Comments by
Jordan Johnson
I love the slowed down, demonic sounding voice of the commander, because with the knowledge that he is ordering your death, and the mental overload of spending an extended amount of time underwater, that’s most likely how it would sound.
The unsteadiness of the camera in this scene is effective, because it’s not smooth and fluid like it usually is, but is moving slightly up and down, like your surroundings do as you run. Definitely puts you in his place, while still watching him.
I’m with Colin, I doubt this was the author or filmmakers intent, but that could explain the tripping in the film. I mean, he was so sure of his side- the South, yet he helped the North accidently. He tripped up.
I love the drums in the background, because it seems to be a combination of his heartbeat, thumping madly because of the pursuit, and a military cadence, like the trumpet at the beginning. It mixes the two sides together.
The view from underwater to the sub on the surface provides the viewer with the anticipation Peyton feels. The awkwardness of no music is not fun for the viewer but also keeps you waiting and let’s the mind make the soundtrack with “OH MY GOSH HOW IS HE GOING TO GET OUT HE HAS TO GET OUT”, which is probably more effective than any quick-paced song could be.
I think the speed of the camera makes a big difference. Like looking from his perspective, he quickly darts to a scene then slowly looks over that subject before quickly darting to another. He is both apprehensive and cautious.
Rachel, I agree that the horns are startling and kind of out of place, but that’s a very effective way of letting the viewer know that this is not a hanging for peacetime criminal offenses but military reasons.
I thought they were bullets, too, but why would they be flattened? I guess I assumed the contact with the rushing water, but that really doesn’t make any sense. But also, if they are arrows, why would they be uncomfortably warm? Bullets would be warm, and contact with water would slow them down, plus his mind is kind of slowing things down already. I’m not entirely sure what they are.
I love how the lieutenant’s voice is so strangely and accurately described. “Monotonous singsong” is a pretty big contradiction, but if you’ve ever heard a military commander, this describes it perfectly. It shows how keen his senses are when listening to his death sentence.
I like how the soldiers described as “gigantic”, because at this point in the adventure, they are his biggest issue. This shows more priority than true size.
I think this is more a record of things we all have noticed but never really appreciated. I mean I have seen leaves and bugs and dew, but he views them all as having more life than he soon will. They are humming and sliding and beating–living. He now appreciates them.
Soham is right, but now that you point it out, it could be taken as foreshadowing, because we all know he really is “as one already dead” because he…is. Or getting ready to be.
I had a hard time picking up on the driftwood part, too. Why would he not just burn it himself if he was truly a Confederate soldier? This guy is obviously a spy or terrible at small talk.
For those who don’t know, a sentinel is just a soldier who watches over a certain area. The fact that he points out a SINGLE sentinel just makes it more obvious that he’s setting him up.
I agree that it should’ve been obvious he was a spy when he knew so much and was so direct in his suggestions, but you have to remember what kind of man Farquhar is. He’s just a simple guy who does what he can for his side of the war. If a soldier rides up he’s not going to be suspicious when he’s just trying to be kind. He really has no reason to think otherwise.
Ahhh that would make sense.
Just for reference, a diminuendo is a musical term meaning to get gradually softer, or decrescendo.
I love the way the sentence structure in this paragraph makes you read faster and faster as he’s struggling more and more. It’s like fast-paced, pulsing music in a movie, but in the reader’s head.
Wow, nice one Amanda! I may have missed it, but do we know if it is the Confederate or Union army that is hanging him? It would make sense that he was a “traitor” to the southern side, but could the Union have hung him after they won, simply for being in support of the other side and knowing a lot? Just a thought.
I saw it as dignified, also, like the soldiers may hold the power but he is still a gentleman. That description holds more weight, with me, than his dignified appearance.
The fact that he is focused on the unfairness of being shot seems hilarious to me, seeing as how he didn’t question the justice of being hanged or drowned. The whole situation seems a little unfair to me.
This paragraph is such a contrast to the paragraph that ended the last section. There you see him in a noose, but here he is portrayed as an everyday hero- a man dedicated to his cause, who worked honestly and thoroughly. Causes the reader to wonder what such a good person could’ve done to deserve death, which shows that it didn’t take much.
The ticking of his watch being amplified to that of a blacksmith’s anvil shows how much he was truly dreading the impending drop. Every second seemed labored, every tick was one less second he had to live, and the gravity of the situation was becoming clearer as he was distracted from pleasant memories.
His gaze wandering to the madly-racing stream beneath him also represents his mind, most likely swirling with memories, last thoughts, and, as it foreshadows in the last line, possible thoughts of escape.
I agree, Amanda, and I also think the use of the word “loopholed”, though in reference to rifles in context, was intentional. As we all know, this has another meaning- something used to get out of a situation, in this case a possible escape plan as he’s viewing this scenery around him.
I think the importance of this “awkward” description is not only to show how uninvolved the soldiers are trying to be, but also to symbolize how awkward it is for someone to die before it naturally happens, prematurely ending life–how sudden and without closure.