For this weeks writing topic summary, I will be answering the question "What is the significance of the title?"
Sarah Vowell's essay titled Shooting Dad is a short story about the author and her father's relationship while she was growing up. From the way she described him, they seemed to be polar opposites in almost every aspect of a relation, but I think the biggest difference was he was a Republican gun lover, and she was a Democratic musician and poet. She seemed to think that she had almost nothing in common with her dad, and seemed to be embarrassed by the kind of person he was. They didn't agree on too many things, and frequently got into arguments. Their differences even caused them to create separate "countries" within the household, where one or the other was the ruler. Her differences with her dad also caused a strained relationship with her twin sister, who found their dad's lifestyle agreeable.
As she got older, she found that she wanted to be a "better daughter" to her dad, and figured the way to realize that was to try and understand her dad's relationship with guns.
Her dad had built a cannon, which to him, might have represented his cultural beliefs and family history. He spent a lot of time on it, and seemed to have poured a lot of his soul into building it. Sarah surprised him one day by telling him she wanted to watch him fire the cannon. The very first time she had fired a gun, as a child, she knew then that she wanted nothing to do with it. But after witnessing the firing of the cannon, she wasn't scared, nor repulsed. She actually thought it was "really, really cool." Here is where she realized that she does have respect for her dad's passion, and notices that her father and her are very similar people. She starts to understand that her dad is artist in his own right, just as anyone who creates music or performs.
Her fathers wishes for his ashes to be blown out of the cannon are respected by her so much that she ties the booming, deafening sound of the cannon to the noise of music that she loves so much. "Shooting Dad" is a literal, and emotional response to her accepting her dad for who he is, and showing him that she is the same.
I really enjoyed reading this article. I agree with you when you stated that it seemed as if they were completely opposited while she was growing up. It's funny how when we are younger our perspectives of things are completely different than when we grow up. Also, when we grow up we tend to want that relationship with our families and to be close to them. Thanks for sharing I enjoyed your response.
ReplyDeleteDina
Hello Carrie,
ReplyDeleteI think that you brought out a good point about how when Sarah reach out to understand her father and his passion that she had respect for his beliefs and passions. Wouldn't it be great if all children and parents could work to break the barrier of differences that exist between them? This something that I actively work on and think it is so important because life is short and you never know when your parent will pass on and you just might miss that chance to experience the bond between you two.
Mandy Ericson