Aura- pg.851
First Person:
“My head is spinning, overcome by the rhythms of that distant waltz, by the odor of damp, fragrant plants: I fall exhausted on the bed, touching my cheeks, my eyes, my nose, as if I were afraid that some invisible hand had ripped off the mask I’ve been wearing for twenty-seven years, the cardboard features that hid my true face, my real appearance, the appearance I once had but then forgot. I bury my face in the pillow, trying to keep the wind of the past from tearing away my own features, because I don’t want to lose them. I lie there with my face in the pillow, waiting for what has to come, for what I can’t prevent.” (pg. 851)
Third Person:
“His head is spinning, overcome by the rhythms of that distant waltz, by the odor of damp, fragrant plants: He fall exhausted on the bed, touching his cheeks, his eyes, his nose, as if he were afraid that some invisible hand had ripped off the mask he’s been wearing for twenty-seven years, the cardboard features that hid his true face, his real appearance, the appearance he once had but then forgot. He bury his face in the pillow, trying to keep the wind of the past from tearing away his own features, because he doesn’t want to lose them. He lie there with his face in the pillow, waiting for what has to come, for what he can’t prevent.” (pg. 851)
This passage was interesting because it was very descriptive and vivid. By using the second person point of view, it made me as a reader feel like I was directly involved in the story. It was more difficult for me to translate this passage into the third person point of view because just by switching the words “you” and “your” with “he” and “his”, it changed the entire structure of the sentence.
-Muneeb Khan
6 responses so far ↓
dy154836 // May 11th 2017 at 2:25 pm
It is interesting that the author chose to write the story in second person and as Muneeb comments, changing it from second to third person does change the entire structure of the story. When written in third person, the reader is observing what is happening rather than feeling connected or experiencing the story themselves. Reading the story in first, second and third person almost seems like reading 3 different stories.
j.yatcha // May 11th 2017 at 5:33 pm
First Person: “The dank smell of the plants is all around me as I count out my steps first on the pang-stones, then on the creaking wood, spongy from the dampness. I cont to twenty two in a low voice and then stop, with the matchbox in my hand, and the brief case under my arm. I knock on door that smells of old pine. There isn’t any knocker. Finally I push it open. Now you can feel a carpet under my feet, a thin carpet, badly laid. It makes me trip and almost fall. Then I notice the grayish filtered light that reveals some of the humps.”
Third Person: “The dank smell of the plants is all around him as he counts out his steps first on the paving-stones, then on the creaking wood, spongy from the dampness. He counts to twenty two in a low voice and then stops, with the matchbox in his hand, and the brief case under his arm. He knock on door that smells of old pine. There isn’t any knocker. Finally he pushes it open. Now he can feel a carpet under his feet, a thin carpet, badly laid. It makes him trip and almost fall. Then he notices the grayish filtered light that reveals some of the humps.”
Although changing this literature into first or second person make it sound a little author I don’t see why an author would prefer to us second person over other formats of speech.
ml155866 // May 11th 2017 at 9:01 pm
I definitely agree with Muneeb that the use of the second person definitely makes the the reader more involved in the story. The use of the second person also makes it more personal and sounds like a guide for the reader. I also think that translating from second to first person is easier than second to third person as first person can also sound very personal. The use of third person would make the story sound like a usual story and not be as involved.
k.stojanovic // May 11th 2017 at 9:10 pm
I thought it was very interesting to read the story in first, second and third person. As Muneeb said “using the second person point of view, it made me as a reader feel like I was directly involved in the story.” I also agree with Jamie’s statement “I don’t see why an author would prefer to use second person over other formats of speech.” , I think its unusual for the author to choose to write in second person. I also think it would be more difficult to write in second person compared to first or third, however it was interesting to read a story in second person.
j.guzman3 // May 12th 2017 at 11:26 am
JORGE,MUNEEB,JAIME
_________________________________
Authors have their own way of telling a story; a certain way to portray their story to an audience. In Aura by Carlos Fuentes, it is written in the second person. This helps the reader immerse themselves to the story so that it is easy to illustrate what’s happening. Muneeb also touched on this, “This passage was interesting because it was very descriptive and vivid. By using the second person point of view, it made me as a reader feel like I was directly involved in the story.”. He felt that the use of second person helped him fully understand these event more thoroughly, it only became obscured once first/ third person was translated. This format is often found in detective movies or shows, in where the detective would “think out loud” or understands they’re are the “link” to the audience, hence would explain with familiarity that draws the listener. Nonetheless the two translation managed to immerse me as well, third somewhat adding mystery through the ominence and first with dialog that flows.
r.klamen // May 12th 2017 at 11:57 am
I thought this was a great passage to use, reading it in first person was very powerful, but it somehow lost a lot of that in the third person. I think this is one case where first person is actually stronger than second person. I can hear Felipe’s voice, overcome with anguish and emotion.
You must log in to post a comment.