Comments on Senioritis

As an education major I’ve had a lifelong love of school. Even now, as a university student I realize the great benefits school has afforded me. It really is a blessing that I have the finances to pursue a higher education. However, I know that nothing is perfect, and school is no exception. Throughout my life, there have been times when school seemed like the last place I wanted to be. My life seemed too hectic to bother with classes. This theme of life vs. school would be the basis for “Senioritis: The Wonder Disease.”

            An obvious stylistic comment that can be raised about this work is that I clearly was influenced by Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. First off, I did my best to include elements of poetry in the work. I use metaphor, rhyme, and repetition constantly, much like Alexie uses them in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. But aside from that, “Senioritis” also has a touch of the surreal; that's another thing I learned from reading Alexie. Time literally passes by in a blink in one section of my story.

            As in, “Gi Gayera” I wrote what was familiar to me. My experience as a homesick college student was a well of inspiration. I know all about loneliness, fake friends, and heartache; these experiences made writing this story a cinch. The motif of time passing by instantaneously is made to evoke the way some semesters pace themselves. There have been many times when I stand amazed at how fast a semester can be.

Like many of my stories, “Senioritis” was written between the hours of 12:00-6:00 in the morning. I find that I need absolute silence to do my best work, and unfortunately for me, my apartment and village don’t get quiet until I should be sleeping.

            In all honesty, I’m not quite sure what category of literature my piece fits into. It features an unnamed narrator with a story that could take place anywhere. This makes it fable like. Yet at the same time, fables are told with a certain detached quality to them. My story seems intimate, and my character has enough idiosyncrasies for people to say this is a short story.Whether or not this ambiguous nature detracts from enjoyment, I don't know. I enjoyed writing it, but perhaps it is too strange for some tastes.


For this piece I'd give myself a 85%