Discusion Board 3-1
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Southern New Hampshire University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
510
Subject
English
Date
Nov 24, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by lemon1991
Tatiana Omari
English 510
Professor McDermott
10/02/2023
Discussion 3-1 Narrative Structure
Erasing Amyloo
In the poem “ Erasing Amyloo” by Russel Edson, dialogue is used to present the crisis, conflict,
and resoultion. The crisis begins when the husband erases Amyloo. As a reader, we experience
the grief of this action through her mother who is continuously asking about her. This sparks
tension between her and her husband who becomes annoyed by her constant questioning.
“What about all her lovely things? Asks his wife,
“I’ll erase them too”
“All her pretty clothes?”
“I’ll erase her closet, her dresser- shut up about Amyloo” (Edson).
This questioning becomes builds into a conflict as it becomes an issue for the husband, one that
he thinks can be remedied by erasing Amyloo from the mind of his wife.
Bring your head over here and I’ll erase Amyloo out of it. The
husband rubs his eraser on his wife’s forehead, and as she begins
to forget she says, hmmm, I wonder whatever happened to
Amyloo?... (Edson)”
It becomes apparent that even in this action, the wife still remembers Amyloo. Even in her loss
of memory like she still feels the loss of her daughter. This can be seen as the resolution of the
story as it indicates that the husband erased too much, and his wife is beginning to forget him
too. Which is highlighted by her questioning him if he was Amyloo. Concluding with the wife
dealing with the fact that she didn’t know anything at all.
And you, she says, who are you? You're not Amyloo, are you? I
don't remember your being Amyloo. Are you my Amyloo, whom I
don't remember anymore? . . .
Of course not, Amyloo was a girl. Do I look like a girl?
. . . I don't know, I don't know what anything looks like
anymore. . .(Edson)
This Moment
In the story “This Moment” By Adriana Paramo. We are also experiencing the grief of a mother
after her daughter’s attempted suicide. We are introduced to the conflict, crisis, and resolution
through inner dialogue, and inner thoughts. The crisis arises with the mother needing to bring her
daughter to the hospital following this attempt. The mother express pain, grief, sadness, and
confusion. This becomes more apparent with the questions being asked via the social worker.
“One month before my daughter turns sixteen, I stand by the
hospital bed, look her in the eye, and ask why. She stares blankly at
the ceiling, fidgets with the D-rings on her oversized cargo pants,
while the social worker questions me about our family life. Where
is her father? Is there violence at home? Any history of drug or
alcohol use? Where did she get one hundred ibuprofen? (Paramo,
2014).”
The questions being asked by the social worker cause the mother to ask questions about her
parenting. She starts to question what type of mother she is, what kind of life she is providing to
her daughter, is there something she did that caused this outcome. The action of the social worker
is also something that’s affecting her inner thoughts. This can be seen as the conflict as the
mother is inwardly battling with herself.
“It occurs to me that if I tell the social worker how beautiful our
home by the water is, with its balcony overlooking a lake, the
cathedral ceilings and the vast backyard, everything would be fine.
But the woman is impatient; she taps her pen on the clipboard, and
the lovely feeling is gone. My thoughts scatter, senselessly. What if
this is happening because we live in the wrong house? What if we
had bought the house in Auburndale instead of this one? (Paramo,
2014).”
The resolution of this story happens when the daughter is placed on suicide watch. The mother is
confronted with feelings of not knowing what to do or how to feel. She struggles with the feeling
of being responsible and she also feels like helping her daughter is something that she is
supposed to do as a mother.
“I’m supposed to say something reassuring, something magical,
something important. (Paramo,2014)
Put us into solitary confinement together. Beat us and starve us and
do not let up until I put her pieces back together. Until she is
whole, finally or again. (Paramo,2014)
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
The mother experiences a pain that is unbearable, she’s angry, she’s becoming unwell herself,
she wants to do more in a situation that feels helpless. As she falls to the middle of the street
watching her daughter get taken away. She shifts her focus to the rock underneath her that’s
causing her physical pain.
“The van signals a right turn, slows down, then disappears around
the corner, leaving me behind in the middle of the street, on my
knees. I stay there feeling a sharp rock under my left shin. And I
cry. Not for my daughter over whom I have lost complete control,
but for the manageable thing. This pain is digging into my flesh.
Paramo, 2014).”
Work Cited
Russell Edson, the Prose Poet
. www.webdelsol.com/LITARTS/edson/re-8.htm.
This Moment | Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction
.
brevitymag.com/nonfiction/this-moment.