Emulate author

Plot/structure

Anthony Doerr’s structure of writing contains the switching of stories and perspectives of characters in each chapter. For example, In “All the Light We Cannot See” the chapters begin with a description of Marie Laure’s environment and what she is doing and in the next chapter switch to a description of Werner Pfenning and what he is experiencing Another example of this structure of writing is in Doerr’s novel “Cloud Cuckoo Land”. Doerr switches between five different stories and perspectives in each chapter. In “Cloud Cuckoo Land” Doerr not only switches perspectives but stories. The characters' time period and what they are experiencing differ, but ultimately have some aspect of relation in the end.

Setting

Doerr incorporates history and realistic events into his writing. “All the Light We Cannot See” primarily takes place during World War II. Another example is in “Cloud Cuckoo Land”, Anna lives in Constantinople during a time of conflict which is a historical event. Doerr has explained in an interview how he does extensive research on these areas to make sure that the setting and other factors are as accurate as possible. Also in “Cloud Cuckoo Land”, Doerr creates a character, Zeno, who becomes a prisoner of war in the Korean War. While these characters are not real, the events that surround them are historically correct and seem to be a significant part in Doerr’s writing.

Characters

Anthony Doerr has tended to include disabled characters in his writing. He uses not only physical, but also neurological disorders. On the physical side Doerr implements blindness in the novel “All the Light We Cannot See”. He portrays Marie-Laure as becoming blind and learning how to navigate life with this new disability. She learns to use her other senses and become successful. Another example is in the novel “Cloud Cuckoo Land” Doerr incorporates a character who has autism named Seamore. Seamore has intense sensory overload and can get overwhelmed very easily. He also has an obsession with nature and protecting it.

Annie

The unsinkable ship, ten levels tall, was set sail over the dark ocean. The water’s usual glow was lacking from the absence of the moon. The fifth level, E deck, while not as luxurious as the top, was a comfortable fit for its inhabitants. Annie, a 12 year old girl, lay staring up at the ceiling unable to fall asleep. Her brother lay next to her deep in sleep snoring loudly. His nuisance of a snore would’ve been the reason for her inability to doze off if it weren’t for her lack of hearing. Deaf since birth, Annie has never even heard the voice of her brother.

William

William had been elated to join the glamorous voyage known as the Titanic. His family was not extremely wealthy and they were content with benefits of the fifth level. William had spent the day with his new friends throughout the boat. They ran around the deck as well as played numerous board and card games. While William was satisfied with his time spent on the boat, he had a sense of guilt because of his sister’s apparent forlornness. Because Annie is deaf, it created obstacles for her communication and her ability to make new friends. William had tried to include her in as much as possible, but it was a difficult undertaking. After hours of playing and exploring, William passed out from exhaustion.

Annie

After what seemed like an eternity of trying to turn off her thoughts, Annie decided to explore. The E deck was the largest and most complex of the decks, making it difficult to navigate. Annie was quickly mesmerized by the views that displayed themselves through the porthole. The water gave Annie almost an eerie feeling. It was dark and the night was still. Only stars shown through the night, making it difficult to decipher between horizon and sea.

William

William was startled awake by a harsh force. All the passengers in the cabin awoke at once looking around confused. William realized shortly Annie was not by his side as she had been before. Passengers started emerging from their rooms in curiosity on what had awoken them. Soon the message had traveled through the boat, alerting that the seemingly unsinkable ship had hit an iceberg. Panic had set in.

Annie

The thud almost knocked Annie to the ground. People emerged from all quarters and crowded through the hallway. Annie was startled by the force and was now confused about what was happening. At this moment Annie attempted to go back to her cabin when she came to the realization that she didn’t know where it was and she was lost.

William

Chaos erupted as passengers tried to piece together the issues and understand the significance of the danger, but all William was concerned with was finding his sister. William pushed through crowds in an urgent attempt to find Annie when he started to hear shrieks. Water had made it to their level and broke through the numerous portholes. People ran in fear and attempted to escape, but were ultimately blocked by the gates. The water tore through the hall with an icy touch. William continued his search at a rapid pace, violent water treading behind. Just as William was about to give up hope catches a glimpse of Annie, looking dazed and confused. He shouts her name, forgetting the uselessness of the action.

Annie

Annie walks through the halls aimlessly, being eaten up by the worried crowd. She has little knowledge of the situation. The only aspect showing her the reality is the petrified looks of the people around her. She may not be sure of the events, but she was sure it was bad. A new rush of passengers push by knocking her to the ground. Just as she hits she notices her brother running towards, fear in his eyes. A monstrous wave of coldness, not far behind rages closer and folds over passengers as if consuming them. Though Annie cannot hear the shrieks she vividly sees the terror wrapped up in the passengers and their last moments before being swallowed by the icy wave.

Plot/Structure

Because Doerr implements a structure of switiching between characters, I structured the emulation as switching between the two main characters, Annie and William. Also because most of Doerr's writing is in third person I incorporated both of their stories in that sense instead of showing their first person perspectives for each part.

Setting

Doerr uses many historical events in his novels. I incorporated the events on the Titanic to mimic his approach. Doerr has also stated he put an exorbitant amount of research into his choice of historical events. I researched the different levels or decks of the Titanic. I also researched many other parts including the description of the ocean view from the porthole.

Character

Doerr has utilized disabled characters in multiple of his writings. I incorporated a deaf character into my emulation. Doerr incorporates both neurological and physical disabilities in his writing. Annie can be seen with both by being deaf and also dealing with the social dysfuntion that present themselves with the disability.

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