In Olstein's, Lost Alphabet, she depicts prose poetry in a strong way that makes the reader become one with the surroundings she is emphasizing. Within my own writing, specifically poetry writing, I find that conveying those thoughts to my audience is what I struggle to do. For an English teacher I am probably far more literal with my interpretation of poetry than I should be, and with Olstein's writing the poetry flows well and can be taken literally somewhat, but it's individual interpretation is open for each reader. A story is being told and the devices she uses to get her point across about nature and what she observes there are clearly seen.
For example, in [theory of clouds] Olstein states, "I am training myself to identify species solely by the sound of their wings" (84). That powerful use of sound imagery is lacking in my own writing and by using the methods of Olstein I can learn to produce more powerful writing. I often worry too much about making sure the poetry I write makes perfect sense and it takes away of it's inherent aesthetic value. Getting ideas on the paper in the form of word vomit may be a better way to start than just agonizing over each minute detail. Taking Mr. Keating's advice from Dead Poets Society could serve me well just like Olstein. In the movie he speaks to his reluctant students about how poetry should, "Suck the marrow out of life" because of it's powerful nature. My focus needs to be more on baring my soul in the text rather than careful word choice to get meaning across.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Verses on a Bird
I am a writer that completely struggles with poetry. Most of the time when I teach it I am faking enthusiasm for it because I am much more of a fiction or drama reader because I feel like I can wrap my head around those concepts in a clearer manner than I could ever dream possible with poetry. With that being said there are two main techniques that I wish I could pull from Er's poetry in verses on bird.
In the beginning portion of the book she has an absolutely wonderful way of using her language to appeal to nature. Within my own writing I struggle with conveying thoughts and feelings about nature in poetic forms. Looking at Er's writing helped me realize that I can take those risks and that not all writing needs to be in prose form for me to get my point across. For example, Er writes, "Stripped of leaves, only then does the tree belong to the bird. Can the lead-gray sky stuff all ears with feather not to hear each beak clamor an existence you do not solicit?" (15). The aestetic value she places on words emphasizes her closeness with nature that I want to use within my writing. Trees and birds must live together and the tree is the master with leaves but the bird can ultimately overtake the tree once they are gone.
Imagery is a crucial poetic element that I always second guess myself with within my own writing. I wonder if the images I'm speaking of in the poem are coming off as vivid as they should. In Er's Watermelon Juice, imagery is evident throughout. The poem powerfully opens with, "You say you've never seen watermelon being eaten with way: held up to the face, drunk with sweat pouring down nose tip, forehead and back" (39). I could mentally picture that very easily and hope that readers of my poetry can do the same. The imagery of many of the sections within her book accurately depicts various situations that stimulate the senses and in my writing I try to emulate that as much as possible, even if I'm not always successful.
In the beginning portion of the book she has an absolutely wonderful way of using her language to appeal to nature. Within my own writing I struggle with conveying thoughts and feelings about nature in poetic forms. Looking at Er's writing helped me realize that I can take those risks and that not all writing needs to be in prose form for me to get my point across. For example, Er writes, "Stripped of leaves, only then does the tree belong to the bird. Can the lead-gray sky stuff all ears with feather not to hear each beak clamor an existence you do not solicit?" (15). The aestetic value she places on words emphasizes her closeness with nature that I want to use within my writing. Trees and birds must live together and the tree is the master with leaves but the bird can ultimately overtake the tree once they are gone.
Imagery is a crucial poetic element that I always second guess myself with within my own writing. I wonder if the images I'm speaking of in the poem are coming off as vivid as they should. In Er's Watermelon Juice, imagery is evident throughout. The poem powerfully opens with, "You say you've never seen watermelon being eaten with way: held up to the face, drunk with sweat pouring down nose tip, forehead and back" (39). I could mentally picture that very easily and hope that readers of my poetry can do the same. The imagery of many of the sections within her book accurately depicts various situations that stimulate the senses and in my writing I try to emulate that as much as possible, even if I'm not always successful.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Building on an Adjective: Gross
Gross
A thick layer of dust on top of the television
A myriad of fingerprints all over a glass table
A runny-nosed brat sneezing everywhere
A clogged toilet in a Mexican restraint on dollar burrito night
An airborne amateur skateboarder about to impale a handrail of a staircase
A 4 week old Tupperware container left in the car with shrimp inside
A pile of chunky, orange vomit outside the door of your local sport’s bar
A guy driving next to you digging for gold
A used pair of underwear at a consignment shop
An overflowing ashtray
A freshly chewed piece of gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe
A rug burn on your cheekbone
A moldy piece of bread served at dinner
A mutilated body pulled out of a river
A nun’s nails on a chalkboard
The squeamish nature of this entire poem
Thursday, April 7, 2011
A River Dies of Thirst Response
I found it challenging to fully get into Darwish's poetry and journal entries. It seemed like I could never differentiate one entry from the next because they didn't have fully developed ideas that I could grasp, which may have been his intention. Frustration truly set in when I tried to individually comprehend what his main goals for his writing were and I ultimately decided that it was not possible to view this work in that way. A better reading experience for this work would be to isolate the entries and not try to bunch them together so each work could get more attention. It's like I just forgot what I read after a few pages because they had minimal defining characteristics to differentiate between them. However, there were a few entries that once I took them in individually for what they were worth enticed me to continue on.
"The Mosquito" on page 14 was very well-written. He took one of the most annoying pests and applied it to how some of the struggles his people were facing. Even though he said it's not a metaphor, it can clearly be associated as one because of the comparisons that could be drawn. His last line stating, "There's only one way you can bargain with it to make a truce: by changing your blood type" (14) gives a unique insight into the plight of Arabic people and what they need to do to endure some of the harsh situations in their lives.
"Cheated time" on page 44 focuses on an issue that affects everybody. Death is all around us and people truly never know when it can come for you. It definitely can "cheat" people if it comes early and it always leaves loved ones guessing what could have been. The lack of respect for human life is terrible and unfortunately it exists, but you cannot hide from it.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Life Story Scene: The Proposal 11/21/2007
An elegant harbor cruise with a candlelit dinner for two would be an ideal romantic situation. However, she would know it was coming in an instant and I needed to utilize the element of surprise. And then I figured that I could double up my surprises because I was surprising my family in Chicago for Thanksgiving and they had no idea that I was coming. The perfect plan, or so I thought.
A few days before our trip out there Cailey and I were walking around the North Shore Mall and she was telling me about her day at work. She was joking about how all of her friends at work were saying that they thought I would propose in Chicago. Upon hearing that I was able to produce my most fake laugh ever and kind of shrug off the whole idea. She responded to them with, “I know PJ and he wouldn’t do it then, he can’t even afford a ring yet.” That made me feel a little safer because I don’t think her radar would be completely on.
This brings us to November 21st . Because of work conflicts Cailey actually flew to Chicago on an earlier flight than me, and she met up with my Aunt Peggy, who was the only person who knew we were coming in, and spent the day with her and my cousins. I was coming in at about 7:00 that evening. Throughout the course of the day I had to check my inside pocket on my coat at least 20 times to make sure the ring was in there and that I hadn’t fallen out. Now it was crunch time. I took the train from the airport in Chicago to a station about three blocks from my Aunt’s house. Cailey was meeting me there and we were going to go downtown and walk around the city for a while. My heart was pounding from then on.
We decided to head to Navy Pier in Chicago, which is probably the city’s most prominent tourist attraction. Unfortunately the weather was dismal. It was about 35 degrees out and raining. Not to mention that the city was living up to its nickname of the Windy City. The gusts were atrocious and it was all in all a crappy night. We went out to dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and after dinner I was going to make my move. Navy Pier has the largest Ferris Wheel in the country. It takes seven minutes for it to make one rotation. I wanted to wait till we got to the peak of the ride and with the Chicago skyline in the background ask Cailey to marry me. Obviously the Ferris Wheel was closed due to the inclement weather. Cailey didn’t really care too much, but I truly was panicking. I had to do this tonight and I had to make it magical.
On to the impromptu plan B. We took a cab to Millennium Park, which is very similar to the Boston Gardens, to walk around in the crappy weather and attempt to enjoy the night. Millennium Park has an enormous statue of a Bean that reflects the entire city across the width of the structure. Cailey and I always made it a point to visit the Bean whenever we were in town. I was going to do it under the Bean! As we got out of the cab Cailey started to complain about the pain in her heal from a new pair of shoes she was wearing. She didn’t even want to stop at the Bean, she just wanted to sit on a bench and put on a few band-aids. The asshole in me came out and I said, “no, I need a new picture with you in the Bean because I want to make it the background on the desktop of my computer.” The cuteness of my comment convinced her to trudge along underneath the Bean. My mom must have been looking down on me because nobody else was there and I knew she didn’t want a big public display with the engagement. We’re under the Bean. I pulled her close and kissed her. I told her I loved her. I got down on one knee. She gives me the most shocked look I have ever seen. I pull out the ring… and I drop the box and watch it go flying about ten feet because of the horrendous winds.
I could have qualified for the Olympics in my sprint to go get that box. I was able to recover it and return to Cailey, albeit so of the surprise element had diminished. Again I got down on my knee and asked if she would marry me. I didn’t get the initial response that I imagined I would. She said, “Ah, Ah, Ah, ha-ha, YES.” She actually laughed at me when I proposed to her. It took her about ten minutes, but she eventually began balling her eyes out, which was my expected response from her. She called her parents and I called my father and they were thrilled for us.
I married my best friend and I could not imagine ever asking for anything else.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
King Of Shadows
As I was reading Shurin's book I couldn't help but constantly think of my teaching. I wasn't a huge fan of his work because of the distorted nature of the writing, but I felt that he could be used as a teaching tool for my students. Stealing his fantastic way with words and the visualizations that he creates is something that I strive for in teaching writing to my students. Too often they are only concerned with the easiest or quickest way out of the assignment and the overall substance can quickly dilute their writing.
The perfect example of this visualization came on the beginning of "Morning in the Valley." Shurin states, "An overstuffed white and yellow cat that belongs to the resort met me at the door to my room as I returned with morning coffee. He nudged his head between my feet and he screen door to get in, but my allergy rebuffed him. His eyes were completely communicative- I have to say they spoke- with that balance and intellect that equals intimate conversation" (59). He gives an accurate and complete picture of this seemingly simple cat and makes for a very intriguing piece of writing. I use writing activities such as free writes and word webs to help encourage creativity in my students' writing, but it doesn't always work well. Although some of his writing is inappropriate to use in the middle school level I think it would be a solid starting point for descriptive and creative writing.
Although it was somewhat disturbing, I found "Three Scenes from the Sauna at the YMCA" to be a very unique piece of writing. Shurin is very open with his writing and does it as though he doesn't care what his audience will think. A gay man having nude encounters with three very different people and the observations that he speaks of is a rather novel idea. Conveying his ideas as bluntly as possible is the best way for him to work. Within my own writing I struggle with that bluntness because I feel like my audience may get too caught up in the concept I am conveying and the bigger picture of my writing may be weakened. Hopefully using Shurin's uncanny methods can make me grow as a writer.
The perfect example of this visualization came on the beginning of "Morning in the Valley." Shurin states, "An overstuffed white and yellow cat that belongs to the resort met me at the door to my room as I returned with morning coffee. He nudged his head between my feet and he screen door to get in, but my allergy rebuffed him. His eyes were completely communicative- I have to say they spoke- with that balance and intellect that equals intimate conversation" (59). He gives an accurate and complete picture of this seemingly simple cat and makes for a very intriguing piece of writing. I use writing activities such as free writes and word webs to help encourage creativity in my students' writing, but it doesn't always work well. Although some of his writing is inappropriate to use in the middle school level I think it would be a solid starting point for descriptive and creative writing.
Although it was somewhat disturbing, I found "Three Scenes from the Sauna at the YMCA" to be a very unique piece of writing. Shurin is very open with his writing and does it as though he doesn't care what his audience will think. A gay man having nude encounters with three very different people and the observations that he speaks of is a rather novel idea. Conveying his ideas as bluntly as possible is the best way for him to work. Within my own writing I struggle with that bluntness because I feel like my audience may get too caught up in the concept I am conveying and the bigger picture of my writing may be weakened. Hopefully using Shurin's uncanny methods can make me grow as a writer.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Writing Life
This being my second class with Professor Ramos, I am somewhat used to the disjointed story that from time to time jumps around without much cohesion. That was my first impression of Dillard's book. She offers up much insight into the life of a writer and the challenges that are regularly faced by people bold enough to sit in front of a computer and trudge up page after page. It is clear that she feels writing is a challenge and without much effort a writer will not succeed.
I was particularly drawn to a passage that stated, "The written word is weak. Many people prefer life to it. Life gets your blood going, and it smells good. Writing is mere writing, literature is mere. It appeals only to the subtlest senses- the imagination's vision, and the imagination's hearing- and the moral sense, and the intellect" (17). I struggle with her assertion that the written word is weak. That is a statement that is completely open to interpretation. The written word is magical and when created properly can do wonders. It ispires people to do great things, it moves people to see situations in a new light, and can teach people many new things. The only merit in her statement is that when compared to actually living and experiencing life, written words lack a sense of reality that cannot be duplicated. That shouldn't be a knock on writing though. They are completely different entities and should be treated as such.
Dillard can help me as a writer because it is reassuring to know that even the professionals struggle mightily with their work. When you see a writer like Stephen King spit out a lengthy work every year you wonder if he ever struggles, but I'm sure he does. The important thing to remember is that writing is fluid and must be treated as such. If you can't do that then the struggles will continue. I know I struggle and as long as I can deal with the writing process being exactly that, a "process" I will hopefully continue to improve.
I was particularly drawn to a passage that stated, "The written word is weak. Many people prefer life to it. Life gets your blood going, and it smells good. Writing is mere writing, literature is mere. It appeals only to the subtlest senses- the imagination's vision, and the imagination's hearing- and the moral sense, and the intellect" (17). I struggle with her assertion that the written word is weak. That is a statement that is completely open to interpretation. The written word is magical and when created properly can do wonders. It ispires people to do great things, it moves people to see situations in a new light, and can teach people many new things. The only merit in her statement is that when compared to actually living and experiencing life, written words lack a sense of reality that cannot be duplicated. That shouldn't be a knock on writing though. They are completely different entities and should be treated as such.
Dillard can help me as a writer because it is reassuring to know that even the professionals struggle mightily with their work. When you see a writer like Stephen King spit out a lengthy work every year you wonder if he ever struggles, but I'm sure he does. The important thing to remember is that writing is fluid and must be treated as such. If you can't do that then the struggles will continue. I know I struggle and as long as I can deal with the writing process being exactly that, a "process" I will hopefully continue to improve.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Reaction to 2/24 Author Reading
Having only been to one of these readings before I was new to the idea of a professional writer reading their work why you sit an listen. Initially it sounded somewhat boring because I'm a visual learner and need the text in front of me so I can fully comprehend it. However, I was thoroughly pleased with the readings from last night.
Steve Himmer's reading seemed strange from the beginning. When he commented that his book dealt with a man who markets artificial plants I was turned off because it didn't interest me in the least. However, I was intrigued by his descriptive language throughout, specifically when he was speaking about the office. The vivid nature of his language made me feel as though I was actually in the office with the characters.
Robert Kloss offered up commentary on his Civil War novel in progress. Incorporating the word "alligator" in his title struck me as odd because based on his reading it didn't make that much sense. I was floored to hear that Lincoln actually exhumed the body of son because it is such an unusual thing to have happened, let alone to a form president of our country. Overall, I was least interested in his speech. The subject matter of his novel is something that doesn't intrigue me and his reading voice was somewhat monotone and I lost attention at various times throughout.
Matt Bell's "Cartographer's Girl" was my favorite reading of the night. I was visualizing with ease throughout his reading, specifically when he was speaking of the various objects for his job such as the sextants and compasses. Bell's reading kept on making me question what was going on in his story. I really wanted to know what specifically was wrong with the girl and about their relationship as a whole. I kept on needing more. During the questioning process at the end I was intrigued by his statement where he says he has to have his writing sound as good as it means. That issue is something that I struggle with tremendously and hope to continue to develop that skill throughout the course.
The night offered valuable writing from professionals. I"m looking forward to the next one.
Steve Himmer's reading seemed strange from the beginning. When he commented that his book dealt with a man who markets artificial plants I was turned off because it didn't interest me in the least. However, I was intrigued by his descriptive language throughout, specifically when he was speaking about the office. The vivid nature of his language made me feel as though I was actually in the office with the characters.
Robert Kloss offered up commentary on his Civil War novel in progress. Incorporating the word "alligator" in his title struck me as odd because based on his reading it didn't make that much sense. I was floored to hear that Lincoln actually exhumed the body of son because it is such an unusual thing to have happened, let alone to a form president of our country. Overall, I was least interested in his speech. The subject matter of his novel is something that doesn't intrigue me and his reading voice was somewhat monotone and I lost attention at various times throughout.
Matt Bell's "Cartographer's Girl" was my favorite reading of the night. I was visualizing with ease throughout his reading, specifically when he was speaking of the various objects for his job such as the sextants and compasses. Bell's reading kept on making me question what was going on in his story. I really wanted to know what specifically was wrong with the girl and about their relationship as a whole. I kept on needing more. During the questioning process at the end I was intrigued by his statement where he says he has to have his writing sound as good as it means. That issue is something that I struggle with tremendously and hope to continue to develop that skill throughout the course.
The night offered valuable writing from professionals. I"m looking forward to the next one.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
6 word memoir extension: "Building Collapse, Heavy Snow, Car Crushed"
Ever since his promotion a few years ago I feel like Jimmy is on television every few weeks because some disaster or another is happening in Lynn. He is currently the Deputy Chief of the Lynn Fire Department, which means he is second in command to the Chief. One of the many roles required in the job is reporting to all major emergencies in town, and then relaying what happens at those emergencies to the media. On top of that, he is a pretty good Father-in-law as well.
On the morning of January 27th Jimmy was woken up around 5 in the morning with terrible news. A roof collapsed at the GLSS building because of the absurd amounts of snowfall that had accumulated over the past month. Unfortunately two men were trapped in a car below and could get out. Being the stoic man that he is he rushed to the scene to take control of the situation. He knew that people were in danger and he had to do whatever it took to get them out so that they could see their families again.
It took dozens of firemen over two hours to dig the men out because their vehicle was completely covered with snow. Communication with the men was fortunately constant because of cell phones and they always knew what was happening around them. Firemen had to use the Jaws of Life to rescue the men because steel beams destroyed the rest of the car and the doors could not be opened manually. Under the direction of Jimmy Mac, these men would be out as quickly and safely as humanly possible.
Once the men were freed the area around the building turned into a media circus and there to answer any and all questions was Chief McDonald. Because this happened at the height of the ridiculous winter weather it even drew the attention of the Dianne Sawyer and the ABC World News, who sent out a correspondent to interview Jimmy. He had answers for all their questions and informed everybody on exactly what happened. It’s almost like it was just another typical day in his career, but to outsiders it seems like so much more.
Later that evening after all the hustle and bustle died down my wife and I had dinner over at their house. As we walked in he was stationed in his standard position, feet up on the coffee table, reading glasses on, Boston Herald Crossword puzzle in hand. His typical greeting of, “Yo” as we entered was no surprise at all. We obviously wanted to hear all about the adventures of his morning but he had other ideas. “Let’s eat, I’m starvin’” was all he could muster out. There would be no talk about what happened that morning.
That right there is the difference between us and Chief Jimmy Mac. What we saw as heroic and awe-inspiring was something that is just regular happenstance for him. No need to rehash what went on; he lived it and didn’t need to convey anything else. All we needed to get we could get from the news on TV or the paper the following day. He would have nothing of the topic the rest of the night.
Jimmy McDonald. Humble man, brave fireman, my father-in-law. Who knows where he will end up next on the streets of Lynn? All I know is that he will do his very best to make sure every situation is handled and carefully and successfully as possible.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Mixquiahuala Letters
I was very impressed by the unique use of language that Castillo uses throughout her book. Particularly, I was drawn to the conversational tone of the letters. Theresa addresses Alicia in a very casual, informative way and writes as if she is speaking to her as they are sitting down having a glass of wine. There is lots of rambling and jumping from topic to topic much like somebody may do in a conversation. She conveys much information easily and doesn't seem to struggle in the transition from topic to topic. Within my own writing I feel like I struggle over this entity. I know it is mostly due to being to choosy over my language. I constantly ponder over word choice, but maybe I should write more passionately from the heart and just write as thoughts come to me, which looks like what Castillo does, even if she is fully concentrating on her word choice. Being able to be more conversational within my own writing helps to convey information in a simpler, easy to understand fashion.
Castillo also has a flawless way with her sentence structure and the ideas she creates. This is seen early on in the first letter when she states, "At thirty, i feel like i'm beginning a new phase in life: adulthood: The twenties were a mere continuation of adolescence. But as grown-up life begins, society wants to make one believe that thirty is the beginning of the end" (21). Those are very powerful words, and words that resonate with me. I am in that similar stage in my own life and to a certain extent it seems to be true. The fascinating way that she conveys her ideas is something that I would love to strive for in my writing. To sit there and have somebody read even just a small piece of my work and just say, "wow, that's good stuff" would be amazing. However, as stubborn as I am I need to realize that writing is a process and cannot even be close to perfected, but I just need to continue to work towards and ideal product.
Castillo also has a flawless way with her sentence structure and the ideas she creates. This is seen early on in the first letter when she states, "At thirty, i feel like i'm beginning a new phase in life: adulthood: The twenties were a mere continuation of adolescence. But as grown-up life begins, society wants to make one believe that thirty is the beginning of the end" (21). Those are very powerful words, and words that resonate with me. I am in that similar stage in my own life and to a certain extent it seems to be true. The fascinating way that she conveys her ideas is something that I would love to strive for in my writing. To sit there and have somebody read even just a small piece of my work and just say, "wow, that's good stuff" would be amazing. However, as stubborn as I am I need to realize that writing is a process and cannot even be close to perfected, but I just need to continue to work towards and ideal product.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Rorschach Test Story
Images from the Rorschach Test
Pelvis
Pourous boulder
Insects feeding
Bloody crime scene
Angels kissing
Bat hovering in the sky
Rare cheeseburger
Jackson Pollock abstract art
The Killer Blob
Pacman
“I Wonder Why I Never Went Skiing” Rorschach Test Story
Being such a severe injury I am taken into see a doctor immediately. His name is Dr. Tuckerman and as he analyzes my x-rays I reluctantly ask to see them. He begrudgingly shows them to me and I work hard to keep my lunchtime meal of a rare cheeseburger down. All I can think of is that it looks like a piece of Jackson Pollock’s abstract expressionist art because it is completely smashed to smithereens. Surgery is the only option. I am required to stay for the night, so I make the best of a horrible situation and flip on the tube. It’s sad when my best choices are Telemundo or the Killer Blob Returns to Toledo. I think I’m just going to use the Pacman app on my Iphone to pass the time. This surgery can’t come soon enough. I think next weekend I’m going to stay in and read the new Stephen King novel. At least I can put that down if I’m too scared.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Birds of America Response: "Dance in America"
Before reading Birds of America I couldn't help but notice all the accolades bestowed on Moore from critics and publications alike. Because of this I naturally had high hopes for such a recognized piece of work. I was a little disappointed though as I read. I'm not sure how I can accurately describe it, but her stories just didn't seem to grab my attention too much. Her characters seemed jumbled and I found them hard to follow and stay intrigued by. However, the one story that I truly enjoyed was "Dance in America."
After the first few paragraphs I was thinking to myself that if the main focus of this story is about dance, then I'm going to struggle with focusing on the plot. But Moore worked the idea of dance well within the story and it made for a very enjoyable read.
The meaning of this story seems to delve into the common negativity that is rampant among the modern, American adult. The narrator is an unhappy, selfish dance instructor who seems to be "going through the motions" because she knows nothing else. She then meets up with an old college buddy who is now married and has a child. Cal's negativity is seen initially in his refusal to update such a dilapidated old house because of the unusual names of some of the paints... a rather obvious cop out to avoid doing the work required of living in such an elaborate house. Once we learn about Cal's son, Eugene, and his cystic fibrosis we can see a continued anger in Cal. When talking to her about the arts he states that, "It's wonderful to fund the arts. It's wonderful; you're wonderful. The arts are so nice and wonderful. But really: I say, Let's give all the money, every last fucking dime, to science" (49). Some of his negativity is deservedly due, but if he harnesses it better then his life could be happier.
Switching from the negative, we have Eugene, a boy that really makes adults think about how precious life truly is. He is eventually going to meet his demise because of his disease and he is just as happy of a little boy as could ever be. When she asks him to be her agent he slyly replies, "I don't know. Is the agent the person who drives the car" (52). His innocence and zest for life are admirable and I think her truly helps the narrator reflect on her selfish ways. The dance scene near the end helps her see the importance of enjoying the simpler things in life.
Moore does an excellent job of physically creating this story. Just enough information is given so the reader has an idea of the back story between the narrator and Cal. I found myself intrigued by some of the more minuscule details because of the visualizations that it made me conjure up. For example, the necessity of having pots in the attic to catch leaks and then need them for use in the kitchen was a unique way to grab my attention as a reader. Infusing the story with details such as this keeps the reader on their toes so they can fully engage with the text.
After the first few paragraphs I was thinking to myself that if the main focus of this story is about dance, then I'm going to struggle with focusing on the plot. But Moore worked the idea of dance well within the story and it made for a very enjoyable read.
The meaning of this story seems to delve into the common negativity that is rampant among the modern, American adult. The narrator is an unhappy, selfish dance instructor who seems to be "going through the motions" because she knows nothing else. She then meets up with an old college buddy who is now married and has a child. Cal's negativity is seen initially in his refusal to update such a dilapidated old house because of the unusual names of some of the paints... a rather obvious cop out to avoid doing the work required of living in such an elaborate house. Once we learn about Cal's son, Eugene, and his cystic fibrosis we can see a continued anger in Cal. When talking to her about the arts he states that, "It's wonderful to fund the arts. It's wonderful; you're wonderful. The arts are so nice and wonderful. But really: I say, Let's give all the money, every last fucking dime, to science" (49). Some of his negativity is deservedly due, but if he harnesses it better then his life could be happier.
Switching from the negative, we have Eugene, a boy that really makes adults think about how precious life truly is. He is eventually going to meet his demise because of his disease and he is just as happy of a little boy as could ever be. When she asks him to be her agent he slyly replies, "I don't know. Is the agent the person who drives the car" (52). His innocence and zest for life are admirable and I think her truly helps the narrator reflect on her selfish ways. The dance scene near the end helps her see the importance of enjoying the simpler things in life.
Moore does an excellent job of physically creating this story. Just enough information is given so the reader has an idea of the back story between the narrator and Cal. I found myself intrigued by some of the more minuscule details because of the visualizations that it made me conjure up. For example, the necessity of having pots in the attic to catch leaks and then need them for use in the kitchen was a unique way to grab my attention as a reader. Infusing the story with details such as this keeps the reader on their toes so they can fully engage with the text.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Creative Autobiography Synthesis
Well I'm finally entering the 21st Century with my very first blog entry. I feel like I'm finally catching up with the rest of my generation. So as I was answering the Creative Autobiography questions the title for my blog just came to me very bluntly because that is what I thought I was doing. I was answering the questions honestly and clearly but they didn't always seem to connect, not that they needed to, but I felt that I was just spewing off information from my gut. I guess that is what a blog can be if I want it to be.
Most of my answers surrounded my early life and career today. As a child my first creative moments came in Elementary school when I acted in two plays as the Genie from Aladdin and Tad (a Fonzie type character that ironically hates girls). I was really able to express myself and liked being on stage. However, as I grew older those feelings just left me as I became relatively consumed in sports, both playing and watching. My adolescence is one big game; I don't regret it, but it is what it is.
I am currently a teacher and truly enjoy it, even though many people say I'm crazy for dealing with hormonal 14 year olds all day long. They never bore me becasue something new happens everyday. Like how Brian went to his locker last week at the end of the day and gathered his books like he was going to his last period class only to walk in and realize that I was there alone and he had missed the bus... not to mention that he did not pay attention to any of the other students who were putting on their coats and packing up their bags. I can't make this stuff up!!!
That's the quick synopsis, and until next time everybody have a great week.
Most of my answers surrounded my early life and career today. As a child my first creative moments came in Elementary school when I acted in two plays as the Genie from Aladdin and Tad (a Fonzie type character that ironically hates girls). I was really able to express myself and liked being on stage. However, as I grew older those feelings just left me as I became relatively consumed in sports, both playing and watching. My adolescence is one big game; I don't regret it, but it is what it is.
I am currently a teacher and truly enjoy it, even though many people say I'm crazy for dealing with hormonal 14 year olds all day long. They never bore me becasue something new happens everyday. Like how Brian went to his locker last week at the end of the day and gathered his books like he was going to his last period class only to walk in and realize that I was there alone and he had missed the bus... not to mention that he did not pay attention to any of the other students who were putting on their coats and packing up their bags. I can't make this stuff up!!!
That's the quick synopsis, and until next time everybody have a great week.
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