11/13/14 Writing Techniques

Emergency by Denis Johnson was filled with dialogue, imagery, and dark humor. Starting from the first page to the last, the story is mostly told through dialogue, it gives us a good feeling of the characters. Even the last sentence is dialogue. Georgie says "I save lives" when Hardee asks him what he does for a living. This was a really strong ending because it shows us how Georgie really feels about his career, and he is proud of what he does. The imagery is also a very important part of this short story. We can imagine the grotesque image of Terrence Weber having a knife in his eye that was placed there by his wife. The imagery really makes one feel like he or she is there with the characters, quietly experiencing everything they do. The dark humor is my favorite aspect of the story. Georgie's character really adds to the mass of it. He pulls out knives nonchalantly and doesn't remember the patient afterwards. He gives the author a nice dose of sass as well. The sarcasm, knives, and dead bunnies really add a nice humorous feel to the story. Although I feel like the story was a bit fast-paced and sort of all over the place, I still believe it is a great narrative.