![]() ![]() They are different ethnicity, gender, race, religion, experiencing very different experiences at the same year of age. The meaning of the piece is very much built on this idea: multiple children (we’re not sure how many) telling their stories all at once. It wasn’t until about half-way through that I realized Potts was using the voices of a multitude of children, not just reciting the story of one. The identity of the speaker, though, is very much a mystery. In each sentence, Potts is sure to use the phrase “when I was nine (or eight or seven…)” to ensure that the age of the speaker is the focus, and so that the reader recognizes the magnitude of the events. ![]() It isn’t so much the “who” as the “what” that matters. The structure of the piece is such that the age of the speaker is very much the focal point. In each segment, the speaker reflects on the dramatic or important happening of that year of their life. The piece is a lyric essay divided into years, age birth through nine. It made me feel very sad, and then very happy, but mostly just confused, at first, as to how all of these things could have happened to a single person growing up. ![]() Just read it, without any background, exactly as Potts has written it. ![]() If you haven’t read “Age, Formative” by Rolf Potts, do it. ![]()
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