Response to Shadow of a Nation

Gary Smith utilizes out of the box descriptors for people and their actions in "Shadow of a Nation." Instead of people simply dealing with alcoholism and being impoverished, they are, "racked by alcohol and poverty" (page 221). People "huddle" and "sprawl" instead of being simply being described as dejected, and most noticeably is the way that Jonathan Takes Enemy constantly was written as looking down, eyes averted from others, always quiet. Smith showed that Jonathan was shy and conflicted without having to say he was, just as he utilized the descriptors to show how his characters were feeling or what they were thinking instead of having to spell it out to the reader. This, I believe, is what made the description of people so real and captivating; it gave the reader the job to recognize those descriptions and connect them to thoughts and emotions, rather than being force-fed the information.