This week in rhetoric we discussed began to read Nick Flynn’s The Ticking is the Bomb. We also read and discussed the second element of rhetoric from Leith’s Words Like Loaded Pistols, on style. Our following discussions were an introduction to keywords regarding rhetorical figures of amplification, contrast and parallelism, disruption, and reduction. During these discussions we not only defined these terms, but we sought to apply them to The Ticking is the Bomb. We also read on Cicero’s three offices (purposes) of rhetoric, which are to teach, delight, and move (docere, delectare, et movere). Admittedly I was surprised with the emphasis on entertaining the audience. I feel as if the joy should be found in what, you are learning, and now how you are learning it. A prime example of where we are led astray with entertainment is todays news media culture. With the expediency the ability to access and portray information, we have begun to sacrifice accuracy for speed. We also have developed a system where entertainment is valued over accuracy, and arguably importance of information. When we focus too much on delight, we move audiences in the wrong direction.
After the assigned readings, my initial thoughts are best encapsulated by the title of the introduction to the book, a field guide to getting lost. The bombastic unfocused style that Flynn engages in has no apparent center focus, other than being a brutally honest depiction of his life. However, while this styling is difficult to interpret, his use of rhetorical elements, provide an interesting flow to his syntax. For example, on page 26, he repeats the self-proclamation of “I”. This use of Anaphora provides a reflective cadence and form in his depictions of his experiences. Another example of this would be his use of metaphor on page 41. During this scene, he is describing how is arsenic mom would drive him, following emergency responders, to watch them battle the burning structure. As he describes the emotion he experienced while being dragged away from his weekend cartoons, he evinces his mother’s actions as “twisting the blue from the sky”. This vivid illustration portrays how Flynn felt as his mother sucked away his youthful innocence. One element that I’m hesitant to identify, but I feel is accurately applicable, is his seemingly use of digression. It was mentioned in class that the author can appear ADD at times to his constant use of digression. As I began to each chapter, I felt as if I was diving deeper and deeper into a never-ending digression.
In the future, I hope to have a further understanding of the purpose of Flynn’s stories. His sporadic style seems to be summed together in a twisted use of hints of a poetic nature. Perhaps his purpose is to write lacking purpose, but I believe he wishes for the reader to search and struggle to identify his intention. The difficulty of his experiences are thrust onto the reader, with his choice of literary organization, and a hoodwinking field guide to getting lost.
Nate's Blog 