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The Treacherous Second Person | 11 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)

the second person (4.00/1) (#9)
by Anonymous Writer on Sat Jul 30, 2005 at 05:20:53 PM PST

I am Christopher J. Stephens, author of the BOSTON METRO column quoted in this thread-"Your memory is there as blessing and curse." [I was not sure how to immediately create an account. This should explain "Anonymous writer."]
I appreciate the comments/critiques of my writing. 2nd person can definitely be a deceptive and deceitful technique. It's risky to use, but I hope I was able to more or less pull it off here.

: Thanks for responding (3.00/0) (#11)
by sabeth on Fri Aug 05, 2005 at 10:50:17 AM PST

This essay was mostly an exploration of the risks involved in using the second person -- not only does the author have to walk a thin line between engaging and alienating the audience, that line lies somewhere different for almost every reader. I feel your piece straddled the line, but in the end it was effective and (no pun intended) memorable.

--ich sage nicht, was ich will, sondern was die Sprache will--
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The Treacherous Second Person | 11 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)

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