Twenty-Three Snapshots of San Francisco

Twenty-Three Snapshots of San Francisco succeeds in portraying a post-apocalyptic setting in which the narrator presents commentary through visual description. In explaining what has occurred in each of the photos taken, the narrator creates a vivid image in the minds of the audience, allowing us to become more mentally and emotionally invested in the story. Though the sequence of events is somewhat choppy—for the narrator has only captured certain aspects of the time period—it allows for the audience to make assumptions about what occurred, or simply leaves us wondering. This technique is effective in that it allows the audience to predict what the next photo in the sequence will hold. The events are disconnected through such a presentation, but it allows for a more shocking and entertaining plot progression that is more difficult to follow.

The concept of being “ex-humanity” was extremely fascinating to me. Described as “creatures who have abandoned their intelligence for some razor sense of cunning,” being ex-human essentially creates a sense of war between two separate species. I can’t help but wonder if there exists an ex-human aspect of modern society. Though they may not be creature-like and cannibalistic, the idea of ex-humanity may be applicable to modern society in that decreased intelligence yields a sense of cunning.