Reflection on Talk by Trudie Strobel: Katriana Galloway

Katriana Galloway

Period G

Reflection on Talk by Trudie Strobel

I was given the opportunity to truly recognize the difference between hearing about an event and listening to a story. To listen to a story is to watch as one unfolds his or her memories, the details they provide in the process forming a strong realistic aspect in the speaker’s accounts that cannot be achieved through the simple sharing of facts. I was able to gain an understanding from listening to Trudie tell her own story that far transcends what I could have gained from a lecture or documentary. The ways in which Trudie paused between words, shaped her phrases, stressed specific adjectives, and altered her facial expressions throughout were all notable contributors to the emotional journey she guided me and the other audience members through.

I also took great pleasure in knowing that I was on the receiving end of one of the few authentic,
first-hand accounts of the Holocaust that are still available to us today. I feel very fortunate to have had the unique experience of hearing such a story in its most genuine and pure form, absolute in its inherent incorporation of the speaker’s emotions and in its capacity to deliver these emotions to and have an unparalleled impact on the audience.