt from the memoir All Over but the Shoutin’ , the author Rick Bragg highlights the moment when he paid a final visit to his father's deathbed. In the excerpt, Bragg briefly described his childhood, saying his father abandoned his wife and sons, and left them to beg, and scrap for food and money. He saw his father as a drunken monster, not caring for anyone but himself. Initially when Bragg arrived he was hesitant. He did not know the person his father had become and worried the person he still was. Bragg was perplex about the state of his father. His father was physically unrecognizable and was not the man he had remembered. Bragg thought his father would be young, dressed nice and cleaned up very well. This was not the case. Bragg described his father as “the walking dead”, damaged and poisoned. He was no longer the man and monster Bragg had despised. Instead, a brittle snake skin of a man. In the end Bragg left with three gifts; a rifle, case full of books from his father and a sense of somewhat forgiveness towards his father.
After reading All Over but the Shoutin’, there was a lack of acknowledgement father to son. Although his father was fragile, Bragg wanted so badly to question his manhood; make him feel the pain he once felt because of him. He wanted his father to say he was sorry and admit to his wrongdoings. Braggs needed his father to acknowledge his mistakes. I sensed Bragg knew a coward could and would never do so.
All Over but the Shoutin’
In the excerpt from the memoir All Over but the Shoutin’ , the author Rick Bragg highlights the moment when he paid a final visit to his father's deathbed. In the excerpt, Bragg briefly described his childhood, saying his father abandoned his wife and sons, and left them to beg, and scrap for food and money. He saw his father as a drunken monster, not caring for anyone but himself. Initially when Bragg arrived he was hesitant. He did not know the person his father had become and worried the person he still was. Bragg was perplex about the state of his father. His father was physically unrecognizable and was not the man he had remembered. Bragg thought his father would be young, dressed nice and cleaned up very well. This was not the case. Bragg described his father as “the walking dead”, damaged and poisoned. He was no longer the man and monster Bragg had despised. Instead, a brittle snake skin of a man. In the end Bragg left with three gifts; a rifle, case full of books from his father and a sense of somewhat forgiveness towards his father.
After reading All Over but the Shoutin’, there was a lack of acknowledgement father to son. Although his father was fragile, Bragg wanted so badly to question his manhood; make him feel the pain he once felt because of him. He wanted his father to say he was sorry and admit to his wrongdoings. Braggs needed his father to acknowledge his mistakes. I sensed Bragg knew a coward could and would never do so.