Thornton Academy – AP Language 2018-2019

With his articles, including “Trial by Fire,” “Yankee Comandante,” and “The Lost City of Z,” David Grann establishes quite the trademark for himself concerning style. Despite the range of subjects covered in his writings, there is a touch to each of them that is noticeably him, recognizable to the reader when they partake in his work. David Grann has made his voice as a writer discernable, combining elements of newslike jargon and dramatic storytelling in order to relay to his audiences real-life instances full of intrigue and controversy.

    One of David Grann’s most desirable traits as a writer is his unconventional way of writing nonfiction. His pieces are quite dramatic, with some sections of his articles stylized in a way more similar to novels rather than essays. He employes a strong use of description and emotion, setting the scene for his readers and ensuring that he creates an image in their heads. This tactic can be observed in “Trial by Fire” with the description of Todd Willingham’s home going up in flames, a picturesque and terrifying scene being laid out, alluding to the reader that something has gone terribly wrong without alerting them to the details of the situation immediately. Grann does not necessarily lay out the facts of any events he writes about in perfect, list-like order. While he does include sections that more closely resemble newspaper articles, telling events exactly as they occurred without much flourish or alluring working, it is the inclusion of passages that do follow this pattern that make his work recognizable.

    Another component of Grann’s work that aids in identifying it as his is the seeming focus around figures or situations that have at least some bit of controversy around them. “Trial by Fire” revolves around a man accused of committing arson and murdering his infant children, “Yankee Comandante” tells the story of an ex-paratrooper and his sudden immigration to Cuba to join forces with the freedom fighters against Fulgencio Batista, and “The Lost City of Z” circulates around a vanished explorer and his obsession over finding a lost city in the Amazon. The figures that occupy Grann’s stories are ones not often talked about it seems, ones who have almost fallen off of the radar, and it seems to be his intention to not only write about individuals who would be hailed as heroes. Percy Fawcett, the main subject of “The Lost City of Z,” was not really a heroic explorer, but more simply a racist who did not end up discovering anything, not known about that is. Todd Willingham was the main suspect for the murder of his children and burning down of his house, eventually executed for the crime. William Alexander Morgan left suddenly from his home in Ohio, joining the fight for a rebel cause in Cuba, an individual also eventually executed for his actions. These are not perfect individuals, some far from it in fact, but are the ones that it seems Grann wishes to bring into the mainstream spotlight.

Often times authors write many pieces throughout their careers. Certain authors even have clear preferences and write only certain types of genres, or may even keep to one ongoing series of novels. Whatever the case may be, elements are consistently present that make certain writings seem like they are written by the same, or by different authors. Specifically, David Grann’s essays, Trial by Fire, Yankee Comandante, and The Lost City of Z, all have elements that make them appear to be written by Grann.

          Although, one still may argue that these essays seem like they were written by different authors due to aspects that made each essay seem like fiction versus non fiction. The essays about Todd Willingham and the missing explorer in the Amazon, have elements that would be commonly associated with a nonfiction writing, including arson investigation jargon, scientific evidence, facts about the conditions of the Amazon, and realistic information culture of natives. In contrast, Grann’s essay about William Morgan may seem fictitious due to an overload of far-fetched details, such as Morgan running away to the circus, or the fact that Olga was a woman rebel, married an American Castro supporter (Morgan) and later escaped to America. This argument may seem understandable, but it holds no merit. That’s because it is a subjective argument and details or information that seem unrealistic and fictitious to one person, may seem completely realistic to another. Thus, no definite difference in genre between the three essays can be accurately noted based off given detail.

          Truly, when referring to plot these essays are completely unalike. The first is all about an arson based murder trial, the second revolves around the life of an American who took part in the revolution of Cuba, and the last deals with the search of the remains of an explorer and an ancient city. But, when examined closely, it is evident that overarching similar patterns are present in each. This includes similar tone and style including diction and imagery. These widespread similarities in all three essays overpower the differing plots and make it evident that the same author is responsible for all writings.