El Mar hid behind the soft haze of the city’s bright
lights and night time smog. It seemed if
you leaned over the railing it would be almost visible from the top of the
tower, hiding behind the soft brush strokes of the distant high-rises and tenement
buildings. The city couldn’t stifle the stars however. They shone bright and
clear overhead, broken only by the occasional plane or stray firework either
cast by accident or by too eager revelers, straining to cut loose from the normal ties of
daily life and take part in their week of debauchery.
If he turned
he knew he would see the distant foothills and not-quite mountains in the distant
countryside purple and majestic against the Spanish sky. They slept silently,
unaware of the growing and seething turmoil that was about to be unleashed
beneath them. Voices from below reached up
from the distant ground. A smooth glance down revealed a growing crowd, drunken
shouts and stumbles were matched side by side with dignified and ancient
Falleras garbed in the dress of their ancestors, all eyes were turned to the
night sky. Twelve times the church bells rang , proclaiming the storms arrival.
The hush that followed was ripped open with screeches, whistles and screams as
the still and blank night sky was painted with joyous explosions. Fallas had
come to Valencia.
This post works very well as an interactive text. The text holds a strong and meaningful relationship with both the background picture, and the main picture. Both pictures serve to create a sense of place and enhance the image in the readers mind.
ReplyDeleteThe opening sentence describes the soft haze of the city’s bright lights. The background image compliments this description perfectly, allowing the readers to lose themselves in the setting no matter where they look on the screen.
There’s also a strong contrast between the desolate, calm countryside and the violent explosions and urban setting that take place at the end of the post. Between nature, and man-made destruction. They almost seem to be battling each other when the author says things like, “The city couldn’t stifle the stars however.” Both are happening in the same place, and they appear to be fighting over territory. Seeing both sides is a matter of where the subject turns.
The description of the people also serves to create tension and contrast. Half are drunk, shouting, and setting off fireworks. And some are, “dignified and ancient Falleras garbed in the dress of their ancestors.” You get a sense that things could go wrong. And some sort of chaotic riot could break out at any moment.
The title works very well with the story. Comienzo translates to “beginning” in Spanish. The whole text is chronicling the start of Fallas in Valencia, but not just the start. The precise start. The very moments that take place before Fallas begins. The author slows down time and highlights the exact details of these moments. From the people, to the landscape, to the color of the sky, the author creates a strong and vivid tension that is finally broken by the chaotic beauty of the fireworks. Nature and man blend in one, and unanimously celebrate.