Visual strategies in Valerie Laken’s story, “Separate Kingdoms”

1. In every single page, there are two separate columns. Laken chose this way to emphasize there are two separate Kingdoms.

2. Using the column bridges, she wants to show two stories occur at the same time.

3. Repeating some sound such as “Duh. Guh. Duh Guh …” and “pater Pater pater” makes a semantic value of a text transform into the image of the rhythm.

4. As jack plays his drum, there are some different patterns of typography such as “Duh. Guh. duh. guh…” and “pa ter pa ter pa ter Pat pa...” It indicates the volume of sound and rhythms of sound.

5. She uses the italic font in some parts.

The purpose of Separate Kingdom

In the story “Separate Kingdom,” Valerie Laken seems to try to explain having difficulty understanding the suffering of others from the viewpoint of someone else. Although the author provides two perspectives in two stories, it is hard to figure out Colt’s thought because those perspectives are not in Colt’s view. However, Colt’s wife and his son, in the end of story, try to understand Colt’s pains by changing the view point of him. Furthermore, for this story, she might want to show the way how to understand someone’s sufferings.