What Really Happened

What Really Happened is Madge McKeithen’s recollection of the process that she took in order to visit the murderer of one of her old college friends. It includes every step of the task, from looking up the prisoner ID of the murderer to visiting him, seeking resolution. At the end of the essay, it is revealed that the murderer was the husband of the unnamed friend. McKeithen is a teacher at The New School and has worked as a researcher and editor ("Madge McKeithen"). In an interview with Charlotte Viewpoint, McKeithen reveals that this essay is autobiographical, making her the most credible person to tell the story ("The Luxury of Writing: Madge McKeithen Speaks."). What Really Happened was published in TriQuarterly, a journal compiled by Northwestern University, allowing the reader to assume that it is for a mature, well-educated audience. Given that the essay involves losing an old friend, it would probably be more emotionally effective on an audience old enough to have seen friendships fade away.

The main events take place 13 years after the murder, when McKeithen is turning 50. She notes that she is married, keeps in touch with the rest of her college friends, and most importantly, has not yet resolved her emotions about the murder. As it is most likely that McKeithen wrote this essay as she went through the process herself, I assume that the main purpose of hers was to motivate herself to continue the process.

The most noticeable strategy that McKeithen employed in this essay was her choice to write in entirely second person commands (ex: “Walk to the river. Walk along the river for a while. Watch normal people doing normal things,”). This allows the essay to be read as a step-by-step guide to meeting a prisoner, perhaps giving McKeithen the motivation to continue. McKeithen also uses no proper nouns, choosing pronouns instead. This ensures that the story remains personal to McKeithen, as she, not the reader, knows the names of those involved. Given that McKeithen quite clearly accomplishes her goal of meeting with the murderer before the end of the story, it is obvious that her purpose is achieved.

A step-by-step guide to dancing the Charleston, comparable to the guide that McKeithen's What Really Happened is.

Provided by The Telegraph. <Source>

Sources:

"Madge McKeithen." MadgeMcKeithen.com. Madge McKeithen, n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.

McKeithen, Madge. "The Luxury of Writing: Madge McKeithen Speaks." Interview by Lacey Lyons. CharlotteViewpoint.org. Charlotte Viewpoint, 29 Aug. 2010. Web. 27 Aug. 2013. <http://www.charlotteviewpoint.org/article/211/The-Luxury-of-Writing---Madge-McKeithen-on-Poetry->.

Image:

Do the Stravinsky. Digital image. Telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 23 May 2008. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.