Representations of Trauma

Of all the readings this week, I found Randell’s essay “Speaking the Unspeakable” the most thought provoking. I was particularly interested by her discussion of the representation of trauma through television and cinema and the forms it takes through each medium. It had never before occurred to me that television is used to depict the informational aspect of trauma, while cinema is used to harvest collective trauma for entertainment purposes.
It was interesting, also, to note the different ways in which each of these video mediums goes about representing trauma. On television, live news coverage displayed during or immediately after a traumatic event is very fragmented. News is presented to the viewer in short, flashing clips from multiple channels and sources all at once. This fragmentation of the traumatic event serves not only to diffuse the tragedy and make it easier for the viewer to comprehend, but also relates to the fragmented way in which the human brain itself experiences the shock of trauma. Cinema, on the other hand, works to diffuse the trauma through incorporating it into various fantasy narratives. This displaces the trauma from any lived experiences and memories the viewer might have, and although the depiction of the trauma itself will still most likely evoke personal memories, the fantasy of the film allows for the translation of trauma for entertainment purposes.