Bring light to darkness could be that moment that is needed to elevate personal life experiences that allows a new perspective to shine a new bight light to a difficult situation. Those moments in life are considered as an a-ha moment or considered as a light bulb moment; where there is a more comprehensive and understanding to the situation that can be examined at a positive angle. Discovering that those experiences can create such a profound impact when triggered provides an outlet to randomly scan wonderful memories that allows those moments to be analyzed in a new reflective light. This passage, “Total Eclipse”, written by Annie Dillard was written with such descriptiveness to the non-important items to an explosive expressive state of affairs once a lifesaver was thrown to her. This creative writing force the readers to either read the passage twice or read the first paragraph then read the page when the writer has that moment of acceptance and understanding; the lifesaver paragraph. This might bring an understanding but a challenge that is worth the read.
This creative style of writing is to tell and express two stories in one. One story is the personal experience of being involved in a rare moment of watching an eclipse and noticing the greatness in the experience. The writer takes the readers on a flashback of her memory by writing, “….remembering an article I had read downstairs in the lobby….” (pg 161). That statement allows the reader to understand that this experience has happened and she will elaborate. Dillard went into great detail to show how the eclipse caused time to stop as they gathered on the hilltop. She described her moment of silence as, “The eyes dried, the arteries drained, the lungs hushed. There was no world” (pg 165). I understand that passage as not a tear of joy stream down eyes, with such a shock that the moment of the eclipse was actually happening all stood still, not a heart beat was not felt among the group nor a single breath was exhaled. As if the world had stop for that moment. Her expressive point is to have the audience visualize her experience and to capture the sensation she felt.
The second part of the story is life experience and understanding it. Dillard seems lost and searching for a way of acceptance. The lost of her beloved husband, Gary causes her to take a great moment in their past together and parallel it to her pain. She talks about the dead and how her experience would be, which was very interesting. Dillard writes, “We had, it seems, loved the plant and loved our lives, but could no longer remember the way of them” (pg 166). This sentence shows that the writer was lost and seeking what she missed. It was there she thought, the love of self, the love of life, the love of earth, and the joy of memories but there wasn’t a place for that past any longer. Dillard lost her joy of life and it seems as if there wasn’t a need to go on. Another sentence that was disturbing was, “The dead were parted one from the other and could no longer remember the faces and lands they had loved in the light” (pg.167). This awkward passage was written to point to the history of the glaciers, or was she predicting how death is a place of being, being in that moment without a history, without a memory. Once gone, you’re gone?
“Total Eclipse” allow the reader to think of the importance of enjoying life and how to continue to enjoy life during difficult times. Though it is difficult to cope with grieving, but it is necessary to talk to others because that lifesaving moment can bring a profound meaning to a difficult situation. Hearing one keyword can spark a light bulb experience and allow the moment of discovery to bring blessings to maintain the joy of life. Annie Dillard’s keyword moment was in the restaurant, and with her words she writes, “It was good to be back among cleaver people” (pg 168). The purpose of this writing was to get the readers to think outside their paradigm. To look at each creative sentence as if it means something else which in turns makes a great discussion for days.
