Ken Burns on Storytelling, Article Review Example

One plus one equals three according to Ken Burns who says that storytelling is concerned with finding the core of an event and exploring the ramifications of such happenings. The celebrated historical fiction writer explains his method for writing that he says is a matter of finding, “The hole [that] is greater than the sum of the parts … that’s the three.”

In many ways one  can see the “three” in Burns’ own retelling of history. Although his mother passed away when he was a young, the writer still cherishes memories of her in his psyche. So, in this manner, not only is Kevin’s storytelling a way to introduce a different perspective to classic events, but it is also a way for him to bring life to death and pay homage to his late mother.

While I too believe that storytelling is a good way to pay homage to ancestors, I do not entirely agree with Kevin’s claim of oral recollection being a manipulative practice. It is true that the goal of some writers is to persuade the audience to support their point of view, but not all creators desire to control readers to the extent of changing ideologies. Most writers simply desire to share their perspective and tell a good story. Whether or not readers take what is being stated and make life changes is their prerogative.

Still in all, I believe that Ken Burns and his idea of storytelling being more than simply putting words to paper is accurate. The central goal of any creator is to research and showcase the root cause of events that take place in society. In many cases, the in-depth side of the story causes one plus one to equal three.