The Significance of Verse Structure in "Sold"

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   In the Young Adult novel, Sold, Patricia McCormick puts the horrific accounts of sexual slavery under a microscope. The audience examines the experiences of these unspeakable horrors through the lens of thirteen-year old, Lakshmi. Although difficult to read and imagine, the novel was undeniably a page turner. One of my favorite characteristics of the novel has to be it's verse structure, as well as, the titles/headers of each verse. I believe the inclusion of verse titles definitely holds significant value. 

    Prior to reading Sold, I had never been exposed to this verse format within a novel. I am used to the traditional format of verses only existing within poetry. I believe McCormick included this technique of verse writing for a few reasons. First, for the purpose of time traveling through Lakshmi's life. If this novel, was written in the traditional prose structure, McCormick would've of been forced to either deliver the events of Lakshmi's life in order including every transition from scene to scene or make it explicitly obvious to the readers of a scene change. In contrast, with using the technique of verse structure, McCormick could present the transition of different events effortlessly by assigning each scene it's own title and 'time to shine'. Secondly, for organization purposes: the verse structure allows the audience to easily organize the order of events in the narrator's life- which results in an easier read and comprehension for the readers. I found the verse structure interesting because it made me constantly want more. Once I read one verse, or chapter, it was easy to simply continue reading. I kept saying to myself, "one more chapter," then next thing I knew, I was finished with the novel! Lastly, I think another reason McCormick chose this structure option, was to set up each chapter as if it were a diary entry, perhaps, entries from Lakshmi's journal. Ultimately, the verse format, serves as an empathetic tacit for the the audience. In my opinion, it made the novel more personal; it made it more conversational, as if Lakshmi were talking directly to us about her trials and tribulations. It was heartbreaking yet impactful to learn the stories of many adolescents who have endured the horrors of sexual slavery, especially from the perspective of one. 

    Also, I think it is important to mention the significance of including titles of each verse. I absoultely loved the titles: "The Difference Between a Son and a Daughter," (8) "Everything I Need to Know," (15) "A Tiny Earthquake," (48) "What I Carry," (60) "Sold" (105) The fact that McCormick decided to name each verse instead of labeling these as numbered chapters, I believe is very significant. The titles/headers give emphasizes on what the subject of the verse will be. For me, the titles made me more ager to continue reading the novel. In conclusion, McCormick's master plan to organize the the novel in verse format was ingenious and in reflection Sold was beautifully crafted. 

Comments

  1. Todd WhittakerOctober 2, 2020 at 4:36 PM

    Aniya, I discussed the poetic structure, too. I wrote about it a little bit in my post, but I want to throw the idea out to you here that perhaps the poetic structure isn't there to make the content easier to read, but harder to ignore. The poetry is so light, and at times really beautiful, and it makes the content of the novel hit hard.

    I'm really not sure why the author made the choice to write in verse, but I think the writing can have several effects on the reader depending on personal experiences, mindsets, other things they have read, et cetera.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kels SalernoOctober 4, 2020 at 10:26 AM

    Aniya, I'm glad you mentioned the significane of the titles to each verse because this was something I initally wanted to mention but forgot. For me, the titles said it all once I noticed them.

    ReplyDelete

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