Something I never thought about including in my writing is being vague. I feel as though I was always told to add detail, detail, and detail into my writing to help the reader understand what I am trying to say. However, after being exposed to works such as the one included in this section, I now realize that vagueness in writing can actually help the reader get the big picture. Being vague gives the audience an opportunity to wonder and to think of the various possible messages the author might be trying to communicate. Vagueness, much like poetry, also provides certain freedom which allows the audience to think and reflect on their own about what the text might mean. Without having the meaning or purpose directly handed to them at first or at all, they actually have the time to think deeply. While vagueness is an element that might seem annoying and difficult to comprehend to the reader, it is also a technique that I find to be extremely hard to achieve. However, when done correctly, the reader benefits from the element being a part of the text. This section includes my analysis of this element in one of Primo Levi’s works and presents the power of being vague in writing.
