War is best understood when told through the form of a story. Storytelling is more important to veterans than most people would think. There is a sense of relief that releases when being able to get something off your chest. War is a difficult concept to grasp, but with the help of a story the reader will comprehend it in a way that will touch them on a more personal level. When a veteran shares his or her story from war there is some truth to it, however it may not all be true. The reason for this is so the listener of the story will gain the best experience from hearing the story. The reader gets to determine what's true and what is not based on their emotions and connections to specific pieces in a story. In class we talked about a man named heather, and how he comforted people with his ability to be a good listener and acknowledge what that person may be going through. War can turn someone's world upside down, from the experiences they have encountered with friends who have died, or maybe a severe injury themself. With a simple story a person who has been to war can have the chance to teach others about how they felt and what they went through. By doing this it lets them accept what happened and say it’s going to be ok. In the image the words are placed on a slant, not in a perfect like to exemplify that stories from war aren't clean, they are often messy. I have created a question and response between a daughter and father in the abstract image above. The father has gone off to war for 2 years and comes home with an amputated arm. In the image the words are placed on a slant, not in a perfect like to exemplify that stories from war aren't clean, they are often messy.The daughter does not understand what happened to his arm. She is young and has a hard time comprehending how someone could lose an arm. The father begins to tell her a story of how he lost his arm- now this story has little to no truth in it, however the daughter believes every piece of it. She comes out of the story smiling because she thinks her dad is the coolest man in the whole world for missing an arm. What he did tell her? We'll never know. But the story wasn’t for us or for him. It was for his daughter, and what she took out of it. Not only does the father feel a relief in pressure that his daughter still loves and accepts him, but she looks up to him like she never has before. That’s the real power of storytelling right there.
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ReplyDeleteI like how you went in depth in explaining how storytelling best conveys the truths of war. As we talked about in class, the contrast of the story truth versus the happening truth is that the happening truth is used to show the reader what it felt like in the real truth. I like how in your visual you gave a great example of how the real importance of storytelling is to aid the teller. Experiencing and trying to cope with war is an extremely difficult task, and storytelling is definitely a method to assist that process.
ReplyDeleteI agree that War is better told through stories. Being able to get something off your chest by telling people what happened with your own twists and beliefs often can help people deal with traumatic events. Reminiscing not only on the hard times but also on the good times one had can make us think of memories that we can cherish. The idea of the girl looking at her father a completely different way than she used to proves that one can help build relationships and bonding if you trust one enough to let them hear your story. Sharing your story is a much more effective way of handling your experience than bottling up all your thoughts. People who never get the chance to share their thoughts feel the most alone.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more the story is not for the one telling it, but for the listener. They are the one that will truly gain something from listening to the story, not the person telling it. They have lived it and already experienced and learned from that situation what they will. I love how you explain that the truth is the story itself,but the feelings that one feels after hearing the story. Those are the feelings that the storyteller felt and wanted to portray and if the reader does not feel that by the end then the story did not mean anything. The reader will get to believe what they want to and use it to come up with their own understanding of the situation. The real power of storytelling was a wonderful way to end the statement, showing the true importance of the story and the actual importance of telling a story in general. I feel that letting the reader decide what is true and what is not is a ingenious way allowing them to benefit in the best way for them. Super job!!!
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