Sunday, February 3, 2013

Critique of Alex’s “Whoever Claims it Hardest, Remembers it most obsessively”



Your story provides a rather enlightening look at the nature of memory.  The speaker provides a list of ten of her most vivid memories.  They pertain to different epochs of her life, arranged by their degree of impression on her. While they may not seem especially profound to the average person, the memories reveal subtle moments of personal discovery for the speaker, all recollecting experiences in a modest bathroom.  The sensory detail interlaced into the piece is very creative and amusing.

There is not an extreme shift in language within the text, even when reciting memories from early youth.  The text does, however, alternate between centered poetic verse and the list of memories.  The list is merely a catalogue or collage of memories, while surrounding verse offers philosophical reflections on memory in general.  I found the last paragraph the most intriguing because it approaches memory as a portal into the past, comparing it with the enchanted doorways to alternate universes in fantasy stories.  The final line, “No one pukes there,” demonstrates that the narrator would prefer real memory over a rabbit hole because memory often reminds people of the struggles or uncomfortable moments they had to endure and overcome to get to the present.

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