Response to "Those Who Stay and Those Who Go"

In “Those Who Stay and Those Who Go”, Ann Daum talks about her life in a small country town, and does so using some interesting techniques. First, I would like to say that this piece was great, because I really felt like I could relate to it. While I am not from South Dakota, I know what it is like to feel like you have outgrown my hometown as well as the concept of “those who stay and those who go”, which is prevalent in my small hometown in Ohio as well.  With the exception of the special details of her life, it almost sounds like I could have written this, I kid you not. The specific writing choice that Daum uses that I would like to talk about is her use of short, staccato sentences. This short separatedness has an impact of the way the story is told because it enhances the difference that time and distance has on a person’s mind as well as their relationships. For example, “Clouds moving across the sun. The grass that holds the prairie dirt. Thirsty roots sunk deep.”