In the Hospital

There are many tools that a writer can use to strengthen the bond between a character and the reader. One of these, the most effective in my opinion, is the manipulation of syntax. You can make someone read a continuous flow of details and ideas, but that does not guarantee that there's going to be a budge in the reader's mind. A reason why I think that the manipulation of syntax is the better way to go is because it makes the reader change the way he reads. This not only provides the reader with a clear turning point in the story but also changes how the reader thinks and feels. Evoking feelings shows to be easier and more effective by changing how the story is being said as opposed to what is being said. I think this is due to how the physical text is the only link that the world created by the author has with the real world. Altering the syntax is like changing the blinds of a house's window. You are still looking into the same house but your perspective and what you conclude of it is different. You'll be seeing things that you might not have been able to see before while still being in the same place.

Runyon makes great use of this tool to show a drastic change in his memoir The Burn Journals when Brent is taken into the hospital after attempting to kill himself through a fire. The reader quickly realizes that something is wrong as the writing suddenly changes. What was once page after page of talking has become short phrases in each page. These short phrases are the faint ideas that Brent has in the hospital right after his suicide attempt. By having one thought per page, the reader shares Brent's confusion, fear and desperation. One has to piece information together to make sense of what is happening in the same way that Brent has to forming a link between reader and character. As the story advances and Brent starts recovering, the text starts forming into larger paragraphs while still being far from what it used to be. By making a parallel between Brent and the syntax, the reader can share Brent's feeling of recovery as the text recovers as well. However, one must not forget an important part of the previous portion of the book: the tone.

The tone is what defined Brent's character. Despite this being outshone by Brent's feelings
presented in the form of syntax, his feelings start calming down and glimpses of his character start popping up again. This shows how feelings can tear down one's character, and one must rise from the ashes (literally in this case). The recovery takes its time but we are finally able to see Brent thinking about girls again. However, a darker side of Brent's character is revealed as well during the recovery. Brent seems to be quite competitive in very sinister ways to the point where it could be considered a complex. It is not typical for a person who was close to death to see recovery as a kind of race where other patients are the other competitors. In this way, Brent proves that he is not a typical person by forming a type of race with Maggie, another patient who was in an accident in the same day as him. His reaction to his mother telling him that she is too sick for surgery is "That's good. I'm winning."(30). When Maggie gets off the respirator, Brent feels like he is obliged to get off the respirator to not be left behind. However, this race gets cut short before we can learn more about Brent as Maggie dies while still in the hospital.

Oh Middle School...

The mind is known for having a complete arsenal of ways in which to make one feel terrible. One of the most common ones is that of guilt. The mind has an ability to make one realize when one has really screwed up and pull one down based on this to the point where one just wishes that ground would open up and swallow you.

At first sight, it would seem that Brent from The Burn Journals is simply suffering from a rush of emotions, in this case guilt, that is common in teenagers his age. This seems logical as the story presents an action (the burning of matches and shirt in the locker) that greatly impacts and, in a way, haunts the main character. However, there seems to be a lot more to it that there seems.

In order to truly know what Brent's major conflict is, one must first understand the character. This proves to be difficult with the little information given at the beginning of the story since there are few facts. This forces us to look deeper into the writing and analyze the tone of Brent's narration. I found the Brent's tone to be immature and somewhat whiny, typical for teenagers his age. His tone actually reminded me of the tone of Holden in The Catcher in the Rye, a book that is mentioned in the text. However, I did find Brent a bit more childish than Holden as is shown when he says his interest in reading The Catcher in the Rye is "I like books about baseball"(6) and immediately switches to talking about girls. Despite this, there is more to Brent's character than simple immaturity.

Brent tells about how he used to be an incredible student but hated the people he had to be around with because of this. Now, Brent is a below average student who looks down on the life he used to live. This leaves a drastic change that certainly needs a reason. One idea that I have is that he lowered his grades in order to fit in. When Brent looks back at his gifted days, he complains about how he wasn't allowed to meet with many people, something he needed since he had just moved. This presents another possibility of a reason. Brent never goes into details into his life before moving possibly hiding something. Perhaps is could be something related to his father whom he mentions when Brent expects him to be somewhere but remembers that he is in a buisiness trip that he doesn't know the details of. This could be hiding a complicated relationship with his father or a particular event with his father that he is trying to block out of his mind. In anyway, there has to be a reason to his attempted suicides and love of wearing black and simply saying that he's in his awkward teen years is not enough.

Augustine Confessions Vocabulary

Bier – a movable frame on which a coffin or a corpse is placed before a burial or cremation or on which it is carried to the grave

Tepid- Only slightly warm

Bayed- Shout loudly, typically to demand something 

 Bemoan- express discontent or sorrow over something

Veneer- an attractive appearance that covers or disguises someone or something’s true nature or feelings 

Stultified- caused to lose enthusiasm and initiative

Repudiated- refused to accept or be associated with

Surmises- suppositions that something may be true, even though there is no evidence to confirm it

Contrition- the state of feeling remorseful and penitent

Obtrude- become noticeable in an unwelcome or intrusive way