Monday, January 19, 2009
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22 comments:
After reading Riis's piece "Abe's Game of Jack's, the point of view or the “person” this story is being told from that is mainly noticeable to me is third person. I believe this because the structure used in writing this piece seems to be written from the omniscient point of view, in other words "he-she" or in this case, him/he or her. At the very beginning of the story in paragraph one beginning with the word "time" to me it was evident that this story is being told from third person, also in the fourth paragraph beginning with “he ran frightened...Tells me this is third person. If I had to absolutely say what other point of view this story is being told from or that this story is being told from another point of view, I would have to say it’s being told from second (pov) even though I don’t see any clear evidence of the "you," or the imperative /command form, other than in paragraph two which begins: “Don’t let ‘em on the stairs.”
Let me be a little clearer. . . Is the story told from Abe's point of view? His mother's? The train engineer's? The firefighters'? All? None? Riis'?
Look at "Slipper-Maker's Fast," too. See how Riis uses a proto stream-of-consciousness when, for example, Isaac thinks of his sleeping family? What happens when the fire catches the blanket in "Abe's Game of Jacks"? Whose experiencing the flames, as it were, watching them climb up, up?
Abe's Game of Jack's is a story told from Abe's point of view, through the words of Riis. We are guided through the story by following Abe's actions. In other words, our presence is there through Abe. We know Abe's consciousness of his obligations to his younger siblings, we see the accidental fire and the fear of Abe rise, we watch him run. By telling the story through the author's words, instead of a first-person account, Riis was able to make the author feel sympathy. Sentences such as "Abe was nine, and past time for fooling, and "what cruel a thing to happen," suggest to this subjective point of view.
I agree with Kimmy.
For me, the point of view is Abe, just not quite in the present. Everything that we read, that Riis helps up see is through Abe's eyes, only he is not speaking to us directly. We as the reader get to experience everything Abe feels and sees, as well as his thought process throughout the story yet he does not speak a word to us.
Riis, not only in his writing but also in his photography, injects his work with the emotions of the people he works with, without having them saying anything. Riis shows us a different way of adding emotions into his pieces.
It was initially clear to me that the story would be told from Abe's point of view. The story begins with Riis discussing Abe's responsibility to his brothers and his plans to play jacks. The story continues to focus on Abe's point of view througout the ordeal until Abe flees the house and cannot find his mother. Then, it became fuzzy for me. The next few paragraphs seem to have little to do with Abe and focus more on the reactions of the crowds of tenement dwellers and police officers. Abe and his feelings are not mentioned again until the very end of the piece. Because of this, I find that the story is not only told from Abe's point of view, but Riis also allows the community's point of view in the story as well.
I agree that it is through Abe's experience that Riis writes this piece.
The story opens by focusing on Abe, which is noted in quotes like "His mother had gone to the butcher's." Which makes it easy for the reader to point out that Riis was in contact with Abe, therefore he knew the relationship of the woman who had gone to the butcher's and instead of naming the woman Riis wrote "his", meaning Abe's mother.
Also, terms like "accidental" used in the line "With that, and an accidental match, he began the game," I am led to believe that Riis included the guilt of Abe who started the fire and was aware of the damage he had done, so he (Abe) wanted to point out that it was an "accident."
Other points of view come into play in situations like the train engineer spotting the blaze, and the description of the brothers, which I would assume came from the firefighters who controlled the fire and entered the house.
In “Abe’s Game of Jacks,” the primary perspective is from Abe. From the beginning where we see Abe start to play jacks it’s through Riis’ words but it’s through Abe’s experiences. All the way until Abe runs to the grocery store, he is the primary point-of-view. We see everything through his eyes and his actions. Although Abe is the primary point-of-view, he is not the only one that is used as such a tool. For example, we are introduced to the train engineer a few paragraphs after Abe runs away. When he sees the fire and blows the whistle of his train we see how important his role is in the story and we view things from his eyes and how it happened, not from Abe’s. Another example of the switching of perspectives is when the firemen try to extinguish the fire in the tenements but it’s too late and they cannot even approach the building. Since Abe is nowhere near the fire when it occurs we cannot have his perspective throughout the whole story and get the whole picture. This is why Riis had to switch perspectives so frequently, so that the reader could understand what fully happened.
While the piece is written omnisciently, I would say that the point of view is that of Riis. We can assume that Riis was not present in the house where the children were sleeping, so he instead made Abe the focus of the story and wrote from that standing. He creates Abe as an inquisitive, playful child, probably prone to mischief. Yet I would say the details of the street scene lean more towards Riis's direct experience.
I admit it was slightly tricky to figure out the perspective in the piece. Riis uses the characters in a certain way that would allow for it to be from their perspective. But after analyzing the whole, Riis's own perspective becomes clearer.
"Abe's Game of Jacks" is written from the point of view of Riis and Abe. The events leading up to the fire are told from Abe's perspective. It's all information that Riis could gather from an interview but rather than blandly laying out the details he tells them as though it was happening at that very moment. But the description from the street could very well be just Riis' firsthand account of the fire itself. Although, I imagine it could be an adaptation of actual witness accounts as told by Riis much like how Riis communicates the earlier details of the event.
I believe that although in "Abe's game of Jacks" Riis uses third person, the story is told from Abe's point of view.
As a readers we can follow his actions from the beginning of the story ("Time hung havily on Abe Seelig's hands (...)" to the end ("In the midst of it little Abe returned, pale, silent, and frightened (...).
I have noticed that although Riis describes the actions of many characters (train engineer, firefighters, mother...etc.) he focusing only on Abe's thoughts and feelings ("Don't let 'em on the stairs" the mother had said (...) He didn't intended to.", "That he had no jackstones was of small moment to him.")
I believe the piece is primarily Abe's viewpoint, but written in third person like Nat J. said. I'm not sure if Riess' overall goal was to create some distance with Abe and his reaction to the fire, which is why it may not be written in first-person. Maybe distance, but just enough of Abe's reaction as a nine-year-old, was best for us to see the fire and the city's reaction. The viewpoint shifts to third-person omniscient on 233: "In all the block...what cruel thing was happening on the stoop of No. 19," then shifts to the engineer's perspective shortly there after: "The engineer saw one wild whirl of fire within the room, and opening the throttle of his whistle wide..." As much as this piece could have been told from Abe in the first-person, I don't think we would have understood the severity of the fire since he's young, and I don't think he understands the consequences. Riess often points outs the severity by saying "dreadful thing had happened," "cruel thing was happening," and "deadly crush." I don't Abe would just say that. The viewpoint also shifts to the firefighters as they brought Isaac to the station. This helps us see the mother in her sadness and fury and how Abe looks when he reveals himself, but we don't truly know what they are feeling (though we can probably guess).
After reviewing and analyzing "Abe's game of Jack's", it is clear that the beginning of the story is told through the perspective of Abe. It may be Riis' words we see, but it is clearly through Abe's eyes and his recollection of the horrific event. Throughout the beginning paragraphs we are connected with Abe and guided through every action he makes. We see through him the match ignite in the tenement, and in a state of panic him running to find his mother. even when he goes outside the story is still from Abe's point of view, and how he frantically watched the train stop and a crowd build around the building. Finally, we see through Abe the developing hectic scene develop, and how from a distance he watches his brothers pulled out from the building and his mother screaming in agony.
I also agree that Abe's Game of Jacks is told through Abe's point of view in the words of Riis. Phrases like "Abe cast about him for fun of some kind" and "He ran, frightened half out of his senses" give us the story through the actions that Abe is experiencing, yet it is told in a slightly detached manner through Riis's storytelling. Riis offers Abe's thoughts, reactions and actions from a position of standing back and away from the situation.
The Slipper-Maker's Fast also seems to be written in this same way, learning of Isaac's life through his actions and thoughts yet told indirectly through Riis's words.
I share the opinion of the majority of these posts that the story is being told in the words of Riis, but in the eyes of Abe. Since Riis was a police reporter, this kind of storytelling should be almost protocol; it's a primary duty to interview individuals at a crime scene and place their words in the confines of a written report. Yet, Riis manages to create a lively read that adds a literary twist to something as simple/bland as a police report (unless you're into that kind of material)
On an aside, is it me or does this story have some shades of Crane's "When Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" in the second half?
I believe that Riis' "Abe's Game of Jacks" is initially told through Abe's point of view. The first parahgraph introduces him and his surroundings. It also identifies his age, his relatives, and his role in the family- he is nine years old and must take care of his two younger brothers. The fact that his mother directly tells him "don't let 'em on the stairs," further emphasizes that the story is told through his eyes. His response is quickly addressed, as are his following actions.
Another detail which supports the fact that the story is told through Abe's eyes is on page 223 when the state of his younger brother is described; "the children still slept, locked in each other's arms." Only he could point their actions in such detail because he is the only other person present. Once he runs out of the house, the story continues to be told based on where he is, what he is doing and what is he seeing. The final line is indicative of this as he finally stands beside his "raving mother."
I have to say that I agree that the majority of this story is through the eyes of Abe, though obviously told through Riis' words. Riis only creates a sort of introduction in his words, describing Abe and setting the scene. He provides a short sort of exposition. However, it moves to Abes point of view for the game of Jacks and the fire. I do see it switch perspectives again though, going to Riis' when he describes the train that screeches its whistle, the scene of people running onto the street and the firemen and police at the scene. It is doubtful that Abe could have witnessed all this from his hiding place. I do feel like it returns to Abe's point of view again at the very end when he returns to his mothers side, evoking the emotion of grief and fear that Abe witnessed both in the crowd and in himself.
“Abe’s Game of Jacks” is primarily told from the perspective of Abe — who started the fire. The first half focuses primarily on Abe’s actions and some psychological elements. Getting a look into Abe’s mind adds some depth to the story and shows how the fire really started. Soon, Abe flees the house leaving his two younger brothers. Once Abe leaves the house, the main point of view switches between various characters. The train engineer was the first swing in the point of view, as he sees the flames jumping in the house. Then it switches to the police, firemen and possible on lookers. The point of view was always attached to the drama at hand — the fire.
I do feel there is a third-person point of view utilized throughout the story, but there are also instances where it becomes first person. I find this interesting, because one of the main rules in writing is to stick with one point of view throughout a story and not switch in between. It is rare to see a story that does this, but Riis seems to pull this off successfully.
The story is written in the third person, as Riis is trying to keep a journalistic style, and, of course, it would be disingenuous to directly assume the thoughts of the protagonist by using the first-person.
The story is initially told through Abe's POV, as he has the most direct view of the events in the story. However, as the story progresses and expands, the fire is described through the POV of other witnesses, switching from the train conductor to people on the street as the action moves. Riis is essentially tracking the action as one would track a sporting event through various cameras: he switches to the person who has the most direct POV of the main action at any time.
"Abe's Game of Jacks" was told through every person who encountered the fire, without direct dialogue or quotations. The entire scene where the flames climbed the curtains can be seen through Abe’s eyes, and sets the scene before Abe and before he ran. The throngs of people again, are seen by Abe. The tasks of the firemen were also seen by Abe. The train engineer’s story is set through the eyes of the engineer himself, which we as the reader are to also look through. The firemen tell the action in the passage that speaks of the shrieks, running with great haste and which ends with “For the rest they must needs wait until the engines came.”
Interesting also is that it is technically told through the third person, just Riis, acting as a journalist and a story teller in a version of a police or fire story, yet with guided sympathy for the subject. We can argue for the all knowing narrator in passages such as “One penny was Abe’s hoard. With that, and an accidental match, he began the game.” Though he is simply telling how Abe began his “fooling”,the omniscient narrator knew the accidental match was what would spark the fire and foreshadowed the rest of the narrative.
Riis ushers in words like “play” and “game” so the reader may have mercy for young Abe and the child's natural tendency for fooling. We can also argue this all knowing narrator with the passage “Abraham was nine, and past time for fooling. Play is “fooling” in the sweaters’ tenements, and the muddling of ideas makes trouble, later on, to which the police returns have the index.” Again, the narrator foresees what the end of the tomfoolery would be.
It seems to me that the point of view if from the tenements themselves, bringing the lens into focus around the different constituent elements that make up these slums. The beginning is told through Abe's point of view, how he he watching his younger brothers but is only 9 himself. After trying to play a game of jackstones, a game which has always been one delegated to the very poor, a match is set on fire around his brothers beds. You see through Abe's eyes the flame crawling upwards and the child's fear as he runs away. The narrator follows him out of the building and into the street. Once outside, the narration seems to become bigger, taking a birds eye view of the people gathering around, the emergency of the firetrucks and a L train stopping at a station nearby. The point of view does shift to the firefighters, as well as the crowd and the engineer, all trying to rush to the house play their role in either watching, discovering or putting out the fire. Finally, in the last paragraph, the POV shifts back to little Abe, "pale, silent, and frightened." Primarily, the POV of this story is Abe's and through his eyes he get a sense of the great tragedy and substandard living conditions of his family's lifestyle. Although Riis' voice can be heard throughout the narration, Abe's tragedy can be seen as largely endemic of the culture in which they reside.
As many have said before me, I believe that the point of view is indeed through Abe's eyes, but also it may be through Riis' point of view. In a way it feels as though Riis is witnessing the events that unfold from a higher standpoint, with Abe as the main player.
After Abe runs away from his burning home, the point of view changes to that of the firefighters and onlookers of the event. Still, Riis' prescence is felt because he is the one that is illustrating this tragedy to the reader.
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