Introduction
I found the article by Gretel Ehrlich very captivating and informative. The writer has used subjective and figurative description in her work in a very superb way. The objective description in the “Struck by Lightning” narration by the writer is used in very subtle terms to describe scenarios in a very factual way without touching on Gretel Ehrlich feelings, opinions or perspectives.
The “Struck by Lightning” story describes the persona, the writer, and experience after being struck by lightning. The narrative structure of Gretel Ehrlich is not fully defined as it covers a small scope of events compared to how novel or a film would cover.
The subjective description has been featured prominently. I was amazed by the intense of this type of description from the start to the end of the story. The story is made lively and as a reader, I could picture the writer’s situation. The use of humor too by the author when she cites “to be struck by lightning: what away to be enlightened” has made me enjoy the story thoroughly.
The writer uses other styles of writing such as rhetorical questions to accentuate her narration. The rhetorical questions are questions that the writer asks not necessarily to get an answer but rather to hammer home her views. Questions such as, “had I been shot in the back?” “had I suffered a stroke or a heart attack?” , in my understanding are featured to portray the suffering and confusion state of mind that the writer was in. The featuring of Hindu religious allegory such as the “Lion position” shows the religious beliefs of the writer and belief in divinity. The paradox that this writer also uses such as when she states “gateless barrier” makes the story rich literary and intellectually engaging.
