I am really enjoying the turn we have taken in regards to our reading assignments. I feel like there is something that fiction is able to do that non-fiction can't. I find myself preoccupied, when reading non-fiction, with facts and history. I get caught up in wondering if something really happened that way or if the truth is being distorted, etc. However with fiction it is much easier to let go of all that baggage. There are no rules and no criteria to fit in. Some things can be true and others can be made up but they all work together to reveal a theme or greater purpose.
I especially liked Requiem for a Leg. I think the strength of the piece comes from the absurdity of fighting over a dead man's leg. In one way it is just ridiculous and in another it draws attention to the complete injustice and blind ignorance that Native Americans have had to deal with on a constant basis. Because it is fiction it has the ability to really focus on purpose and the reader doesn't have to worry about the truth of its assertions.
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I agree that fiction allows the reader to free their mind from the idea of "truth." Although, I do feel it is important to consider historical context of the piece, the life of the author, and derive conclusion using these elements. I feel as though I have lost the ability to read without annotating in my head many different elements of the writing- at least for school readings.
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