How do you avoid sentimentality when describing a moment that you experienced? Tell the story from someone else’s point of view. I recently attended a program at which the youngest Freedom Rider spoke about his experience. As we all know being a Freedom Rider was a daunting task and was one that will always be etched in the memory of those who experienced it. The part that intrigued me was that he did not tell his own story and experience, but rather the story of another who was with him during the time. At first I was confused as to why he would do this but then I remembered that when telling your own story you feel a sense of sentimentality. While sentimentality leads to truthfulness, it sometimes hinders the effectiveness of the message you are attempting to convey. By not using his own story, he was able to show a different perspective on the actions as if he were an outsider looking in. For lack of a better word it was relatable to the audience since we did not go through this either. He then followed up with a question period in which he discussed his own personal experience as the questions arose. By doing this we were able to first establish a general view of the situation and then add the emotional aspects. I feel that it was a great way of avoiding sentimentality but still delivering the intended message.
This is really helpful when trying to write a story/ poem about yourself. Another person that is observing will only describe what they see without including the actual feelings of the person they are talking about (unless those feelings help in the telling of the story). It's kind of like "My Father's Love Letters" by Komunyakaa. The poem was in the veiw point of the child, imagine what the poem would be like if the father was the narrator. I imagine there would be a significant difference in emotion. From the father's point of view we would get more of the sadness and struggle, but from the child we get truth and actual events, from a outside's view. This also helps the story become cinematic and reduces the amount of material in the character's head.
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