| Xen: Ancient English Edition by D. J. Solomon |
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First Place $500.00 scholarship & matching award to school
It is often difficult for people to put themselves into someone else's shoes and try to see
the world differently: it is much easier to go about their daily lives with no thought of
others' concerns. Even when they are told about another's misfortunes, they go on
without a second thought for their suffering. Such is the nature of the society which we
have created. By using second person narration throughout most of Xen: Ancient
English Edition, rather than first or third person, D. J. Solomon forces the reader to place
himself or herself in the plot of the novel, rather than thinking about it as an outsider.
Suffering and rejoicing as the characters in the book do, the reader is forced to think
differently, personalize another's view and perceive the world and our history as another
might.
The reader is shown two or more vantage points of each event in the novel, often in
second person. The most outstanding example is the tale of the fall of Jerusalem, which
is told twice in a row, the first time as though the reader is the victor, and the second as
though they are the loser. After reading the history for the first time, the reader feels
ecstatic, as though it was actually them who had just won the battle: "You celebrate your
victory with joyous praise and continue the slaughter" (80). The reader feels, like the
victors in the story, that something truly worth celebrating has just happened. However,
as Wind begins to tell the story from the losers view, the reader is forced to place
themself in the losers' shoes. Wind recounts that "You and your comrades, wives,
children of all ages, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents and all other
relations are systematically slaughtered" (81). Now, instead of being the slaughterer, the
reader has to think about what it would be like to be the slaughtered. From that view,
there is nothing worth celebrating. The juxtaposed accounts force the reader to feel what
everybody involved felt before making a final judgment on the fall of Jerusalem.
The tale Wind tells about the executioner and his victim is different from the previous
accounts: the report is told only once in first person from the executioner's point of view,
as though he were talking directly to the reader. In this case the victim is never named,
making the passage even more personal to the reader than other sections. The
executioner goes on and on, telling of countless techniques he uses, and how much he
loves them. He rants, "Why do I inflict such misery? Because I can!" (105). The reader,
in fact might even have some empathy for the executioner if he was not in fact talking
directly to the reader. However, the reader feels more terrified as the executioner tells
him or her that "I'm really not sure I want yet to kill you, at least not intentionally, but you
do need to suffer" (104). Although most people in the world today hear about torture and
violence daily through various news sources, they find it impersonal and unimportant in
their measly lives. Most assume that even if they cared, they could not do anything to
stop it anyway. By using second person, Solomon is forcing the reader to personalize
the horrific things happening all over everyday, and realize that it could happen to
anybody, even them, and that an attempt to change the status quo is worthwhile. As it is
the reader himself who is meant to suffer, he or she realizes that the executioner, with
whom they might otherwise empathize, is not helping mankind in the long run. Through
both the tale of the fall of Jerusalem, and the review of torture techniques, D. J. Solomon
is showing that the demise of an individual or a group of people may lead to one
person's happiness, but will also lead to the suffering of another. The reader then must
decide whether one person's happiness is enough reason to cause another
unhappiness.
Unlike the other chronicles, the arrival of an Alien Species, the Peregrinians, does not
cause anybody pain, but rather, is beneficial to everybody. The Minister is the first to be
notified of their arrival, and becomes aware of the situation while she is having sex with
her husband: "You and your husband have never been interrupted. You have been
Earth's Minister for three terms now, and this has never happened before. What could
possibly be the matter?" (69). The timing of the call was obviously off, and so the reader
feels embarrassed, as if it was them who was interrupted in bed. Moreover, it is not
normal to receive a call at this time, causing the reader's comfort level to drop even
lower. Before the reader finds out what is going on, the Minister begins to start thinking
about the possibilities. To add to the effect of the reader being part of the novel, no
actual possibilities are listed. Instead, it simply states that "your face flushes as the most
outlandish scenarios come to mind at the bottom of the list" (69). This statement lets the
reader's imagination take flight, envisioning for themself what might be happening. The
adolescent student also has anticipation, although not in the same manner. She hears
the big news at the same time as the rest of the general population, and there is no wait
for her to find out what the big news is; nevertheless she does have to wait to actually
see the interview with the Alien Species. Even this anticipation is not as great as the
Minister's, since she does not have the same power, nor does she have to make a
favorable first impression on the new Alien Species, as the Minister does. Also, unlike
the minister, student is not really focused on any one subject: "The essay remains on
your mind, of course; but your concentration is also juxtaposed to Minister Esse's
pending interview with real live Aliens, here on Earth!" (133). Thinking about the essay
helps the reader and the student pass the time while they wait for the interview. When
the interview finally does start, the student is very excited: "This is the most momentous
day in eons, indeed the most exciting day in your life, and you're not even directly
involved" (163). Of course, the reader is made to feel a genuine part of this sensational
moment as well, and is just as excited as the rest of the world to hear what the Aliens
have to say.
D. J. Solomon draws the reader into the novel, and coerces them into believing that the
events taking place might actually be happening to them, instead of in another world
which can be ignored or forgotten at will. To do this effectively, he uses second person
narration, which makes the reader the subject of the story. Since the reader effectively
becomes the story, he or she personalizes it, and as a result begins to think from a new
perspective. This technique is so powerful that the reader can be convinced of two
different opinions on the exact same event. By making the reader think from different
perspectives in Xen: Ancient English Edition, D. J. Solomon does something much
greater than drawing a reader into his novel: he gives them the ability to think about
events in the real world from many possible vantage points. His goal, then, is to help the
reader become more aware of their history and surroundings, and to judge it on a fair,
objective standpoint, rather than their original narrow, personalized view of the world.
It is often difficult for people to put themselves into someone else's shoes and try to see
the world differently: it is much easier to go about their daily lives with no thought of
others' concerns. Even when they are told about another's misfortunes, they go on
without a second thought for their suffering. Such is the nature of the society which we
have created. By using second person narration throughout most of Xen: Ancient
English Edition, rather than first or third person, D. J. Solomon forces the reader to place
himself or herself in the plot of the novel, rather than thinking about it as an outsider.
Suffering and rejoicing as the characters in the book do, the reader is forced to think
differently, personalize another's view and perceive the world and our history as another
might.
The reader is shown two or more vantage points of each event in the novel, often in
second person. The most outstanding example is the tale of the fall of Jerusalem, which
is told twice in a row, the first time as though the reader is the victor, and the second as
though they are the loser. After reading the history for the first time, the reader feels
ecstatic, as though it was actually them who had just won the battle: "You celebrate your
victory with joyous praise and continue the slaughter" (80). The reader feels, like the
victors in the story, that something truly worth celebrating has just happened. However,
as Wind begins to tell the story from the losers view, the reader is forced to place
themself in the losers' shoes. Wind recounts that "You and your comrades, wives,
children of all ages, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents and all other
relations are systematically slaughtered" (81). Now, instead of being the slaughterer, the
reader has to think about what it would be like to be the slaughtered. From that view,
there is nothing worth celebrating. The juxtaposed accounts force the reader to feel what
everybody involved felt before making a final judgment on the fall of Jerusalem.
The tale Wind tells about the executioner and his victim is different from the previous
accounts: the report is told only once in first person from the executioner's point of view,
as though he were talking directly to the reader. In this case the victim is never named,
making the passage even more personal to the reader than other sections. The
executioner goes on and on, telling of countless techniques he uses, and how much he
loves them. He rants, "Why do I inflict such misery? Because I can!" (105). The reader,
in fact might even have some empathy for the executioner if he was not in fact talking
directly to the reader. However, the reader feels more terrified as the executioner tells
him or her that "I'm really not sure I want yet to kill you, at least not intentionally, but you
do need to suffer" (104). Although most people in the world today hear about torture and
violence daily through various news sources, they find it impersonal and unimportant in
their measly lives. Most assume that even if they cared, they could not do anything to
stop it anyway. By using second person, Solomon is forcing the reader to personalize
the horrific things happening all over everyday, and realize that it could happen to
anybody, even them, and that an attempt to change the status quo is worthwhile. As it is
the reader himself who is meant to suffer, he or she realizes that the executioner, with
whom they might otherwise empathize, is not helping mankind in the long run. Through
both the tale of the fall of Jerusalem, and the review of torture techniques, D. J. Solomon
is showing that the demise of an individual or a group of people may lead to one
person's happiness, but will also lead to the suffering of another. The reader then must
decide whether one person's happiness is enough reason to cause another
unhappiness.
Unlike the other chronicles, the arrival of an Alien Species, the Peregrinians, does not
cause anybody pain, but rather, is beneficial to everybody. The Minister is the first to be
notified of their arrival, and becomes aware of the situation while she is having sex with
her husband: "You and your husband have never been interrupted. You have been
Earth's Minister for three terms now, and this has never happened before. What could
possibly be the matter?" (69). The timing of the call was obviously off, and so the reader
feels embarrassed, as if it was them who was interrupted in bed. Moreover, it is not
normal to receive a call at this time, causing the reader's comfort level to drop even
lower. Before the reader finds out what is going on, the Minister begins to start thinking
about the possibilities. To add to the effect of the reader being part of the novel, no
actual possibilities are listed. Instead, it simply states that "your face flushes as the most
outlandish scenarios come to mind at the bottom of the list" (69). This statement lets the
reader's imagination take flight, envisioning for themself what might be happening. The
adolescent student also has anticipation, although not in the same manner. She hears
the big news at the same time as the rest of the general population, and there is no wait
for her to find out what the big news is; nevertheless she does have to wait to actually
see the interview with the Alien Species. Even this anticipation is not as great as the
Minister's, since she does not have the same power, nor does she have to make a
favorable first impression on the new Alien Species, as the Minister does. Also, unlike
the minister, student is not really focused on any one subject: "The essay remains on
your mind, of course; but your concentration is also juxtaposed to Minister Esse's
pending interview with real live Aliens, here on Earth!" (133). Thinking about the essay
helps the reader and the student pass the time while they wait for the interview. When
the interview finally does start, the student is very excited: "This is the most momentous
day in eons, indeed the most exciting day in your life, and you're not even directly
involved" (163). Of course, the reader is made to feel a genuine part of this sensational
moment as well, and is just as excited as the rest of the world to hear what the Aliens
have to say.
D. J. Solomon draws the reader into the novel, and coerces them into believing that the
events taking place might actually be happening to them, instead of in another world
which can be ignored or forgotten at will. To do this effectively, he uses second person
narration, which makes the reader the subject of the story. Since the reader effectively
becomes the story, he or she personalizes it, and as a result begins to think from a new
perspective. This technique is so powerful that the reader can be convinced of two
different opinions on the exact same event. By making the reader think from different
perspectives in Xen: Ancient English Edition, D. J. Solomon does something much
greater than drawing a reader into his novel: he gives them the ability to think about
events in the real world from many possible vantage points. His goal, then, is to help the
reader become more aware of their history and surroundings, and to judge it on a fair,
objective standpoint, rather than their original narrow, personalized view of the world.
| Kate Burgers Shawnee Mission East High School Shawnee Mission, KS Put Yourself in My Shoes: An Analysis of Second Person Narration in Xen |
| © Copyright 2004-2008 by Avar Press. All rights reserved. Copyright of the individual essays belongs to the respective writer and may not be reproduced in any fashion without express written permission from each author. Interested parties may contact the author via their high school or by sending correspondence to Avar Press. |
