Gutted by Trafford, Matthew

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"Gutted" by Trafford, Matthew
The article "Gutted" by Trafford Matthew uses the idea of realism in representing its ideas by the descriptions given of events, people and places. The essay begins by showing how heavy the hand of the persona`s father, James Merrigan, was. The persona states that ‘my father laid his heavy hand on my shoulder and coaxed me awake.` This statement helps us understand that the father was a huge person and thus enabling we get a picture of him, even though we cannot really see him (Trafford, 31). In addition to this, the essay also shows that the father was a failure in life by describing his failed projects. First, it is stated that he had laid the foundation for an observatory, and secondly there is the rusting skeleton of a rocket ship he had tried to construct. These two examples help us understand who this person was, and the essay further shows us that his skills were ordinary. James Merrigan is also shown to be an angry, disorganized and violent person in life. For instance, the essay shows that he slurring and angrily tried to teach the son some of the things he knew, like how to gut a fish and when the son failed to get the idea, he called him a useless piece of shit and eventually chopped off the tip of his finger because of anger; and had tried to stitch it up using irregular stitches. In addition, James Merrigan is clearly portrayed as a drunkard (Trafford, 32).
The mermaid that James Merrigan had caught from the sea is described to show us her real appearance. The essay shows that it had a large tail, breasts, slate grey and smooth lower body, and well defined abdominal muscles among other features. This description helps us understand how different this fish was from the others and helps us get an imaginary picture of what it looked like (Trafford, 33). In real life, a mermaid does not exist but the essay uses the realism technique to describe exactly what it looks like.
The manner in which certain activities are carried out is also described realistically. For example, it is shown that James Merrigan guts a fish in one swift motion. This helps us understand how he was skilled in this activity and how he carried out this activity. In addition, the essay describes how James Merrigan and the son butchered the mermaid he had caught by stating that this was done starting with a Y-incision, just like a real autopsy (Trafford, 34). From this explanation, it makes it possible for one to clearly see this process by comparing it to an autopsy.
The description of places in the essay is also made a...