"The Resplendent Quetzal" by Margaret Atwood is a short story that focuses on the dysfunction between a couple. Through the story we are able to witness the way the couple interacts and views one another after the death of their perfect baby. In Emily's performance she expresses the main theme of her reading is empathy, while I chose my passage to introduce the first signs of dysfunction between Sarah and Edward. Together we are able to see the same story through two different perspectives. Emily saw potential in the relationship where as I thought it should have been over long ago. Through both of our passages we are able to express our feelings and help one another see a different side of a complex story.
Emily chose to read a passage where one of the main characters, Sarah speaks of losing her baby
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She read her passage with strong emotion and clarity. She did not rush through her reading and therefore it did not feel as though she was in a hurry to end. I enjoyed listening to her because she was able to make Sarah's character come to life for me. The passage I chose to read was paragraphs 6-8. I picked these paragraphs because it is when the reader is introduced to the dysfunction in Sarah and Edwards relationship. I was very anxious upon reading. I tried my best to have a clear, loud voice and to go slow so I would not rush through and poorly express what I was trying to get across. I found it challenging, however, to determine a tone that I wanted to portray because I was not reading dialogue. I did however try to express an annoyance in my tone when I read the following sentence as I interpreted Sarah being annoyed of Edward, "[i]t wouldn't be so bad if he didn't insist on dragging her into everything" (Atwood, par.7). With my selected passage my goal was to sound as if I was telling a story to a group about a couple I knew. I did not want my reading to be flat and boring, although I am worried that it