Sarah Bridgeport
September 10th, 2016
I believe that the theme for Winchester's piece "Ascension in the Moonlight" is that often times the fortune of one's life is overlooked. It is easy to be distracted by all the negative things occurring, while the positive experiences we have are overshadowed. My evidence of this claim is the fact that for the first 2 (really 3) pages Winchester complains, describing how he was "in the middle of nowhere" and was desperately trying to get off of the ship. He even conveys his desperation by italicizing the sentence "I could get myself out of here."
One example of effective language in Winchester's stories is this simple phrase: "soft and sugary sand." That alliteration and imagery makes it so easy to see the glittering sand Winchester's describing, feel the texture underneath my toes.
The second example of effective language in Winchester's stories is his last paragraph, specifically the last three sentences: " 'Wherever you will be- have you ever wondered?- without all their kindness, and without all this luck?' As he opened the door for me he put his hand briefly on my shoulder. And then I walked off into the rain." This is the perfect ending to this story- it is contemplative and leaves the reading wondering what fortune they themselves have overlooked.
This piece reminded me of our first reading, by Lavinia Spalding, in that it really is up to the traveler to decide how to interpret their (mis)adventures.
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