The essay “ What Really Happened” by Madge McKeithan is a very well written piece that deals with having a close friend who was murdered, and the process it takes to recover from that experience. It is written in a very unique style, utilizing second person point of view. This means that McKeithen is telling the audience what to do, rather than telling the readers what happened. This technique strengthens the essay because it portrays the grief that the character must be feeling and the order of going through the motions of life after this traumatic experience. The story starts with the main character setting up a meeting to visit the murderer and continues as she struggles to deal with each step.“If you must leave a message, say I am considering visiting...and use the offender’s name...Say I am a friend of...and use the victim’s name. Say you would appreciate his thoughts on what to expect, given his knowledge of the offender’s mental state” (137). McKeithen’s diction was extremely powerful throughout the rest of the essay as well. She used repetition at one point, which made a huge impact on the reader. “Notice the rain on the rental car. Notice that the town is still quiet. Notice that there are more sailboats than cars in this town called Oriental” (139). Madge McKeithen’s writing skills were honed when she attended William and Mary in Virginia, and after that Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies for her graduate degree. She has had jobs writing on Capitol Hill and has also worked for Princeton University. She now teaches at The New School in New York. With jobs like these, it is clear that McKeithen is very talented. In a way, this essay is like a guide. It is obvious that the character is upset, but it can also be seen that she is searching for the strength to understand and forgive. The style is straightforward, which gives the piece more power. As the essay is about confronting a situation, anyone can relate it to something in their life, but due to the fact that it is about a murder case, the audience would probably tend towards adults who can handle the mature content. This piece was one of my favorites, it actually gave me chills at a few points. The author’s diction, especially through the use of repetition really brought the meaning across.
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Imagery of Setting
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