Recently I read the creative nonfiction “Dead and Dying Light” by Lena Crown and became inspired to write my own story. Crown used the form of a braided essay to weave her memories of making s’mores with the larger speculation of human existence and our placement in the Universe. The white space between paragraphs separates her ideas and allowed for her to start a new setting and thought process. She provided outside data relating to the temperature of a star, and was able to tie this into roasting a marshmallow. The way she associates a simple memory of cooking s’mores over a fire with contemplating existence and the life of stars established an emotional connection with the reader. I envisioned my own memories of roasting s’mores and of looking up at the stars, and related these memories to the author’s story. The aesthetic of Crown’s work drew me in with a cozy feeling and yet it contained the deeper message of considering life outside of one’s own. I want to incorporate this feeling into my writing, where I am able to tie a memory in with a more complex concept that the reader can make a relate to. This creative nonfiction piece inspired me to not only think about the memories and message I want to write about, but the literary devices I can use to strengthen and develop it further.
When examining the literary devices Crown used in her writing, there are many that drew my attention as a reader. Throughout her story she uses similes like “…the dark presses us between its pages like violets, daffodils, sprigs of baby’s breath” to convey how the dark affected her emotionally. One of the metaphors she uses, “…the Earth is a giant ball of sugar crisping slowly, jelly at its core” to demonstrate the vulnerable life of the planet and how time continues on as stars come into existence and then die. The imagery throughout the story really sets the scene and allows the reader to connect on a deeper level through the details. The imagery constructed from “…flocked to a house with parents asleep upstairs and fresh-squeezed orange juice in the fridge and a child’s drawing of a black dog framed on the wall facing the kitchen” immediately brings a scene to mind with its descriptive language. The orange flames engulfing the marshmallow represent the temperature of a star, and compares turning the insides of the marshmallow into jelly with that of a dying star. Crown gives the flames tongues which lick, using the literary device of personification to make a connection with the reader. Another device I noticed in her writing is the usage of a flashback memory to provide additional background information to the story. The flashback sent me to another part of the story and weaved the additional material into the story so it flowed naturally. I want to integrate all of these literary devices in my own story to create my own important message. By including these devices, I believe I will be successful in creating a message that inspires readers to contemplate an issue that perhaps they don’t think about often but can relate to.
Exploring Writing 