The Farming Of Bones Analysis
In The Farming of Bones, Edwidge Danticat uses a unique point of view to place the reader into the story through the use of ‘you’ and common senses. By using the trigger word ‘you’, Danticat helps the reader connect to the story in two ways: emotionally and physically by describing common senses or feelings that one can relate to in their own life.
Emotions are experienced by everyone on a daily basis in various degrees, depending how sensitive a person is. “At first you are afraid to step into the waterfall…” (150) is the best example from this passage of the usage of emotion to place the reader into the story. Fear is a common emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their life. Using a commonly felt emotion, such as fear, gives
the reader more of a personalized image of the story since they can relate how they feel when afraid to the point of view in the story. Another good example is “this curiosity of nature that makes you want to celebrate yourself…” (150). Everyone at some point in their life has had to celebrate themselves somehow, through a graduation party or a birthday. The feeling of celebration is a common and universal feeling in all cultures. Using emotions to trigger a connection between the reader and the point of view, the reader can then relate on a more personal level with the physical senses.
The five senses teach us about our world and are easily remembered by anyone and everyone who experiences them. Everyone experiences senses in different ways, just like they do with emotions. An example from the passage of the senses being used to integrate the reader into the story is “You hear no crickets, no hummingbirds, no pigeons. All you hear is water sliding off the ledge and crashing into a foamy white spray…” (150). This uses the sense of hearing in a descriptive way since most people have heard at least one of those in their lifetime and remember those sounds. Each person remembers a sound differently and associates different things with the sound, so a person can more properly relate to and remember the sound.
Danticat takes advantage of people’s personal experiences and feelings to help the reader feel more like they are apart of the story. Triggering a personal response by using ‘you’ makes the reader think of things in their own perspective, which completes the personalization of the story for the reader.
Emotions are experienced by everyone on a daily basis in various degrees, depending how sensitive a person is. “At first you are afraid to step into the waterfall…” (150) is the best example from this passage of the usage of emotion to place the reader into the story. Fear is a common emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their life. Using a commonly felt emotion, such as fear, gives
the reader more of a personalized image of the story since they can relate how they feel when afraid to the point of view in the story. Another good example is “this curiosity of nature that makes you want to celebrate yourself…” (150). Everyone at some point in their life has had to celebrate themselves somehow, through a graduation party or a birthday. The feeling of celebration is a common and universal feeling in all cultures. Using emotions to trigger a connection between the reader and the point of view, the reader can then relate on a more personal level with the physical senses.
The five senses teach us about our world and are easily remembered by anyone and everyone who experiences them. Everyone experiences senses in different ways, just like they do with emotions. An example from the passage of the senses being used to integrate the reader into the story is “You hear no crickets, no hummingbirds, no pigeons. All you hear is water sliding off the ledge and crashing into a foamy white spray…” (150). This uses the sense of hearing in a descriptive way since most people have heard at least one of those in their lifetime and remember those sounds. Each person remembers a sound differently and associates different things with the sound, so a person can more properly relate to and remember the sound.
Danticat takes advantage of people’s personal experiences and feelings to help the reader feel more like they are apart of the story. Triggering a personal response by using ‘you’ makes the reader think of things in their own perspective, which completes the personalization of the story for the reader.