Point of View - This story is told in first person using a personal point of view and is narrated by the author who is the owner of "Lucinda".
Dramatic Question - "I named her Lucinda because it was an old lady name. We were both old ladies in a way. At 22 I had a college degree, a good paying job, a marriageable boyfriend, but Lucinda surprised me." I was hooked after hearing this.
Emotional Content - Lucinda was a trusted friend, there when you needed her, ever ready for the next adventure.
Your Voice - The narrator's voice is very soothing. She adds feeling to the story. You can hear excitement, happiness, and sadness in her voice.
Sound Track - Soft guitar music in the background in the beginning of the story fades to silence as the narrator weaves her story. At the end of the narration, the Bluegrass and folk music fades in and sounds like traveling music for a county road trip.
Economy - The transitions between pictures fade in and out giving you the feeling of life's ebb and flow with the focus in the pictures moving to the topic the narrator is discribing. The clips seem to be of equal length as the story is told in chronological order. It is easy to fill in the picture that is missing of Lucinda death "in a fabulous cloud of head gasket smoke." The screen is black during this segment. I did wonder if she could have found a cloud of smoke to represent this, but it might have been difficult and the black screen is just as effective with pause of her voice.
Pacing - The narrator paces this story several times as she slows down for emphasis or speeds up in excitement. One example is when she is naming the states in which Lucinda has gone as she "just kept going". She speeds with excitement slowing only as she names the last state of West Virginia.
Marsh, Elysa. "Lucinda" STORYCENTER. 2 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2015. <http://www.storycenter.org/stories/>.
I really liked the story of Lucinda.(We also had a similar car in my family) It was an interesting perspective, as though she was telling the story of someone else (the car) when she was really telling a first person story about herself and her journeys. Her pictures were great, and really helped to emphasize the excitement and fun she had as she traveled. She made it seem as though she had been kidnapped and was along for the ride, which added to the sense that she was just spending those years wandering and having great experiences. She was independent and made her own decisions about where to go, even though she blamed it all on the car. You could sense the fondness she felt for the instrument of her independence, and understand why she would cry when the car stopped running. Her appreciation was punctuated at the end with her images and description of the women who had come before her in family, and how having Lucinda made it possible for her to do things they never would have been able to do. The soundtrack added to fun and joy in her journeys, playing quietly behind her narration throughout and then louder at the conclusion. I enjoyed her journey and the fun she seemed to have telling it.
ReplyDeleteI loved this!! I agree with you, I was hooked after the first line. I have named cars in the past and even now, so as soon as I knew this was about a car she had named, I was even more hooked. I like how she told the story from her personal point of view and that she described Lucinda more like a person, someone she loved, rather than JUST a car. The way she told the story and accentuated it with pictures and joy in her voice made me happy and feel like she really had wonderful adventures. After watching this, I sure do wish I could have had a Lucinda in my life when I was younger and wondering around!
ReplyDeleteI really loved this story! Watching it reminded me of my carefree college days, with my "old reliable" Chevrolet Cavalier that I spent my own $2000 to purchase. It took me many places, although I was not nearly as adventurous as the narrator was. I still felt said when it died, though. I liked how she personified the car, presenting her (it) as more of a best friend who was there through everything the narrator went through in her life for more than two decades. Her voice, pacing, images, and music were all excellent and added value to her story. She really made it seem like Lucinda was another member of the family.
ReplyDeleteThis story reminded me of the All State commercial where they name the car Brad. I love that her car became a friend, a family member even. I can relate to her for so many reasons. I am only 26, but married for 7 years, 2 children, a full-time job...an old lady in my own right. My husband and I have travelled so much, though, and we have tried to take our children, as young as they are, somewhere new every year. We love having adventures.
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