Exploring Loss and Detachment in 'The Fourth State of Matter'

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Recommended: Management of grief

Derek Rhoades-DiLiberti Professor Mary Sheffield-Gentry LIT2010: Interpretation of Fiction September 29, 2017 Plasma and Detachment In her essay, “The Fourth State of Matter”, Jo Ann Beard ruminates over the idea of plasma as a state of matter while dealing with the disintegration of her marriage, the death of her dog, and the violent deaths of her friend and colleagues. The tone, dialogue, and reflections in her essay mirror the detached bewilderment Beard feels while trying to make sense of the loss around her. Beard’s tone throughout the essay is reflective and detached. Even at the moments of immediacy--during the shooting, when Beard is talking to her friends and coworkers--Beard’s tone makes it apparent that the events she relates are

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