Blog Post #4

When I first read the title of My Father, Out to Sea, I was expecting a story that was going to be about physically losing a father. However, I liked how Coffin's story conveyed how metaphorically losing a father can be just as impactful. I think he has an effective way of describing the relationship between his father in a descriptive yet efficient way that does not feel too wordy, but still holds meaning. While I was watching How Long Does It Take To Become An American, I think his story of his mother was also meaningful in that she also had her own story and life experiences that led her to the decisions she made. I like how as Coffin was presenting, pictures of his mother and family photos were displayed. Both stories have their own meaning and it is interesting how Coffin decides to tell each of them. I like the way he wrote about his father, but I also like the way he talked about his mother with the help of pictures. In some ways, I think seeing a picture of his father could have distracted from the overall message behind his father leaving since he was not always fully present in his life, whereas his mom always was.

While reading Adventures in Depression, I like how her illustrations add a personal tone and work like inner dialogue. Also, I feel like without the drawings it would have been more difficult to describe her inner critical voice that she experiences from having depression.

With George Watsky’s pieces of work, I like how he was able to pace the way he told his stories. For example, How to Ruin Everything felt more produced whereas his Ted Talk, Lucky, felt more performative. I think both ways of story-telling have their memorable moments with their own specific reasons. For example, I can see how his final poem might be more impactful on a stage, while he is talking about visiting the different rural towns with a visual aspect. Overall, every story has its own meaning and I think the way in which they are told is just as important.