"The Fine Art of Sighing" by Benard Cooper was explaining how it is to sigh. The details that he used were extraordinary. He explained what your body does, and what face expressions you put on when you sigh. I would have never been able to explain to someone what sighing really was. My favorite part of the passage was when it said "esophagus opens, diaphragm expands." I really liked this sentence because I think about breathing in real hard then letting out a wind of air.The author even explained how his mother always sighed, and the way he described gave me good visual details. I pictured a women who was stressed and sad, calling out the window for someone to come to her rescue.
Another story that I liked was "Things To Do Today." The first thing that came to mind when I read this is how is the character going to accomplish all these task. I liked this story because it was really unusual. It didn't seem as much as story but more of a "grocery list." The things in the story were also very random and made me think of what kind of crazy life this character had. I connected with line 22 "set the famous criminals free" because when I read it I immediately thought of my favorite rapper Lil Wayne who was in jail for about a year. In line 32 when the said "get the fuck out" it made me wonder what she was talking about. I wanted to know where she had to get out of and why that wouldn't be the first thing on her "To Do" list. I thought line number 50 "oversleep" was the best thing on the list because I would love to have someone tell me to do that. The last line 75 "rehabilitate the truth tellers" was odd. It made me think that the author dislike people who told the truth and wanted everyone to lie.
Overall, both of these stories were very interesting to me and something most people wouldn't write about. They both were different in there own way and also had a lot of details. In the "Things to do Today" story the list were the details within itself.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Essay Packet 1
I really enjoyed this Essay packet. All the stories were precise and to the point.
One of my favorites was the essay titled "Sunday." I enjoyed this one because I felt really connected to the author. I felt really connected to the author because I come from a background where my family could cook. Just like the author, my family views Sunday dinner as important. It’s like having thanksgiving every Sunday. It’s just a tradition we had from before I was born. So as I read this essay I kept having flashbacks about how my family gets together.
All of the essays had a specific structure and were informational. Most of them were from the authors/characters personal life.
One of my favorites was the essay titled "Sunday." I enjoyed this one because I felt really connected to the author. I felt really connected to the author because I come from a background where my family could cook. Just like the author, my family views Sunday dinner as important. It’s like having thanksgiving every Sunday. It’s just a tradition we had from before I was born. So as I read this essay I kept having flashbacks about how my family gets together.
Another story I enjoyed was “Mint Snowball.” I liked this story because I connected with this author. The way that the author explained how the mint snowball recipe was sold for one hundred dollars instead of passed down to the next generation mad me think about my life. This gave me a flashback of when I would go to my dad’s house for the weekend and all the new things my mom had brought for me, my dad would sell. Although it wasn’t the same situation it had a flashback to that because It made me think about how some people could easily sell their personal stuff.
Overall, I really enjoyed this essay packet. I’ve connected with this one personally more than any of the other’s we’ve read.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Falling Girl
The falling Girl by Dino Buzzati was about a nineteen year old girl named Marta. She seen a whole bunch of beautiful things over a ledge and decided to lean over the railing and let herself go. When Marta jumped she stayed in the air longer than all the other girls who jumped. As she floated down she had a few encounters with people.
I really like this story because had a lot of symbolization. It seem that the author was symbolizing class and status. She portrayed Marta as having ordinary, plain clothing on but the other girls and the people she encountered on the way down were are very fancy and dressed more elegant. The author wanted to show that people of higher class and status tend to have the upper hand. The tend to make their way through life quicker and "hit the ground faster." Also the fact that Marta never hit the ground symbolized that she didn't get where she needed to be.
The thing that confused me was why Martha was in a hurry? She kept saying she had somewhere to be but never said where. I also thought it was funny how people saw her falling and they thought it was interesting. it seem as if they should have helped her get to where she needed to be and fall as fast as others, but they just watched
As far as the language of the story, the author used a lot of visual details. She used words that symbolized higher wealth. Her story sounded very abstract, but the words in particular were very concrete. She also used a lot of adjectives to describe things.
Overall, I like the short story. It was precise, to the point, and detail oriented. I also like the message the author sent out to readers. The fact that higher class and status tends to get you further in life.
I really like this story because had a lot of symbolization. It seem that the author was symbolizing class and status. She portrayed Marta as having ordinary, plain clothing on but the other girls and the people she encountered on the way down were are very fancy and dressed more elegant. The author wanted to show that people of higher class and status tend to have the upper hand. The tend to make their way through life quicker and "hit the ground faster." Also the fact that Marta never hit the ground symbolized that she didn't get where she needed to be.
The thing that confused me was why Martha was in a hurry? She kept saying she had somewhere to be but never said where. I also thought it was funny how people saw her falling and they thought it was interesting. it seem as if they should have helped her get to where she needed to be and fall as fast as others, but they just watched
As far as the language of the story, the author used a lot of visual details. She used words that symbolized higher wealth. Her story sounded very abstract, but the words in particular were very concrete. She also used a lot of adjectives to describe things.
Overall, I like the short story. It was precise, to the point, and detail oriented. I also like the message the author sent out to readers. The fact that higher class and status tends to get you further in life.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Responce "To After That" part 2
After reading Gladman's book I started wondering. Through out the whole book she talked about how she had so much trouble writing books and how she ran out of things to talk about. This really shocked me because how was it that she could write a whole novel talking about a another novel, but not write one? It seems to me that she could have easily cruised through a book. In addition, Gladman used so much detail just describing her previous attempts. This also made me wonder why she didn't just use that for her failed novel.
The details that Gladman uses are endless. I believe she could have wrote plenty of Novels or Novella's. I fell that all the stories she used in "To After That," she could have made a story out of it. For example when she talks about people using cell phones. She could have turned that into a whole novel. I think it would have been interesting coming from her because she had such a dislike of people with cell phones.
The last thing I wonder about Gladman's Novel was why none of her Novella were ever published, but a book about them was? That was really odd to me because I feel like her actual book would be more interesting then talking about the book. Even though "To After That" was informative and detailed, it was boring. There really wasn't any point to it, nor was there any rising action like a story would have to keep the reader interested. I feel like I was reading every page hoping for it to be the last.
Overall Gladman's novel was nice. I would be really interested in reading a novella of hers if one was to ever come out.
The details that Gladman uses are endless. I believe she could have wrote plenty of Novels or Novella's. I fell that all the stories she used in "To After That," she could have made a story out of it. For example when she talks about people using cell phones. She could have turned that into a whole novel. I think it would have been interesting coming from her because she had such a dislike of people with cell phones.
The last thing I wonder about Gladman's Novel was why none of her Novella were ever published, but a book about them was? That was really odd to me because I feel like her actual book would be more interesting then talking about the book. Even though "To After That" was informative and detailed, it was boring. There really wasn't any point to it, nor was there any rising action like a story would have to keep the reader interested. I feel like I was reading every page hoping for it to be the last.
Overall Gladman's novel was nice. I would be really interested in reading a novella of hers if one was to ever come out.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
To After That
When I first start reading Gladman's book, she start off talking about her poems that she had written and how she wrote them. She begin talking about how she begin writing and how it was like an addition for her. She also talked about how it was hard for her to find titles to certain poems. That is why I think she titled this one "To After That." I sure it has some meaning though.
Gladman talked about how she always wrote no matter where she was at or what she was doing. She even explained about a time that she was writing her poems on a napkin and she combined it to what she already wrote and had about 25 pages. Later on in the book she talks about how she doesn't like cell phones. When I read this I was kind of shocked, because was thinking who isn't in love with cellular phones. Personally i can't live without mines.
I really like Gladman's work ethic, because she loves to write. It seems as if writing keeps her moving in life just as a heart keeps people living. You can tell that Gladman is really dedicated and what she does and has a lot of drive.
Gladman talked about how she always wrote no matter where she was at or what she was doing. She even explained about a time that she was writing her poems on a napkin and she combined it to what she already wrote and had about 25 pages. Later on in the book she talks about how she doesn't like cell phones. When I read this I was kind of shocked, because was thinking who isn't in love with cellular phones. Personally i can't live without mines.
I really like Gladman's work ethic, because she loves to write. It seems as if writing keeps her moving in life just as a heart keeps people living. You can tell that Gladman is really dedicated and what she does and has a lot of drive.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Mystery Stories
My favorite poem in the fiction one packet was the mystery stories. I really enjoyed reading these because all the poems seemed to tell a short story of some sort. They were all three to four lines long, but they gave a vivid detail of the topic.
All of the poems were funny to me, and some of them were odd. My favorite one was "The Talking Cat." This one was funny to me because it seemed as if the cat was jealous of the women. I also thought it was funny how the author turned the cat into a human being. The one that was odd to me is "poetry." It seems as if it was pointless to write a poem about. It just seemed dead ended to me.
I think the author titled this poem "Mystery Stories," because every poem the author wrote is a mystery. Every person could interpret each poem a different way and also create their own story to it. I think the author wanted the reader to create/finish the story.
The stanza that really got me thinking the most is "The Red Coats." I was contemplating on how the jacket changed colors and why the person wore two coats to the party. It really doesn't make sense, and it seems as if there is no answer to it. It's almost as if you have to make up you're own story, which is why I think it's a mystery.
All of the poems were funny to me, and some of them were odd. My favorite one was "The Talking Cat." This one was funny to me because it seemed as if the cat was jealous of the women. I also thought it was funny how the author turned the cat into a human being. The one that was odd to me is "poetry." It seems as if it was pointless to write a poem about. It just seemed dead ended to me.
I think the author titled this poem "Mystery Stories," because every poem the author wrote is a mystery. Every person could interpret each poem a different way and also create their own story to it. I think the author wanted the reader to create/finish the story.
The stanza that really got me thinking the most is "The Red Coats." I was contemplating on how the jacket changed colors and why the person wore two coats to the party. It really doesn't make sense, and it seems as if there is no answer to it. It's almost as if you have to make up you're own story, which is why I think it's a mystery.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Blood Dazzler
The book Blood Dazzler, by Patricia Smith was very interesting. I never read of book of poems that all talks about previous events. So I really enjoyed reading the short poems. What I really liked about Smith's writing though, was the fact the she turned hurricane Katrina into an actual person. The gave the hurricane emotions and feelings and that's what really drew me in on this book.
I liked the way Smith referenced her poems to previous poems and told a story. She gave insight on different aspects of what was happening during the hurricane. She even went into lives of certain people. As I read the poems from a specific person, I wonder if they were made up people or if the author new them personally .
One of my favorite poems in the book was "Ethel's Sestina." This one caught my eye because of the variety of details. When I read this poem I felt as if I was there watching a lady in a wheelchair be left to die. I felt as if I could be in her skin and know deep down inside that no one was coming to rescue her.
Another poem that really caught my eye was "Their Savior was me." I like this one because the author turned "Katrina" into a person who was jealous of "God" in my perception. The reason she caused all this destruction, destroyed all the home, took all them lives is because no one called her name and preyed to her. She was jealous at the fact they called God when they were in need. Overall, I just love the idea Smith used to put emotions to a hurricane. It was really clever.
I liked the way Smith referenced her poems to previous poems and told a story. She gave insight on different aspects of what was happening during the hurricane. She even went into lives of certain people. As I read the poems from a specific person, I wonder if they were made up people or if the author new them personally .
One of my favorite poems in the book was "Ethel's Sestina." This one caught my eye because of the variety of details. When I read this poem I felt as if I was there watching a lady in a wheelchair be left to die. I felt as if I could be in her skin and know deep down inside that no one was coming to rescue her.
Another poem that really caught my eye was "Their Savior was me." I like this one because the author turned "Katrina" into a person who was jealous of "God" in my perception. The reason she caused all this destruction, destroyed all the home, took all them lives is because no one called her name and preyed to her. She was jealous at the fact they called God when they were in need. Overall, I just love the idea Smith used to put emotions to a hurricane. It was really clever.
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