The beginning of the book Maps to Anywhere, reminded of when I was younger and my siblings would give each other nicknames that they thought were funny. It also reminded me of when I was younger and I would go to the store looking for a keychain with my name on it and never finding one. I would wonder why they had so many names but never mine. My siblings also have unique names that also were never on keychains either, which made me feel better, but it still made me mad that I couldn't have a keychain with my name on it.
I found it interesting how the character Bernard was so interested in names and how he would make up his own names. "Unfortunately, my schoolwork suffered as a result of my passion for nomenclature. In biology, for instance, instead of concentrating on the position and function of the bones in the skeletal system, I imagined Ulna, Tibia, and Fibula as visitors from outer space" (Cooper, 5). It was interesting how Bernard made everything about names.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Reading Response 3/25
The stories that I read in the essay packet were full of detail and imagery. I read the story Suspended by Joy Harjo. I was able to picture how small she had to be from the detail she gave. "Once I was so small that I could barely peer over the top of the backseat of the black Cadillac my father polished and tuned daily" (Harjo). I also was able to know that the main character was telling a story about a memory she had because she was only able to remember certain details. "I don't know where we were going or where we had been, but I know the sun was boiling the asphalt, the car windows open for any breeze as I stood on tiptoes on the floorboard behind my father," (Harjo). I liked the detail that the main character was able to give about her father. "a handsome god who smelled of Old Spice, whose slick black hair was always impeccably groomed, his clothes perfectly creased and ironed" (Harjo). I was able to picture what the main character's father looked like.
In the story the Blue Merchant, I found that it was really detailed and gave the reader great visuals as they read through the story they will be able to imagine what the author wants them to see. "The bass player plugs into the amplifier, checks the settings on the control panel and nods his okay" (Washington). Being that the story was short it had a lot of detail that explains the author's purpose of writing. It shows what the author was thinking about during the time of when the story was written.
In the story the Blue Merchant, I found that it was really detailed and gave the reader great visuals as they read through the story they will be able to imagine what the author wants them to see. "The bass player plugs into the amplifier, checks the settings on the control panel and nods his okay" (Washington). Being that the story was short it had a lot of detail that explains the author's purpose of writing. It shows what the author was thinking about during the time of when the story was written.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Reading Response 3/18
Reading the story Krik? Krak! I felt sorry for the women and her son. The women lost her husband and did what she had to do to provide for herself and her son. "There are two kinds of women: day women and night women. I am stuck between the day and night in a golden amber bronze" (Danticat, 84). The women seems to work as a call girl they come to her house late at night after her son has gone to bed. " I watch the piece-worker women march one another to the open market half a day's walk from where they live. I thank the stars that at least I have the days to myself" (Danticat, 88). The women was not pleased with herself as to what she had to do to provide the job she chose was not something anyone would be able to do, but for her she did it so she would have the days to herself.
Even though what she choose to do was and is frowned upon she did it so that she would be able to spend time with her son throughout the day. At night before she would work she seemed to take time and reflect on her choices and the way it will affect her son later in his life. "Should my son wake up, I have prepared my fabrication. One day, he will grow too old to be told that a wandering man is a mirage and that naked flesh is a dream" (Danticat, 88). The women also seems to feel some guilt when it comes to sleeping with these men. "I see his wife's face in the beads of sweat marching down his chin" (Danticat, 88). The lies that she has to tell her son so that he doesn't know the truth about what she is doing as well as feeling the guilt of sleeping with married men gives the women a kind of stress that haunts her thoughts as she tries to find excuses to justify her actions.
In the story Indigo, I liked how the main character Indigo was tough and did not care how badly she played the fiddle. " Indigo sat in her window, working with her fiddle, telling the wind and all his brothers, what was on her mind, the turmoil in the spirit realm, the luxuriant realities she meandered in her sleep" (Shange, 43). She played the fiddle to her dolls and opened the window so that everyone could hear. It didn't bother her that she wasn't playing the fiddle correctly or who was listening she did it and didn't care what the reaction of others was. "Whenever she wanted to pray, she let her fiddle talk. Whenever she was angry, here came the fiddle. All the different ways of handling a violin and bow came to Indigo as she needed" (Shange, 43). The fiddle seemed to give Indigo some comfort whenever she needed it wether it was a good or bad time the fiddle was a way for Indigo to relieve some stress.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Reading Response 3/11
The Girl with the Blackened Eye
This story had me guessing until the very end. It had me engaged and interested until the very end. The main character was very powerful when describing the details of the story she made you feel as if you were there. She gave vivid details about what had happened to her, what she witnessed and also her surroundings. "He was gone, and he came back. He left me tied in the bed, it was a cot with a thin mattress, very dirty" (Oates, 201). Giving this kind of detail the reader is able to in vision the setting where this is all taking place. The story is described in a way that is thrilling.
"This was the forcible abduction. How it might be described by a witness who was there, who was also the victim. But who hadn't any memory of what happened because it happened so fast, and she hadn't been personally involved" (Oates, 201). This passage had me thinking of what I would do if I was to witness an abduction. Not really being able to get a good look at what happened and being helpless in how to help without being caught in the middle myself. It really opens your eyes to know that this could happen to anyone anywhere at any time. The descriptions the character shares are those of someone that could have only been in that sort of situation. The feelings and thoughts that are expressed make you shiver and feel so bad for the character.
The descriptions the character gives as to the forcible abduction of the red-haired women gives the reader a visual of what the abduction of the red-hair women was like through the eyes of the main character she was able to give detail and description to really give the reader a sense of how the kidnapper was able to lure his victim. "I felt a rush of anger for this women, contempt, disgusted, how stupid she was, unsuspecting, bending to peer at me where possibly she'd been told the man's daughter was sitting, maybe he'd said his daughter has a question for her? needed an adult female's advice? and in an instant she would find herself shoved forward onto the front seat of the car, down on her face, her chest, helpless, as fast as you might snap your fingers, too fast for her to cry out" (Oates, 206). Not having time to react and having no idea of what was coming would be the scariest feeling in the world. The author was able to have the character describe this through the eyes of the main character. It was very powerful in the sense of the reader becoming so engaged with what will happen next. The character was very detailed in how she was able to describe the whole ordeal and what she had to go through.
This story had me guessing until the very end. It had me engaged and interested until the very end. The main character was very powerful when describing the details of the story she made you feel as if you were there. She gave vivid details about what had happened to her, what she witnessed and also her surroundings. "He was gone, and he came back. He left me tied in the bed, it was a cot with a thin mattress, very dirty" (Oates, 201). Giving this kind of detail the reader is able to in vision the setting where this is all taking place. The story is described in a way that is thrilling.
"This was the forcible abduction. How it might be described by a witness who was there, who was also the victim. But who hadn't any memory of what happened because it happened so fast, and she hadn't been personally involved" (Oates, 201). This passage had me thinking of what I would do if I was to witness an abduction. Not really being able to get a good look at what happened and being helpless in how to help without being caught in the middle myself. It really opens your eyes to know that this could happen to anyone anywhere at any time. The descriptions the character shares are those of someone that could have only been in that sort of situation. The feelings and thoughts that are expressed make you shiver and feel so bad for the character.
The descriptions the character gives as to the forcible abduction of the red-haired women gives the reader a visual of what the abduction of the red-hair women was like through the eyes of the main character she was able to give detail and description to really give the reader a sense of how the kidnapper was able to lure his victim. "I felt a rush of anger for this women, contempt, disgusted, how stupid she was, unsuspecting, bending to peer at me where possibly she'd been told the man's daughter was sitting, maybe he'd said his daughter has a question for her? needed an adult female's advice? and in an instant she would find herself shoved forward onto the front seat of the car, down on her face, her chest, helpless, as fast as you might snap your fingers, too fast for her to cry out" (Oates, 206). Not having time to react and having no idea of what was coming would be the scariest feeling in the world. The author was able to have the character describe this through the eyes of the main character. It was very powerful in the sense of the reader becoming so engaged with what will happen next. The character was very detailed in how she was able to describe the whole ordeal and what she had to go through.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Reading Response 3/4
Short Stories
I really enjoyed reading the short story packet. When it Rains It Rains a River, gave great detail in how the boys felt when it rained and how much they loved to play in the mud. The detail helped me as the reader visualize the feelings as well as the scene of the story. The story was descriptive and the reader was able to get a sense of what the brothers were feeling. The descriptions has the reader engaged in the thoughts and imagination of the author as they read. The way that the author describes the way the brothers play in the mud is interesting and also though provoking as the reader has to imagine what the brothers are doing.
In the story What Our Mother Always Told Us, I picture a scene of my childhood where my mother would tell my brother and I not to do something and then we would do it anyways. Don't walk in the grass and then you would just see us running in the grass. As all young children do disobey their parents was something to relate to. Having been in the situation many times as a child I relate to this short story well.
The Falling Girl, was a very interesting as well as very confusing story. Having a teenage girl falling from a skyscraper was shocking in itself, but then for people to be able to talk to her as she fell was something I thought was very interesting. I began to think that she wasn't really falling, but was speaking of things that have happened to her throughout her life thus far. She seemed lost wanting to fit in in a crowd very different then her own. "She wore a modest, inexpensive spring dress bought off the rack" (Buzzati, 30). Compared to the people that lived in the skyscraper she seemed to not fit in, the people were of high class the higher in the skyscraper they lived the more expensive their clothing and life style. The details give the reader a sense of what is happening in the story, but also give the reader a lot to think about. What was the girl doing at the skyscraper was she planning on killing herself or was it an accident? Not really having a clear ending the reader is left with their own conclusion of what really happened as well as what the real story was about.
I really enjoyed reading the short story packet. When it Rains It Rains a River, gave great detail in how the boys felt when it rained and how much they loved to play in the mud. The detail helped me as the reader visualize the feelings as well as the scene of the story. The story was descriptive and the reader was able to get a sense of what the brothers were feeling. The descriptions has the reader engaged in the thoughts and imagination of the author as they read. The way that the author describes the way the brothers play in the mud is interesting and also though provoking as the reader has to imagine what the brothers are doing.
In the story What Our Mother Always Told Us, I picture a scene of my childhood where my mother would tell my brother and I not to do something and then we would do it anyways. Don't walk in the grass and then you would just see us running in the grass. As all young children do disobey their parents was something to relate to. Having been in the situation many times as a child I relate to this short story well.
The Falling Girl, was a very interesting as well as very confusing story. Having a teenage girl falling from a skyscraper was shocking in itself, but then for people to be able to talk to her as she fell was something I thought was very interesting. I began to think that she wasn't really falling, but was speaking of things that have happened to her throughout her life thus far. She seemed lost wanting to fit in in a crowd very different then her own. "She wore a modest, inexpensive spring dress bought off the rack" (Buzzati, 30). Compared to the people that lived in the skyscraper she seemed to not fit in, the people were of high class the higher in the skyscraper they lived the more expensive their clothing and life style. The details give the reader a sense of what is happening in the story, but also give the reader a lot to think about. What was the girl doing at the skyscraper was she planning on killing herself or was it an accident? Not really having a clear ending the reader is left with their own conclusion of what really happened as well as what the real story was about.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Reading Response 2/18
The short story Survivors from the fiction packet on Canvas gave a good detailed description of how a gay man felt about out living his partner. Even though the story was no more than a page the reader is able to understand the reason the man felt the way he did about wanting to be the first to die. Not wanting to take care of his partner's pet or deal with his partner's un-approving family, he expressed how he felt in a way like he was writing a diary entry.
Another short story that I found had a lot of detail was The Colonel. It gave the reader a lot of detail to where the reader is able to visualize what the author is trying to explain. "I was in his house. His wife carried a tray of coffee and sugar. His daughter filed her nails"(Forche). The detail helps the reader to visualize the scene of the story as well see what the author has seen. Giving detail in short stories as well as long stories helps the reader to imagine the environment that the author is trying to create or describe. The more detail there is the better the story is because the reader is more engaged and informed.
Sharon Krinsky's Mystery Stories were very interesting. I didn't realize you could have a paragraph of writing and it be a story. Krinsky's stories were mysteries that the reader had to uncover with little information, but I enjoyed reading them as they reminded me of the poems we had previously gone over. The stories give only some detail into what the author is try to convey somewhat like a diary entry gives only parts of a person's life experiences.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Reading Response 2/11
Tocqueville
The poem Tocqueville was very interesting and yet disturbing to me. I felt that the writer was writing each section from different points of view, as well as adding his own memories into the mix. The author points out the struggles that people around the world are faced with such as having to chose between killing your child or having someone else kill your child in front of you. It is very difficult to read and think about what this poor man had to go through. It breaks your heart to know that there are places around the world as well as here in America where people are being tortured, forced out of their homes and just treated like they are not worthy of life. "What I fear is that I will meet the men who made me kill my child" (Mattawa, 31). For this man to fear seeing the men that first killed his wife and then made him kill his child is so painful. These men should be in jail or on death row, but instead they get to roam free while this poor man lives his life with the guilt.
I heard some horrible news today that three muslim american students were gunned down in there home. The forty-six year old male that killed them said it was over a parking spot dispute. Really? To kill over a parking spot is beyond anything I could imagine. These students were all very involved in the community and trying to make a difference in this world and for someone to kill them over an argument about a parking spot is just absolutely senseless. When I heard about this on the news it reminded me of Tocqueville and how certain things are hidden from the media.
The poem Tocqueville was very interesting and yet disturbing to me. I felt that the writer was writing each section from different points of view, as well as adding his own memories into the mix. The author points out the struggles that people around the world are faced with such as having to chose between killing your child or having someone else kill your child in front of you. It is very difficult to read and think about what this poor man had to go through. It breaks your heart to know that there are places around the world as well as here in America where people are being tortured, forced out of their homes and just treated like they are not worthy of life. "What I fear is that I will meet the men who made me kill my child" (Mattawa, 31). For this man to fear seeing the men that first killed his wife and then made him kill his child is so painful. These men should be in jail or on death row, but instead they get to roam free while this poor man lives his life with the guilt.
I heard some horrible news today that three muslim american students were gunned down in there home. The forty-six year old male that killed them said it was over a parking spot dispute. Really? To kill over a parking spot is beyond anything I could imagine. These students were all very involved in the community and trying to make a difference in this world and for someone to kill them over an argument about a parking spot is just absolutely senseless. When I heard about this on the news it reminded me of Tocqueville and how certain things are hidden from the media.
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