Metacognition: Short Story

Writing my short story allowed me to really understand pressure. As I went through each revision I looked for spots in which additional levels of pressure could be added to further develop the characters shift. I began to realize pressure could be as simple as getting into an argument or standing in a closet with no need for death or other elements of drama. Pressure could be more realistic and normal such as getting fired or fighting with a parent.

I was surprised by how this thinking allowed my mind to work. Pressure began to become a key part of my creative process. I would use the plot to think of how pressure can build throughout the story. I now see how this use of pressure in my thinking about writing can now be used in other regards to further the message or point of my thought such as if I am someday making a documentary or political ad, I could try to use this thinking.

I begin to see stories in terms of the pressure put on characters. Coming this realization now allows my mind to think much more creatively but also understand other works of art by identifying the artful use of pressure such as in Jane Eyre. I know pay close attention to when pressure is being placed on her and can easily identify it. An example would be the scene in which Jane is in the room with the injured Mr.Mason, there is so much pressured going on. Worrying the door may open, Mr. Mason may die, how they can't talk and other levels. Its just creates a great scene.

Moving forward. being able utilize this skill would greatly improve my writing capabilities. I can continue to work to improve this though. In my short story I had several levels of pressure that I added after every revision but if I could yet another revision I feel there is even more potential pressure. In the future, I will work to see this pressure to allow me to gain a general level or mastery over writing good stories.

An Inconvenient Truth: Seeing is difficult

In both Cathedral and King Lear, they present a significant truth; that sight is sometimes only for those that can't see. In the Cathedral, it takes the blind man to teach a seeing man to see. In King Lear, Gloucester looses his eyes before he able to see at all.

What can be taken from this, is that in order to fully see something you must give up on only sight. In the world today, things appear better than they may actually be.

An historical example would be how in the Reagan administration, he lowered the effective tax rate, which at a first sight seemed to be a great idea with only benefits; the only clear choice, similar to how in the "Cathedral" the narrator seemed black and white in the early stages of the story. Now looking back, many of us our blind to this benefit and see how in reality he closed co many loop-holes in the tax code that he really raised taxes. In King Lear, Gloucester trusted Edmund with his life which turned out to be the wrong choice; it was fake, similar to these tax cuts.

Another example is the cause of the financial collapse of 2008. The mortgages that were in reality junk were being passed off as great investments. The investors just blindly invested. Once people discovered that these investments were junk the whole industry went bust. It took an entire financial crash for them to see just like how Gloucester lost his eyes, Lear lost his kingdom, and the man from the "Cathedral" lost his relationship with his wife before they began to see.

Now coming to terms with this, there will always be things that I am blind to and it is up to me maneuver around them; even though I cannot see them. I will have to try to look at things from more ways than one. Additionally  exposing myself to many levels, such as talking to the metaphoric blind man that can see what I blind to.