With the introductory paragraph involving the almost obvious view of watching a simple television set, I thought she did a good job at writing simple, yet meaningful sentences. The subject of television rings with familiarity, but by saying things like “If dead people walked outside our windows we would be no more excited,” Davis brings a realistic point to life. Watching T.V. is a means of passing time, any almost anything else could happen and we would still remain stagnant. The use of the simple passages to describe the “science” of the television is humorous as well, bringing out the irony in technology. Irony may be one of the hardest aspects for me to incorporate in my writings, so reading this piece and possibly others by Davis may help my feel for a better sense of Irony.
The first paragraph on page 210 makes the narrator sound as if they believe that all of the television material is true, and that the narrator expects real emotion and cooperation to happen between the televisions characters and her family, such as the anchorman and her mother. This narration also characterizes just how silly people really are when watching reality television, a somewhat dumb irresistible coating the t.v. slathers it’s viewers with.
Davis’s language, although simple, stimulates the mind just enough to realize that she is making television sound just the way it really is, a sometimes stimulating, but always unnecessary object. Although they seem important in today’s lifestyle, we can do without, and this writing style helps tell the reader this by making each reference to the television seem at least somewhat dumb.
The reference to getting the next day’s weather is absolutely true, maybe it’s the urge to be able to tell your friends the next morning when they have no clue and you do. Then again, it was thanks to your television that you gained that knowledge.
Davis also writes in a way that makes the scene realistic and practical, as I sometimes wonder where the pictures are coming from in the T.V., and how amazing it is that they are traveling from around the world. Her words portray this feeling, something I also wish to strive for and work on in my future pieces.
It seems from your first two paragraphs that you see the story as more of a sociological commentary than a "story" about a person. Would you agree?
ReplyDeleteI think so. Her descriptions of watching the various shows in her story give me the impression of how she believes people react in reality when watching similar shows. Her points are good ones too, as I am a living example as well as my friends, of being someone who use the t.v. as a terrific way of passing time. I have to say I have never been a fan of reality television shows, it takes passing time to an entirely new level, and makes people watching t.v. seem interested in the most ridiculous of themes.
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