COMMENT:
"A picture is worth a thousand words." Yet, there are times when words are more powerful than pictures (careful here: PICTURE as in a still, not a "moving picture" i.e. film).
How hard was it to read the narration of Gerermio's death? Did you read it over, in fascinated horror, of you couldn't bear to be reminded?
REPLY: choose a comment that add significantly to your understanding of your own reactions when you first read the scene.
I certainly agree with the notion of words holding more power than that of images. Text has the ability to lead the reader in without giving them the whole picture, instead providing them room to construct the scene using their own unique perspective and imagination. Whereas an image essentially gives you the scene, words force you to conjure up the deepest and darkest images you can find in the recesses of your mind, making it all that much more powerful.
ReplyDeleteReading the description of Geremio's death was no easy task. As someone who has seen way too many horror movies, I subconsciously applied my own twists to the gory images already provided by Di Donato, which created a picture too strong for me to continue reading. It certainly did fascinate me, in that the author was able to gauge this kind of reaction from me, the reader, in just a couple of pages of description. The opening scene stayed with me as I read through the book, further evidencing its power through words.
Hey Brandon,
DeleteI gather you have a very vivid imagination, and I think that is really cool that you could add your own twist to the event of Geremio's death. I wonder if you would have had such a difficulty reading it, if your subconscious hadn't gone into auto pilot and created a gruesome picture before you got through the text.
I absolutely agree that there are times when words are more powerful than pictures. Words (especially in novels/books) give US to interpret and imagine the scene the way that we would like to imagine it. There have been many times when I have read a book and when it later gets turned into a movie I usually feel disappointed viewing the most important scenes. We all have a separate sense of imagination and sometimes words can unite a common sensation for us as readers.
ReplyDeleteI would say that reading Geremio’s death was somewhat hard for me to read, not only because it was brutal, but it was also so sudden. I did re-read the pages multiple times in order to really imagine how and why the accident occurred. The death of Geremio impacted me and the way I interpreted the rest of the book.
I agree about the suddenness of the scene. One moment you are deciphering the complicated writings of the text, and the next you are faced with a detailed description of a man's slow and painful death. It came quite unexpected.
DeleteI feel as if pictures definitely are worth a thousand words, sometimes more than words are. It is easier to pick apart a picture that has many details in it than a sentence or description where you can be getting different meanings each time you read it. As for Geremio's death, I think Di Donato did a fantastic job describing the last gruesome moments of Geremio's life. Yes it was really hard to read, but I feel as if it would have left a bigger impression on me if I was able to see his face in a still picture at his last moments.
ReplyDeleteHey Nina,
DeleteI think that your answer is very interesting, in that you would have taken more away from the scene of Geremio's death if it were presented through a picture as opposed to words. I felt the opposite, as I like to add my own mental visuals to materials and interpretation for me is everything , but I can definitely understand your angle of gathering details from an image.
i agree with you, the author did really good job describing the picture.
DeleteI agree with Nina in that the book left a bigger impression on the reader. It was a hard scene to read because it was very gruesome. After reading the scene multiple times, you understand another detail that you did not notice before.
DeleteI personally had difficulty reading Geremio's death. I read slowly but could not visualize most of the descriptive scene of the event. I have a strong passion for reading, but I am more of a visual learner, so images tend to help me understand things more than words. Like Nina, I would has felt a stronger connection with this scene if I saw a visual picture of either Geremio's lost teeth from biting the wood, or his last breathe.
ReplyDeleteI this that it is true that words have more power than one image. Reading Geremio’s death was very hard. Again because of flow emotions, word in this new way of writing for me, I read that part over and over. Once I break out the text for me then I could imagine what was happening. Truly authors words were describing more than any picture could describe. During the reading I could imagine very step and every breathe that Geremio was taking.
ReplyDeleteGeremio’s death was very upsetting to read and it saddened me very much. It was very descriptive in exactly what he was thinking and his final plea for help. The saddest part was when he thought about his 8 children and his wife Annunziata. Geremio was dying and the reason that he wanted to live was to provide for his family and buy the house that they have always dreamed of.
ReplyDeleteI had to read the death scene a couple of times just to understand exactly how his death relates to the title of the book. I also made an image in my head that depicted Geremio’s gruesome death. A picture alone would not be able to capture the wholesome of his death. That is why words were better able to describe Geremio’s death so we can picture the scene and feel sorrow.
I agree Reham, I too kept thinking about his family and I was so sad to see this accident end his life. Just a few hours prior to that, we saw him and his men counting down the hours till they went home and ate with their families.
DeleteAs mentioned in my comment, I also agree that it was very sad to read Geremio thinking about his family before his death. He must have been well aware that his family would not be able to live a normal life without him.
DeleteI very much agree that there are times where words can be more powerful than a picture, just like words that are said can never be taken back, those whom heard them, can never stop hearing them. When reading the part of the book of Geremio's death, I was in disbelief. When I begun to read it, it was hard. As I kept reading the description of how he was positioned, and left after the collapse although I was in shock and disappointed at the unexpected event, I could say I was fascinated by how detailed Pietro Di Dinato was, to the point where I felt clustered when he described Geremio being drowned in cement.
ReplyDeleteHi Katharina,
DeleteI completely relate to how you felt clustered when Di Donato was describing Geremio being drowned in cement. I felt this way myself, Its fascinating how this scene could make me feel a physical response as well as an emotional one.
I was definitely not prepared for the amount of description that went into Geremio's death scene. It was very detailed and at times, I found myself wincing at the horror of it all. The idea of being buried alive was just too much to think about. The talk and anticipation of Good Friday and the men's desire to go home was what I kept thinking about. I couldn't believe that Geremio was dying.
ReplyDeleteReading how detailed and graphic this scene proved to be was definitely difficult, but i found myself reading to over just due to the sheer shock of not fully grasping what had happened the first time i read it. In this case, words definitely proved to be more significant than any picture could have depicted this scene. You don't read first person narrations of someone who is falling to their death, so that was definitely intense and different.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't go back after reading about Geromio's death. I read it in detail a few times for the first assignment, but didn't reread it after that. It's one thing to see a picture depicting unpleasant themes, but it's another to be forced to use your vivid imagination and paint the picture yourself. The one you paint will always end up being the most horrific, and that can be one of the most unpleasant experiences which tap into your inner fears.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it was hard to read the narration of Geremio’s death. It was hard to read due to the fact that it was so detailed. The way Pietro di Donato detailed the words of the scene left a very strong image in my head. I felt as if I was watching Geremio’s death in person. Besides from the gruesome detail, it was also sad to read how Geremio was mentioning his family moments before his death. He was well aware that his family would struggle mightily without him being there to help them.
ReplyDelete