Assignment for Week 2
What is this story about?
The story is about a grandfather, but it is narrated by his grandson. The video begins with a story about how the grandfather and his father, the great grandfather, would go fishing rather than attending church on Sundays. The title “The Lunker” is in fact the fish in which the grandfathers caught together. However, after this nostalgic tale, it is told that each of these men suffered a nervous breakdown, including the grandson’s father as well. That last part of the video is the grandson pondering whether he too will suffer from a nervous breakdown and if he has passed something on to his own children.
What writing form carries the story (poem, essay, journalism, etc.)?
The writing used in the video is an essay from; the narrator speaks in detailed sentences.
What do you think about the quality of the writing/storytelling? What works? What doesn’t? Why?
I think the story is well told by the narrator; it includes vivid details that helped me imagine what was happening. However, I found it a little difficult to follow along with the terms he used for fishing, so the fishing scenes were harder to picture. Also, I think it is important that the narrator mentions that his grandfather always brought up this story with his own grandfather, for it signifies the significance of this single fishing day to the grandfather. This small detail in the writing led me to wonder if the grandfather always thought back to this memory when he began to suffer from a nervous breakdown.
What kind of visual elements are in the story (photos, video, etc.)?
The video has multiple photos and the sound effect of water running.
How many elements make up the story? How effective are these elements? Why?
At the start, there is the sound effect of water, and it helps the viewer imagine being at the waterside with the grandfathers. However, this is the only audio element, other than the narrator, used in the video. There is a total of 9 photos in the entire video. The first is displayed much like the one at the start of the video we watched in class; it is a closeup of the great grandfather before the shot gradually zooms out to show he is with the grandfather as a child. Then, there is another black and white picture of a small home; I immediately thought it must be the great grandfather’s house. This aided in imagining the grandfather’s childhood. Moreover, towards the end of the video, more photos are used—they are of the narrator and his own children. This creates a connection between the narrator and the viewer. Beforehand, I knew nothing of the narrator. The photos thus showed me what the narrator looks like and that he has two of his own daughters.
How well do the visual and sound elements in the story work with the prose/poem? What does each piece add to your experience as the audience for this story?
The sound elements are a great addition to the first part of the story. As previously mentioned, the sounds of water mentally put me at the scene with the grandfathers fishing. It also adds a sense of nostalgia because I too have gone fishing, and that sound of water running is familiar to me. Moreover, the black and white photos also add a sense of nostalgia; they connect well with the mention that the grandfather always told this fishing story to his grandson—black and white photos are like stories because we cannot all imagine the same thing, so the black and white leaves it up to our imagination.
Overall, what do you think of this story? Why?
Overall, I really liked this story. It is important to know who your family was before you and to remember their lives because if you don’t, who else will? And in the narrator’s case, it is important for him to remember the happy stories he was told by his grandfather because he should not solely focus on the troubles his grandfather experienced. I think the video illustrates this by starting with a nostalgic story before moving on to the fact that both the great grandfather and the grandfather suffered a nervous breakdown. Additionally, because the grandson began to ponder whether he too would suffer from one, I feel the video brings some awareness to mental illness and is indirectly encouraging others to be conscious of mental illness that runs in the family. Thus, I think the video was unexpectedly powerful.
