Response to "I'm Just Getting to the Disturbing Part"

Steven Church's "I'm Just Getting to the Disturbing Part," ties together the drowning he once witnessed with the death of his brother and ponders the impact the incident might have on his own child. Tying all of this together the author gets informs us of what these tragedies mean to him on a larger scale. When he includes the little inserts like "Let me tell you what I don't know..." and "Here is what I haven't told you..." I think a few things are accomplished. He makes the essay more personal by speaking to the reader directly. He also plays with the chronology of the story and doing so makes the story richer and more dynamic. Jumping around in time also shows us that he is reflecting and wants us to do the same, so that we know that we are supposed to be taking what he is telling us in and processing it with a bigger picture in mind. In terms of that bigger picture, I feel like he is describing the way a past experience will have unknown effects on the future and also that because he is aware of this, he wants to ensure that his own child will not be affected by what torments his own psyche. The message I found in the story is related to the fine line between life and death and the conflict the author is dealing with in trying to reconcile his feelings about it so that he can infuse his son with a healthy excitement for life.