I read Lia Purpura’s “Autopsy Report” while having my breakfast and all I can think of was how it would be impossible to pick a better time to approach the story. Purpura’s use of strong illustrative adjectives and graphic descriptive phrases such as “sharp pelvic bones,” “soaked black with blood,” or “wide open mouth where last breath came out” makes me feel like I’m in the middle of watching the opening of a CSI episode, except perhaps more realistic and less cliché. With that being said, though the language being used had a very poetic vibe to it, it’s very plain and simple, straight to the point and doesn’t require a reader to read a second time to get the meaning. For instance, on her reaction to seeing the bodies for the first time, Purpura writes, “I laughed out loud. The laugh burst forth, I could not stop it.” But simple doesn’t always mean unsophisticated; I learn that the author is very uncomfortable in the situation without her having to tell me “I am very uncomfortable.” The same technique is used while describing her feeling to seeing the inside of the bodies, “The opening was familiar. As if I’d known before, this… what?” I think by “showing” instead of telling how she feels, Purpura wants her readers to know that she believes that we’re all similar and made of the same flesh doesn’t matter how we look on the outside.
In terms of “Dust Off” by John Bresland, I’m not really impressed. I do acknowledge the fact that the images being used are very vivid and stimulating, like the floating jellyfish or the stormy sky. However, the way they’re put together with music and narratives feels very forced and unprofessional.
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