Response to Television

My general impression of this story is that the narrator is someone who has resigned to the idea that the enjoyment of life is more real or at least more enjoyable when delivered from a distance to their television. At the same time however, it is acknowledged that the enjoyment brought from the television is simply a means of passing the time. “It is not what you want to be doing. It is that you are passing the time.” This leads me to believe that maybe the life style lead by the narrator or possibly life in the modern world as a whole is boring, or more accurately, it cannot keep pace with the easily digestible and exciting world of television.  One other function the television serves is that of a simplifier. The television goes beyond enjoyment and turns into a therapy for the narrator whose life is said to be very complicated at some points “it has by then become so complicated”. She claims that while comparing her life to a movie. She desires the T.V as a drug to escape to complexities of reality to another reality which is controlled by other people and creates a montage of the important aspects of stories. To her, actuality has too many complex and boring doldrums in between the action.

                The writing uses a voice that’s seems to be aimed at no one in particular. It would be hard for to guess who is being addressed and for what reason. It is almost like she is addressing herself for the point of self clarification. But at the same time it is written in a way that is enjoyable to read. The use of repetition keeps my mind going in circles around her point while she delivers it. “They say it will be exciting and it always is. They give us hints of what is to come and then it comes and it is exciting.” It seems plain but the repetitive simplicity adds a sense of sincerity to the story.

 I felt that the way each show being watched was described by plot instead of name was a great way to put the reader into the mind of the television viewer. I will be trying to utilize that level of detail as I write in the future.  In the story other descriptions transcend details and go for interesting imagery such as when the narrator describes herself in this way “I sit back like the mother with a sharp gave, my mouth full of gold”.

Overall the story was hitting on an aspect of life most people know in this modern world, the draw of television in contrast to the life of ninety nine percent of the people alive. The language was simple and repetitive but intentionally so. The level of description used in the story was adequate for bringing me into the mind of the narrator and feel the sense of monotony and tame excitement that was derived from the television on a clearly day to day bases.