Comments by
Colleen Lonac
At the beginning of this clip, when the camera shows the land through Farquhar’s perspective, I noticed that it seems as though Farquhar is swimming impossibly fast. It looks more like the camera is from the perspective of somebody on a boat than somebody swimming. I imagine the director did this to show that in Farquhar’s dream he would be able to swim that quickly to escape.
One part that stood out to me was when the camera was focused on Farquhar treading water and then it rapidly zooms in on his face, then switches to the marksman and zooms in at the same pace on him. Usually cameras have very smooth motions, slowly zooming in and out so that the viewers don’t really notice unless they are really analyzing film techniques. I think the director chose to do this to emphasize the fact that this is not a time to be calm and that it is a time of imminent danger.
At first I wasn’t sure why the camera zoomed in on the soldier taking Farquhar’s watch, but I think Rachel’s idea that it was to show where the ticking was coming from makes a lot of sense. I thought it was a little random that the soldier would just take this one possession from Farquhar, but I think it’s the best way they could have shown us the source of the ticking.
I like how Jordan brought up the words “awkward’ and “not fun” when describing the viewer’s experience because of the lack of music. I think this is precisely why the director chose not to include music in this part of the movie, because trying to untie yourself under water IS not fun and awkward. I think any music would be out of place in this type of scene. The silence makes viewers uneasy, but that is how we should feel because we don’t know whether or not this man is going to live, and that is reason enough to feel uneasy.
I agree that the drums definitely add something to this clip. Just as the camera angle contributes to the sense of escape, I think the drums add to this sense, as well. They increase the overall intensity of the clip and make the viewer more anxious to see what Farquhar’s fate will be.
The sound in this scene could be from the woman’s perspective, but the music that plays when the camera is cutting through the vegetation to show the woman makes me think it is from Farquhar’s perspective, since at least to me, it seems like he is happier to see her than she is to see him. He is running full speed to try to get to her and she is just kind of walking slowly towards him. This could be done to show that time is running out for Farquhar, but still I thought it was kind of odd that the woman was so calm and slow in her movements while Farquhar was so frantic.
The line “he had not known that he lived in so wild a region” acts as a tip to the reader that this is all in his imagination. Reading that line reminded me of when I have dreams of familiar things but something is out of place or isn’t right, and yet I don’t even realize I’m in a dream no matter how absurd the wrong thing is. This is why his revelation is uncanny. I think that statement is foreshadowing that something isn’t quite right with what is happening (it is all Farquhar’s imagination).
I thought it was interesting that the author ended this paragraph with an exclamation point. The phrase that immediately precedes the exclamation mark–then all is darkness and silence–seems to make time stand still and make the action in the story pause for a second, but when I think of exclamation points, I usually think of them being used when action is intensifying.
The line about the trees “terminating on the horizon in a point, like a diagram in a lesson in perspective” adds to the dream-like state in which this part of the story is being told. Relating actual scenery to the way you draw it on paper takes the story out of the perspective of reality and reminds the reader that this isn’t actually happening.
The fact that sand looked like “diamonds, rubies, emeralds” further show how one’s perceptions can be changed by near-death experiences. Earlier in the story Farquhar was noticing his keen senses; his ability to notice things that he never noticed before. Now he is taking something that is pretty dull for the ordinary man and turning it into something as valuable as treasure. I guess it is pretty valuable to him because it represents the fact that he is still alive when his chances for survival were so low.
The way he was thinking with the “rapidity of lightning” relates back to the beginning where he saw the slow current racing madly. Both of these events suggest the adrenaline rush that Kaitlyn brought up. I also agree that the word hunted is used to bring up images of animals because throughout the entire story there are animal-related words, one example being “muzzled.”
The last couple of sentences in this passage really stood out to me. I liked the personification of the gnats dancing, and the gnats, dragon flies, and water spiders making “audible music.” I also think that the simile that compares the strokes of the water spiders’ leg to oars from a boat helps the reader imagine what Farquhar is noticing.
I don’t think the scout went specifically after Farquhar…I think Zhenya’s idea about going to other plantations and tricking multiple Confederates is more plausible. This fits into the idea that was mentioned in part I that it was just another execution, no big deal, just a routine procedure because it happens so often.
I still think it’s a little strange that Farquhar doesn’t catch onto the soldier’s tactics. Why would somebody tell somebody else that it would be easy to burn down a bridge if they weren’t setting them up to get caught?
I can’t believe Farquhar would say this to the soldier. He is walking himself straight into a trap and has no idea. I think this is called dramatic irony..when the reader knows whats going on but the character doesn’t…maybe?
His rashness definitely did cost him his life. As was stated in the first paragraph of Part II, no adventure was too perilous for Farquhar, and I think he was trying to maintain this reputation so much that he could not see through this spy. He was too concerned with being the hero to actually take a minute and think about what this man was saying and why he would be so willing to offer up so much information.
The fact that Mrs. Farquhar was happy to serve the soldier shows how revered soldiers are in her eyes. If the man was not wearing his uniform and just appeared on her doorstep as a stranger, she would probably be much less inclined to fetch him water. She probably wouldn’t feel the need to do it herself, with “her own white hands,” either. As some of the others have said, this shows how dedicated to the cause her and her husband are.
I think that this passage furthers the idea that Farquhar is the protagonist of the story by convincing the audience of what a noble and loyal man he was. Lines like “no service was too humble for him” and “no adventure too perilous for him” show that he really was a well-respected person.
The way the author brought up the sergeant again made me think that Part II would be about the scene at the bridge, including the actions of the sergeant. But part II goes back to describing Peyton Farquhar’s life up until that moment. Some of you guys have said that he ended Part I in this way to bring the reader back to reality in the present time, but is this necessary if he is just going to jump back to the past in the next sentence?
I agree with Michael’s statement about the character becoming more of a protagonist in this paragraph. After the description of his plan to outswim the bullets and the enemy, the reader is really rooting for Farquhar. While at the beginning I was wondering what this man did to deserve this, I’m now hoping he will break free and be able to see his “wife and little ones” again, despite any crime he may have committed. The mention of his family humanizes him enough for the reader to take his side.
I think when Farquhar sees the “swirling water of the stream racing madly” it is because his mind is running wild from thinking about what is about to happen to him. Then, the author states that the driftwood moves slowly to convey to the reader the actual strength of the current and to emphasize the disorienting effect of the situation on the mind of our character.
I agree with what Rachel had to say about describing the character after describing the setting and situation. I don’t think the main point of the story is that this is happening to Peyton Farquhar, I think the point is that it is happening, in general. The description of physical appearance is pretty broad and could apply to many people; the author doesn’t use any odd and distinguishing characteristics that would be unique to Peyton Farquhar.
I thought that the author’s word choice when describing the sentinels was somewhat unique. The word “adorn” makes me think of decorations and other things whose purpose is to beautify something else. Perhaps the author uses this to contrast the ugliness of the whole situation. Whether this is true or not, I just thought it was odd to use a word that usually has a positive connotation in such a negative situation.
The phrase “formal and unnatural” stood out to me, too. I agree with Jordan and Kaitlyn in that the author purposely used these words to reflect the situation itself, not just to describe the position of the gun. I thought it was interesting how into detail the author went when describing the position of the gun, even providing a name for that specific position.