"Notes from a New Orleans Daughter" by Sheryl St. Germain

     This was a very interesting piece. I was especially fond of the authors voice and writing style, which let the reader basically into her every though. This piece definitely had a lot more telling than showing, but I felt that in a piece like this, it worked. I thought at first that it would have been interesting for this white woman to grow up in the rich black culture of New Orleans, and as she went on to talk about how racist her family was, I couldn't even imagine how hard that must of been. I also found it very interesting when she brought up all of the racism she has experienced in Iowa.

"Household Words" by Barbara Kingsolver

     Wow, what irony. Immediately before reading this piece, I was at Buffalo Wild Wings for a social function with my business fraternity. And while I was sitting talking to a friend, a tall, frail, ragged looking man came up to me, asking if I could please buy him some food. I automatically told him no, I didn't have any more money on me, so he kindly nodded and walked away.
     I spent the rest of the night feeling so guilty for turning the man down. Who knows how long it's been since he's had something decent to eat, and I couldn't spare a few measly dollars to help him?
     And low and behold, our blog assignment is a piece about the cruelty and ignorance of the people in our society when it comes to the treatment of "homeless" people. Biggest guilt trip ever.
     But Kingsolver really does make an excellent and extremely valid point, and I feel like everyone needs to read this essay, to give themselves a little perspective on how life actually is for homeless people.
     Goodness do I feel like a huge jerk right now.

"Notes From a Parallel Universe" by Jennifer Kahn

     This was a very interesting and odd piece. I appreciated how Kahn took it upon herself to delve into the works of cranks, which as she notes, can be pretty delirious. It is true though that many new theories keep surfacing about physics and dark matter and what not, and it is hard for us to know whether it's complete craziness or if it has any truth to it. Kahn did an excellent job of showing the two extremes of cranks while also including those in the middle. Her writing style was very straight forward, but also revealed to the reader that she thought some of the stuff was pretty bizarre, too.

"The Dead of Winter" by Debbie Drechsler

     I loved this piece. And I'm not normally a huge fan of graphic novels, either. I think what I liked most about it though was the artwork. Drechsler's drawings are so well done and vivid and even the way she portrayed the landscape was very detailed. The topic of the piece, which was Drechsler as a young adult getting an abortion, was also a very sticky topic that she described very well. She seemed to have no thoughts whatsoever of keeping the baby, but once the procedure was done you could tell that she in some way felt guilty about it. The combination of the writing style and beautiful graphics made this one of my favorite pieces out of the textbook so far.

"The Things They Carried" by Demetria Martinez

     This piece has a very strong message. I especially liked the line "...abandoned by their smuggler, abandoned by a gluttonous nation that craves cheap labor but detests the laborer." In "Inherit The Earth" Martinez commented on the illegal immigrants trying to smuggle themselves and their families into the United States, and many dying along the way. Her writing is so powerful and the images are so vivid that she really makes the reader feel the emotion she is conveying.
     In "The Things The Carried", the hard facts are conveyed by Martinez in a way that make them seem astounding to the reader, obviously in a negative way. The deaths and struggles of immigrants is a very touchy subject in our country, and Martinez does an excellent job of taking all politics out of the matter and making readers notice for themselves the lack of humanity shown to these people.

"What's Inside You, Brother"

     I have mixed feelings about this piece. The fact that it was written in second person both drew me to and turned me off from the essay. I like that it's different, and very poetic sounding, but at the same time I felt a tad bit of cheesiness about it. The actual story and imagery were very detailed and thorough though, and I really enjoyed reading the piece. The message was very powerful, and once I made it through to the end, I recognized how the second person was supposed to be perceived. He was basically speaking to himself from different periods of his life, and I do believe it created the intended affect; to show his readers that it takes more than a punch to knock him down.

"Uncle Tony's Goat" by Leslie Marmon Silko

     The whole time I was reading this piece I was expecting something exciting or tragic to happen at the end, maybe that Silko would shoot the goat with her home made bow and arrow. So I must say I was fairly dissapointed when at the end the goat just ran away. It was a completely anticlimactic ending.
     But besides that, I enjoyed the rest of the essay. Silko's childhood was very different than mine, and I always like to read about such things. She did a wonderful job of relaying the emotions she felt at the time, but also using the wisdom she has now gained to make this a very expertly written piece. The main problem I had with it was just that I was basically dissapointed at the end. It's not Silko's fault, because this is nonfiction and she told what really happened, but it was just sort of dull.

"No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch" by Ann Hodgman

     Wow. This was not at all what I was expecting. If an essay is going to have this title, I expect the contents to be of a satirical nature, maybe commenting on cancer, emotions, or relationships. The last thing I expected this piece to be about was a woman eating dog food. And man, was it revolting! The line where she noted a grey vein hanging from a piece of "meat" basically made me lose my dinner. It's absolutely horrifying that this is what our dogs are eating, and even more so that Hodgman ate it!! I seriously don't know how she could keep on with this little taste test after her first revolting experience.
    I will say that this essay was very informative; I learned more about dog food than I ever wanted to know. It does kind of make me skeptical about what my dog is eating though, all of the statements made by these different brands of dog food basically seem like they're just bull shit. But as for the essay, I thought it was very attention grabbing, and a very exquisite topic.

Chapter One of "Confederates in The Attic" by Tony Horwitz

     This chapter was very interesting. This was a very quirky topic, and I got a few laughs out of it. The intensity of these re-enactors is astonishing, and the fact that this was a first hand account made it even better. I'm not sure how I feel about the seriousness these men put on the Civil War re-enactments, but I have to commend them on channeling their passion. I liked how Horwitz described the first meeting he attended as part weight watchers, part fashion show. It was true that these men were so obsessed with the legitimacy and originality of their acting that they had to lose weight and soak their buttons in urine. That is just ridiculous! This piece was overall an entertaining read, and I might even take a shot at reading the whole book. I feel like Horwitz would have a lot more to say on such an exquisite subject.

"A Place Called Midland" by Susan Orlean

     This essay was extremely well written. I loved Orlean's writing style, and the way she characterized Midland. I felt like she described it as if it were a person, which just made it that much more interesting to read. I also found it peculiar that this is the hometown of former president George W. Bush. And I found it refreshing that Orlean didn't center the entire piece around that detail; she only made it just that: a detail. The imagery she used to describe the arid weather of Midland made me feel like I was experiencing it right along with her, feeling my face get all crusty and caked in dirt.
     I feel like this piece's strong point is in the details, because the topic of the essay isn't all that interesting, it's just a small town. I did find it very informative that this town's economy was basically centered around the oil industry, and the George W. Bush was a part of that.

Politics

     The one thing I hate to write about the most is politics. The whole idea if it all is great, but they way it pans out is ridiculous and sad. Every other commercial these days is just one politician bashing the other. None of the candidates even run for what they believe in any more, only for what they think will get them elected. Politics is full of lies, manipulation, deceit, all for the ultimate goal of monetary gain.
     Now don't get me wrong, I love our country and am aware the democracy has gotten us to where we are today, but that doesn't mean I have to be blind to the fact that politics are basically corrupted now a days. I feel like I can't believe anything I hear that comes out of the mouths of any politician, no matter what party they are affiliated with. And I hate writing about politics so much because the majority of people are extremely set in their ways, and trying to talk to anyone about politics is basically guaranteeing that there will be an argument. My parents argue about it, my friends argue about it, everyone argues about it. And the worst part is that everyone thinks they are right! No one ever wants to listen to anyone else's opinions, and it in turn leaves each party looking completely ignorant.
     I knew if I started writing about politics that I would end up on a ridiculous rant with no literary merit whatsoever, and that it exactly what has happened. UGH I HATE POLITICS.

From "Louis Riel" by Chester Brown

     This piece was a literary comic, and showed a segment of the life of Louis Riel. As I have no prior knowledge of Louis Riel, I was  somewhat confused about this man and whether or not he was indeed insane. But all in all I did like this comic, the illustrations were detailed and simple at the same time, and the subtle humor in the piece was very enjoyable. I feel like this story would have been more enjoyable had I read the whole thing, and known more about what was going in the plot. But I do believe Brown did a great job of giving Riel a very strong character in the comic, and the word choice combined with the illustrations made for a great combined effect.

"The Ashes of August" by Kim Barnes

     The writing style of this piece was particularly enjoyable. The descriptions were so vivid that it really made me want to visit the childhood home of Barnes. The subject of this essay was also very interesting, as Barnes nonchalantly wrote about how fire was a constant threat to her home and her life, but was such a part of her way of life that it never felt so dangerous. Barnes' writing styles used both factual and personal information combined with very vivid descriptions to tell the reader what it was like for her growing up, including the beauty and the terror of the arid atmosphere.

"A Path Taken, with All the Certainty of Youth" by Margaret Atwood

     This was an interesting piece. The author Margaret Atwood, described in a short essay the time when she felt that she decided to become a writer. It is a sort of peculiar piece, and I was a little confused about the significance of the poem at the end. I did like the subtle humor Atwood used, and how she believes that if she would have been more educated on the status of female writers, she probably would not have become one. I also liked how she used the perspective she has now to reflect on thoughts and actions she took as an adolescent.

"Holocaust Girls/Lemon" by S.L. Wisenburg

     I first read the excerpt about S.L. Wisenberg, and from the get go figured she would be a very satirical writer. The fact that her Web Blog is called Cancer Bitch was a very straight forward hint to that. Then, as I began reading the actual essay, and the first part was a song "We are the Holocaust Girls" to the tune of "Lollypop Guild" in the Wizard of Oz, I recognized indisputable satire. But as the Holocaust is a very touchy and unhumorous subject, I was curious to see where Wisenberg was going with this. But as I read, it dawned on me that even though Wisenberg wrote in second person, that she really was referring to herself. She was being extremely honest about how she views herself, and how people can become so entrenched in history that they can barely think of anything else. This was a very interesting piece, and I enjoyed trying to decode the meaning of the essay.

Work

     I've worked a variety of different jobs, and have had countless odd and unforgettable experiences. One that sticks out further than the others was when I was working as an Acrobatics instructor back in Tampa when I was a senior in high school. I had been a student of acrobatics since I was 5 or so, and knew the injuries that could result from it. As a teacher, I had to assist the students in doing all sorts of flips and kicks, all the while trying to avoid getting kicked or smacked.
     One time in particular, I was spotting a young girl named Anna Beth, who was as spastic as they come. And when it came time for her to jump backwards for her back handspring, she inevitably jumped completely sideways, and she kicked her foot very firmly, hitting my face spot on. I remember little from this actual event, except waking up a minute or so later from being blacked out. Yeah, she kicked me that hard. It took everything in me not to scream and cry, it was legitimately the worst pain I had ever been in. She caught me directly in my left eye, and my head felt like it was going to fall off. I knew Anna Beth felt terrible, so I did my best to muster a smile and told her everything was ok. But I immediately ended class, had my mom come pick me up, and take me straight to the doctor. I was convinced that she fractured my cheekbone. With every second I could feel my face swelling larger and larger, and worried I would look deformed for the rest of my life.
     Luckily it ended up only being a sever black eye, which lasted me for a good month. And after Anna Beth saw me the next week, her mother withdrew her from class. I can't say I was upset.

"A Girl Among Trombonists" by Cris Mazza

     This essay started out very slowly. I found the extremely detailed description being in the band, and the trombonist etiquette very monotonous and boring. Mazza could have skimmed over the majority of what she was describing during the beginning of the piece. But besides that, I found the overall topic pretty interesting. Being the only girl in an otherwise all boys section of the band is a very peculiar situation, and they way the boys treated her, feeling comfortable touching her in ways the didn't with their girlfriends, was very odd. The time period though, of the seventies, was a period of women's liberation, though as Mazza pointed out, this sometimes only relayed to sexual liberty.

"What Fundamentalists Need for Their Salvation" by David James Duncan

     This essay is one of my favorites that we have read so far. The fact that the author, David james Duncan, is a religious man, but is able to understand the absurdity of censorship, as well as many other absurdities, gives me hope that there can be some normal Christians in this world. I am a very big fan of Duncan's writing style, too. His tone and syntax make this piece very enjoyable to red, and even though it is sectioned off into different chapters, it all flows very nicely. From the beginning, where Duncan told of his experience visiting the school where the parents destroyed his book with excessive censorship, I could tell that Duncan was being very real, and basically told it how it was. This was definitely a good choice.

"Persia on the Pacific" by Tara Bahrampour

     I had never heard a description of Iran like this before. I immediately thought of Persepolis, and Santari when I read Bahrampour's introduction, expecting the pieces to be similar. But in Bahrampouor's piece, she sets up the scenery of Iran just like some neighborhoods in America; kids with fancy cars and big luxurious mansions. The writing style of Bahrampour was one I especially liked, even though she didn't focus much on herself, she had a very strong voice in the piece, and you could tell she was very knowledgeable about Iran and all that has happened. I may have liked this better than Persepolis, though the art work and the movie made that piece very moving.

From "Across the Wire" by Luis Alberto

     The theme of this piece is very interesting and sort of disturbing. I know how many underprivileged people there are in this world, but hearing these extreme circumstances of people living in trash dumps is very eye opening. I think that Alberto did the best job possible to incorporate a small bit of humor in this piece. WE all know that this isn't a funny situation, but humor is a part of every one's lives no matter if they are living in a garbage dump. I especially liked how Alberto pointed out how beautiful the sky looked with the blue smoke from burning animal carcasses rising over the sky line. As tormenting as this was to visualize, I knew that his point was that beauty is appreciated everywhere, no matter the outside circumstances.

One Person as Opposed to a Group or Entire Culture

     I completely agree with Satrapi's reasoning. People become standoffish when it comes to accepting the ideas or hearing the opinions of a large group, but when it is instead focused on a single person, people will let their guards down and find that they can relate to how that person is feeling, no matter if the experience has happened to them or not. Like Satrapi said, people all cry for the same reasons.
     There are such an abundance of examples of this phenomenon, one of which is very common. When I was in high school, one of our classmates was killed walking across the street on their way to school. I'm sure the majority of our high school's students hadn't had a similar experience; getting hit with a car is pretty uncommon. But that didn't stop the out pour of mourning and sadness that fell over the entire school. We could all feel the pain of the one boy, even though lots of us barely knew him. It didn't matter is he was an atheist, or Jewish, was on the football team or drew anime. Such things didn't matter at the time.

"A Polite Way of Being Desperate" - an Interview with Marjane Satrapi

     I really enjoyed this interview. Though I knew we were going to watch the movie in class, reading about the actual movie in this interview was very helpful. The fact that the movie is animated was news to me, for some reason I had pictured it being live action. But now I'm even more interested in watching the movie knowing this. I loved the way the comic flowed, and I feel that the movie will flow similarly. Also, reading Satrapi's answers to the interview questions was pretty enlightening; she seemed very knowledgeable, but also at the same time very opinionated and outspoken. She took each question with ease, but also didn't hesitate to answer firmly if she felt the need to. I agreed with much of what she said; and I enjoyed hearing her perspective of what it was like to turn her comic into a movie.

Excerpt from "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi

     This nonfiction comic was very interesting. I have no prior knowledge of the topic, and no real clue of who this woman writing the story is, but I have a feeling she became somewhat influential in her country's future. But in this comic, I liked the style, and how straight forward she was about everything. She did an excellent job of writing just as a child would feel, especially at the beginning when she was talking about the veils, and when she became awe struck when finding out her grandfather was a prince. The illustrations correlated very well with the writing style, and though the topic is very serious, since Satrapi wrote the majority of the comic from a child's perspective, the topic is given a more lighthearted appearance. I am very excited to watch the movie after reading this piece.

Diamond

     At the tender age of seven, I was given the greatest gift I could've have ever wanted for my birthday: a hamster. And this was no ordinary hamster. I knew this because my brother also got one. Mine was a light brown with a little white diamond on his forehead, hence the name "Diamond" He was sweet and loving, and never even pooped on me. My brothers was a hideous white rodent, with ugly reddish eyes that never wanted to be held named Snowball.
     The time I spent with my hamster was wonderful. We had little green plants in our front yard that Diamond and Snowball loved to run around in; I was convinced they were playing hide and go seek with each other. It became an every day activity for my brother and I to bring our hamsters outside to play, while we watched to make sure they never ran too far away.
     One summer day, I had my at-the-time-friend Sydney Price over to play.( Typing her name makes me cringe even now, twelve years later.)  I had told her all about my perfect hamster Diamond, and she was so excited to see him. So, just like I always did, I brought Snowball and Diamond out front to play in their little forest. Sydney and I giggled as we watched the two little guys run round and round.
     Take caution reading this next part: it gets gruesome. So as Sydney was walking over to pick up Snowball, I saw what was coming: it happened in slow motion. As Sydney's hug foot inched closer and closer to the ground, I saw Diamond's petite little body mover right under it. And before I could even open my mouth to scream, I heard a dull crunch as Sydney's foot came down on top of him. She stepped on my hamster. My beautiful, sweet, loving hamster. She gasped and brought her foot up, and underneath her was a squirming and mangled little creature that was probably in more pain than you can imagine. I shrieked, and my mom came running, right away figuring out what happened.
     The after math of the incident was awful, I became a horrified and depressed child, and could not find it in myself to forgive Sydney. I knew it was an accident, but I couldn't look at her without looking at her foot, and I couldn't look at her foot without seeing it squash my best friend. So needless to say, that friendship was over.
     My mom went out and bought me a new hamster A.S.A.P., but it just wasn't the same. Nothing could replace my precious Diamond, and to this day, I will not own a pet small enough to be stepped on. And I still hate Sydney Price.

From "Pyongyang" by Buy Delisle

     This cartoon was much more interesting than the previously assigned one. The topic was very rare, because so little is known about communist North Korea. The fact that Delisle got to live and work there and then make this piece about his experience is very special. Like he said, now that he has done such, he is probably no longer welcomed there. The details he included in his drawings were very helpful considering the simple nature of his art work. I like how he examined the pictures of the two communist leaders, and pointed out how the frames were larger at the top and smaller at the bottom, emphasizing the faces. And although the topic of this story was very serious, Delisle added just enough satire and humor to make the piece somewhat lighthearted. This comic has swayed my opinion a little towards the positive about graphic literature.

"Nightmare Studio" by Gary Panter

     This piece was sort of odd. I grasped the idea that Panter was painting a picture of the studio he sees in his dreams, but I found myself extremely confused for most of the story. I've had this problem with the majority of the comic pieces we've read so far, so it must have something to do with that. I felt like the comic was its own inside joke, and I was trying to get in on it. I'm sure that when we go over this piece in class tomorrow I will gain a much greater perspective on it, but for now I'm somewhat confused about the point of the story.

From "The Black Veil" by Rick Moody

      I really enjoyed this piece. Moody's writing style is very clever and easy to follow, it kept me intrigued throughout the entire passage. The road trip taken by Moody and his friend seems very simliar to what I believe many of us in college want to do: go somewhere we've never been before and do something we've never done before. Moody's descriptions were very detailed, and he did a wonderful job of adding a perfect amount of humor and sarcam where need be.

"Reflections of a Nonpolitical Man" by Sven Birkerts

     I could easily relate to the topic of this piece, because I too am not a very political person. And just as Birkerts points out, when other people bring up the topic to you, it is unavoidable to start feeling guilty. But not everyone was born to hold rallies and make bills. And just as Birkert also stated, political passivity is not the same as political apathy. It is possible to be aware of what is going on, and fully comprehending it, but not wanting to make yourself a part of the change. It's not for everyone. I really liked this piece and the way the author went about writing it.

From "Palestine" by Joe Sacco

     I was excited to see that this piece was about the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, because I just recently finished reading a historical fiction book on the same topic called Exile by James North Patterson. And while the literary comics are not my favorite, I could relate to this comic because of all of the background information I have just become aware of on this topic. The violence and amount of deaths in Israel is unbelievable, and this comic showing Sacco's journey to the hospital shows just that. His cartoons were very intricate, and at some points even disturbing. I really enjoyed the topic of his piece, though.

December 28th, 1835

     I was born on December 28th, 1990, three days after Christmas and four days before New Years. And when I researched my birthday on Wikipedia including the year, I was disappointed to fond out that the only significance it had was that I shared birthdays with David Archaletta, a former American Idol contestant. How glorious. But when I researched the date in other years, I found many interesting events, the most interesting happening on December 28th, 1835. Oddly relevant to FSU, on this day Chief Osceola leads the Seminole Indian warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army. And I know this is extremely ignorant, but I was shocked to find out that the mascot of our school was the leader of a group of Indians who fought to the death with most likely my ancestors. I researched the event more thoroughly and learned that the two groups finally made amends with each other (Duh, Thanksgiving) and were in such good standing that when it was time to deem FSU worthy of a mascot, they chose the Seminole Indian Tribe.

"Caring for Your Introvert" by Jonathan Rauch

     I really loved this essay. It was extremely humorous and also very informative. The way Rauch concocted this essay into question-answer form was very entertaining, and I had a happy smirk on my face the whole time I was reading. I would probably have to categorize myself as an extrovert, so getting a greater perspective on introverts was very enlightening. Though the piece was filled with exaggeration and tons of humor, Rauch's main points were legitimate. I can totally see introverts getting annoyed and aggravated when I just keep talking and talking with little to none of what I'm saying being all that important. It is true what he said: I as an extrovert do think by talking. I didn't realize it though until he pointed it out.
     I felt a large metaphor in this piece to homosexuality, though I may be completely off by thinking that. And I don't feel he was satirizing it in a negative way at all, but just making humorous the idea of trying to understand another person who's orientation is completely different from yours, whether it be sexually or socially.

"June: Circle K Recipes" by Karen Tei Yamashita

     As open minded as I try to be, I am just not a fan of essays, or any writing at all, that use so much foreign vocabulary that it's hard to figure out what they're talking about. And that was pretty much the case with this piece. Practically every other word was in Japanese or Brazilian, and although it did add a strong sense of culture to the writing, it was largely overwhelming. Having to stop two or three times per sentence to unscramble those foreign words was a huge turnoff to me.
     But getting past the major set backs, I thought Yamashita's writing style was very colorful and informative. She incorporated foods into the make up of entire culture's and showed how such foods can literally shape a peoples' way of life. I like how she pointed out that no recipe is completely original, that most everything has derived from another recipe, most likely from somewhere on the other side of the world. I also though it was interesting how attached people are to their homeland's food, which she exemplified in the Brazilian workers who were losing significant weight when they lived and worked in Japan.

From "Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person" by Miriam Engelberg

     I knew there was no was I was going to enjoy this piece after I finished reading the biography. Right before I made my way into this comic that from the title I inferred would be fairly humorous, I read "Miriam Engelberg died of cancer in October 2006."

Wow.

     I was depressed off the bat. But still I made my way through the piece, which was very witty and revealing of Engelberg's innermost thoughts. But with every joke or satire she made about herself having breast cancer, all I could think about was how she's dead now. I kind of wish I hadn't read the biography so I could have had a more open minded and optimistic view going into it. I feel so awful for this poor woman; she really did a great job of combining simple pictures with captions that made the piece quick, easy, and entertaining.

"The Faith of Graffiti" by Norman Mailer

     This wasn't my favorite piece. I struggled to finish it, and just could not keep myself interested. The topic of graffiti writers was intriguing, but I just wasn't a fan of how Mailer went about writing this. His descriptions were very intricate and detailed, but I could not get myself absorbed in the story. A few aspects of the essay I did like though, such as when Mailer questioned whether a plant can feel pain or any sensitivity when it is burned or cut, and the metaphor of graffiti as plants, interacting with each other and what not.

From "Lucky" by Gabrielle Bell

     This was undoubtedly my favorite comic we have read thus far in the class. Bell's ideas flowed smoothly, and the combination of the art and her writing created an enjoyable, quirky, easy to read piece. I easily related to her feelings of imprisonment at her mundane job, because spending extreme amounts of time doing anything that isn't your lifelong passion, such as assembling trinkets, can easily begin to feel like jail. Bell's simple way or writing and illustrating were delightful to read, and contained enough subtly humor and relate able awkwardness to make me really believe everything she said. The way she viewed France is very similar to the I view it, as a sophisticated city where people drink wine and smell flowers all day long. I really loved this piece.

Pickle Juice?

     Although the majority of my family is very eccentric, my mother's sister is a tad more extravagant than the rest. And not in the sense of fashion or wealth, but more so in the odd and very detailed memories she always shares with our family. So she was, of course, my first choice to interview.
     My Aunt Jeanie is fifty one years old, and clinically diagnosed bi polar. But while she is a little out there the majority of the time, if you catch her at a good moment, or just happen to be her favorite niece, you can find very valuable and interesting information from the array of words that spew out of her mouth.
   When interviewing Aunt Jeanie, I asked her to recall one of her favorite past times. And that she did. She answered me with a thorough and lengthy story about where she spent her weekend nights as a kid during the winter in Chicago. It began normal enough, her meeting up with her friends at the local frozen over pond to go ice skating. But she did not specify any of her friends, which boys she thought were cute at the time, or even an incident when someone fell through the ice. What she told me was about the concession stand right down the path from the pond, where her and her friends could buy the refreshing beverage of pickle juice, served in the exquisite outer skin of a tomato. You heard me right, pickle juice drunken out of a tomato. People actually payed money for this!
     So while the majority of the interview was based on this unusual phenomenon, I learned from my Aunt Jeanie how easily it is to remember one aspect of an event or past time extremely vividly, and the rest can easily be just a huge blur.

Excerpt from "Candyfreak" by Steve Almond

     I really took a liking to this excerpt from Almond's book Candyfreak. The plot is very quirky and different, but very pleasurable to read; I can feel Almond's nostalgia as he visits the different Candy Factories. Although I myself know little to nothing about real life candy factories, how they operate, etc., I couldn't help but relating every scene Almond described the something I've seen from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I imagine all of the workers as Oompa Loompa's, and each factory as a magnificent castle with large metal gates, filled with magic. So maybe my perception of Candy factories is a little tainted, but who's isn't?
     Either way, I was really fond of Almond's writing style, and how although he, like Ozick in the previous article, was telling not of himself, he did a great job of showing us just how much candy factories mean to him. He also took something as small as a factory, and the workers who occupied it, and made inferences and formed questions about the ever changing world. This essay really made me want to go to South Dakota and buy a whole bunch of Twin Bings.

Chapter Nine "Interviewing"

     This chapter on interviewing explains to the reader what exactly they should be looking for when interviewing someone, and the gestures and body language, along with the composition of the questions, must be formatted intelligently and keenly to bring about the intended effect. Though I am extremely interested in writing and literature, I'm not a journalist at all. I feel uncomfortable asking people intimate questions and chancing their rage and anger when they feel I've portrayed them negatively in an article. No thanks.
     But either way, I liked that this book had a chapter about interviewing, because if used correctly the interviewer can create an atmosphere sufficient for the interviewee to feel comfortable enough to talk truthfully. So while I myself never volunteer myself to be in situations like these, I admire the way this book sets the guidelines.

"What Helen Keller Saw" by Cynthia Ozick

     This essay was very telling. As a child who learned about the set backs and accomplishments of Helen Keller, I was surprised to now read that many critics looked harshly upon her, viewing her as a phony and a falsifier. But aside from the sad nature of the essay, I did enjoy the way in which it was written. This piece of nonfiction had basically nothing to do with the writer, which is not what we have been reading recently, and therefore this piece stood out profoundly. Though the reader is given no reason to believe that Keller and Ozick knew each other personally, I truly felt that Ozick embodied the raw emotions of both Keller and her mentor Annie, as if she was right there with them every moment.
     This piece was quite long, and didn't exactly have me on the edge of my seat, which made the process of actually reading it very long and drawn out. But it was interesting to see a different perspective on the life of Helen Keller than what I had previously been exposed to.

"Consider the Lobster" by David Foster Wallace

     This piece by Wallace starts out very unemotional, just a description of the lobster festival in Maine. But as you keep reading, it becomes more and more noticeable the Wallace is commenting on the cruelty of boiling the lobsters alive. And then on eating any animal in general. I found the way Wallace went about the topic very clever and interesting, it definitely wasn't what I expected. I also thought it was smart of him to remain somewhat unbiased on the topic. He did not criticize the torment of lobsters, but more so questioned it, and wondered how even he could legitimize eating a lobster, knowing that it was just recently boiled alive. This piece was somewhat disturbing, yet the writing was brilliant. I truly enjoyed the author's voice and style of writing.

Chapter 8 "Written Sources"

     This chapters explains how written sources are a large part of creative nonfiction, even though it doesn't seem so. When you think of writing a memoir, or a nonfiction essay, the last thought that come to mind is doing research on the topic. But as this chapter points out, many celebrated pieces of creative nonfiction use multiple written sources, whether a grandmother's old diary or history books. The chapter also explains how written sources are incorporated into nonfiction writing, which even with direct quotations, requires no parenthetical citation or footnote.

"Between Art and Architecture" by Maya Lin

     I really enjoyed this article by Lin, which showed her thought processes as she designed the memorial, and how she felt about all of the skepticism surrounding it. Considering I know little to nothing about architecture, I was glad to be able to understand all of what Lin was designing, as she connected every arch and corner to different types of emotions. I was saddened to find out that the infantrymen were added at the end, when Lin, who came up with the design, wished them not be there. But it was obvious that it didn't completely ruin the whole memorial. I enjoyed how Lin wrote at the end of this piece that when she was visiting the memorial, she looked for a friends father and experienced the emotions she intended viewers to experience.

From "Blankets" by Craig Thompson

     As much as I wanted to enjoy this piece, and really tried to understand it, I just could not make complete sense of the comic. Maybe if I had read it from the beginning I would have better understood, but the drastic changes between Craig on the phone and the talking about ACT's and about nature was too scattered for me. I'm going to read it again a few times to see if I can get something more out of it.

Fron "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers

     This excerpt from Eggers' piece tells of a time in his life when he had to take care of his younger brother. Eggers' ability to let the reader into his head, and know exactly what he is thinking and how he is feeling. To have to take the care of your younger brother into your own hands after the death of both of your parents is something very hard to go through, much less write about. Though some parts of the piece seemed a little self indulgent, I admired the intimate quality of the piece.

Fron "The Winged Seed" by Li-Young Lee

     I really enjoyed reading this article. This take of Lee's childhood was very descriptive, and told of how he perceived the trip to the parishioner that his father brought him on. The language used by Lee thoroughly conveys how the trip impacted him, and lets the reader feel the same emotions Lee felt. Although I myself have not experienced the same things as Lee, I could relate to the emotions he experienced because of the vivid and creative way he described them.

I Was Stung by a Jellyfish?

     My parents have repeatedly told me the story of how, at the age of six, I was stung by a jellyfish at a beach in Naples, Florida. The only problem is that I have the most difficult time remembering it. As I try and recollect all of the activities of that day, I find myself creating pictures from what my parents of told me - nothing of what I remember. The story goes something along the lines of this:
     My family was taking a vacation in the summer of 1997. We went to the beautiful beaches of Naples, a fond pastime of my mom's who grew up an hour south in Everglades City. Meeting us there were my mom's four sisters and brother, and all of the members of their immediate families. It was a yearly tradition, and one of my favorite times of the year. I and my 13 other cousins would frolic on the sand and search for sand dollars.
     But this one specific year, the creature I came up with in my hand when feeling around on the ocean floor was not a sand dollar, or a shell, but a slimy, stringy, transparent creature. I held it, staring in awe at the alien creature in my hand. But before long, the pretty little animal started to create a hot, painful, stinging sensation that began traveling from my hand down to my arm. I dropped the jellyfish and screamed.
     So that's how the scene has been portrayed to me, although I can't help but feeling like some of it was fabricated.

Excerpt from "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert

     This excerpt from Gilberts book "Eat, Pray, Love" (which I have read in its entirety), is an in depth look into Gilbert and her sister's relationship. The way the author describes her sister is in a tone of awe and admiration. Gilbert sees Catherine as strong and brave, having many of the qualities she covets. She also notices the complex differences in their personalities.
      And as Gilbert tells us up front about her and her sister's adolescent relationship and then some, readers get to experience it firsthand from the dialogue of the two sisters when they are in Italy. Their ending conversation also tells a lot about their relationship, as Elizabeth reminds Catherine to call her when she gets off of the plane, and Catherine recognizes that this is her sister displaying affection, and responds saying "I know, sweetie. I love you too".

"But Enough About Me" by Daniel Mendelsohn

      This article delves into the raw idea of what a memoir is, and if it could ever possibly contain all truth and no fiction. As the author points out with the help of Freud and other authors, a memoir is completely subjective to the writer's recollection of their memories. If someone recalls a moment of their past in a certain way that they believe to be true, that doesn't necessarily mean that another person involved in their story remembers it the same way. Chances are, they probably don't. Once something has happened, unless it is caught from all angles on tape, and even then, the only remaining evidence of the complete truth of the event is in the minds of those who witnessed it. And as people interpret events differently, their memories in turn are stored that way. So what is true to one person may not seem so true to the other.
      And although Mendelsohn points out this subjectivity, we as readers continue to get very angry and offended when someone seems to be lying in their memoir. But the truth is, as Freud pointed out, that if a person were to try to write a completely objective memoir with no exaggeration or skimming over unpleasantries.
     Mendelsohn goes on to critique the memoir's history, in a pleasantly sarcastic way.

What is Creative Nonfiction?

     The first impression I recieved from the reading was that the term "creative nonfiction" seemed to stir up some turmoil about what exactly it entails, or does not entail. Many different styles of writing can fit into the category of creative nonfiction (CN), though some linger on the fence of other genre's, such as autobiography or memoir. But these can also be seen as sub genres in terms of CN. The term in itself seems controversial in many ways, with some believing others, such as "literary nonfiction", better suit the genre.
     But what seems to be generally accepted are the aesthetic and stylistic elements that make CN what it is. The presence of "I" seems to be very powerful, and it many times is not what is being written about that is substantial, but how it was written. The main purpose isn't normally for the author to persuade or convince the reader, but to move them. To bring the audience to a vivid moment in their life, and make them feel as if they saw what the author saw, felt what he felt. CN is about the reading experience.
      As CN is based upon the author's recollection of a moment, it is hard to categorize or draw limits to whether something is true, or embellished. It is based more on how the author felt, and trying to express that emotion to her readers. CN is supposed to be based on real life events experienced by the writer, but can be expressed creatively, as the term explains.

Part 2 of My 6 Panel Autobiography

      I vividly remember the day my parent sat my older brother and I, six at the time, down at the table to give us some "exciting news". They beamed that they would be bringing us a little brother or sister into the world sometime soon. My brother and I were giddy with excitement, and right then, I just knew that she was going to be a little girl.
      After living all six years of my life with my brother, I became certain that I had done nothing to deserve the unbearable punishment of having two brothers. This reasoning convinced me right away that the little baby stretching out my mom's stomach could be nothing other than a precious little girl, just like me.
So when the day arrived for my perfect little sister to pop out of my mother's belly button, I found myself slightly hysterical when I first saw the baby with a little blue cap and blanket. Why would they put boy clothes on my little sister? The reality started to seep in that the ugly little creature was in fact a boy, and I could think of only one thing to do: cry. And I did, for days and days, wondering what I had done to make God so mad.
      Now, twelve years later, I look back and laugh at my childish reaction to the birth of my adorable little brother, and realize that I wouldn't have wanted him any other way.

"Six Panel Autobiography" by Jeffrey Brown

     Different from the previous three creative nonfiction pieces we've read, Brown's autobiography is very contrite and to the point. I found it interesting and very telling for as brief as it is. The element of graphics in this piece is very revealing when combined with the short blurbs in each panel. Such as when Brown introduced his father as a minister, the illustration shows Brown sitting in a pew looking forlorn. This reveals a great amount about how Brown felt/feels about his father's occupation, and his involvement with it. Then, as he writes about his interest in reading and comics, the illustration shows the subtle happiness and content in his face. This informs the reader of Brown's interests and passions, and how it led him on the journey he chose. This continues in every panel, and in a very simple and practical manner. This combination of illustrations and captions is an effective way for a condensed autobiography to still effectively relay the intended affect.

"American Goth" by Sarah Vowell

     This nonfiction story by Vowell was a very enjoyable read. The combination of irony, self realization and satire keep the reader intrigued throughout the piece. One element that I especially appreciated was when Vowell was getting made over by her Goth friends, and as she was enjoying it, she realized that the "torture" her mother forced on her as a child, may have been her mother's attempt to communicate her love to her daughter. I could also personally relate to Vowell, as I have always had a book in my hand since childhood as well.
     An interesting point in the piece was how people's perceptions of us may stem from our outer appearance, but are held by out personalities and mannerisms. As much as Vowell wanted to be viewed as rough and distant, she couldn't escape her welcoming and happy aura, despite the tantalizing promises made by her Goth friends. Even decked out in black lace with a snake birthmark on her cheek, the taxi driver warmed up to Vowell and saw her kindness.

"My Little Brother Ruined My Life" by Stephen Elliot

      Here Elliot tells the story of a period of ten days spent with his younger brother, sent to visit him by Elliot's estranged father. Though the piece basically highlights the activities and outings shared between the brothers, Elliot incorporates his opinions and memories in a way that brings an intimate depth to the story. I especially enjoyed this because by reading Elliot's thoughts and concerns about Bosco, the reader develops a keen awareness of exactly how Elliot was as a teenager. By noticing the activities Bosco is participating in, as well as his naive sense of invincibility, Elliot portrays to the reader how similar he was to Bosco, and how he wishes Bosco not take the same paths he did. He also incorporates emotional irony, at first wishing his brother to go home, and at the end trying to figure out a way for Bosco to stay.
     This piece comments on the intricate and awkward relationship that brothers have, exemplified in the half hug half handshake that took place between the two at Bosco's departure. Elliot travels along the spectrum of love and envy when it comes to his feelings toward his brother, who he feel he can never fully relate to because of the animosity towards his father, aw well as their day and night up-bringings. This story reveals a significant amount about Elliot's family, and some built up resentment he has for the way things have turned out.

"Big Boy" by David Sedaris

      This passage by David Sedaris is a light, humorous piece about a man, presumably David himself) caught in a very sticky situation. I specifically enjoyed this piece of creative nonfiction because of how Sedaris incorporated a few very thought provoking questions in the final paragraph. I believe that he meant for readers to perceive his story as amusing and lighthearted, but not without twisting their brain to find some significance hiding between the pieces of smashed up turd. After torturing himself with the feces of an anonymous and assumedly very healthy eater, Sedaris questions why he even bothered with it in the first place. Was it because he was worried about how others would perceive him? Did he learn a lesson?
      Sedaris cleverly analogizes the times in a person's life when something unexpected happens that at the time may seem unbearable and life altering, yet when everything is all said and done, one wonders why they were so up in arms in the first place. Sedaris' piece is a fun read, with a little kick.

"Writing in the Late Age of Print" by Jay Bolter

     Bolter's article addressed an idea that is very upcoming and prevalent to what many of us in WEPO are looking for in a career. The movement of text from only being esteemed when in print, to the chance of it in the near future only being viewed as a digital media, is an enormous possibility. Bolter was very aware of this, as he stated "Electronic technology provides a range of new possibilities, whereas the possibilities of print seem to have been played out." 
      Bolter also categorized the age of our society today as the "late age of print". He made sure that readers knew that when he referred to the latter, he wanted them to view "the late age of print, as a transformation of our social and cultural attitudes toward, and uses of, this familiar technology...". This doesn't necessarily mean that the use and esteemed quality of printed publications will die out, but just that we have a new and more technologically advance medium to publish the same information. 
     With the pro's of digital media, there are also cons. Bolter pointed out, "The shift to the computer may make writing more flexible, but it also threatens the definitions of good writing and careful reading that have developed in association with the technique of printing." I can completely see how this is a worry, because on the computer it is much easier to edit and change text, and removes the permanence associated with printed publications. It gives viewers a new sense of entitlement by, as Bolter puts it, "turning the reader into an author herself".

"The Undergraduate Writing Major: What Is It? What Should It Be?" by Deborah Balzhiser and Susan H. McLeod

    This article explained in depth how the writing major is changing and progressing, and questioning which direction it should go. While English majors have previously been, for the most part, limited to only the areas of Literature and Creative writing, the CCCC has noted how recently many universities have begun to offer other majors that focus more on rhetoric and composition, or professional writing. The article also explained how when many incoming freshman to college aren't very familiar with he terms "rhetoric" and "composition", but are a lot more used to just the word "writing". I know this was exactly the case for me. In high school, though I took the class AP Language and Composition, and one of our main goals was to use an array of "rhetorical devices" in our essays, I finished that class not really knowing what either of those words meant. Only until now, because of this class, do I have an actual understanding of rhetoric and composition.
    I also liked the quote, "As a relatively new discipline in the university, composition/rhetoric is still defining itself as a field; it is not surprising, then, that our major is also still defining itself." I felt this completely addressed how new the major is, and how its definition is still being created.

"Copy, Paste, Remix: Profile Codes on MySpace" and "From The Non-Designer's Web Book"

    The "Copy, Paste, Remix: Profile Codes on MySpace" article by Dan Perkel and Danah Boyd delved into the "remixing" or "appropriation" of Myspace pages, and the majority of users that are teens. Their view is that how HTML codes are used, which is mostly without and understanding, and just in the process of copying and pasting, is probably detrimental to the future of social websites. I was a little confused during the article about what Perkel and Boyd's standpoints were. They showed that they obtained a lot of research and interviews with actual teenage Myspace users, but what did they conclude about all of this information? They never clearly stated their opinion of whether or not this "remixing" is something that should be stopped, or what they think it will lead to. It seemed that they were more just identifying what is going on, and haven't figured out yet what the outcome is going to be.
    Then reading the excerpts from the Non-Designer's Web Book", I saw how the ideas were closely related. It suggested that using HTML and web pages isn't a bad thing, even at a young age, but that users should understand what they are doing; how an HTML works instead of just copying and pasting without any knowledge of it. They also mention 4 principles that should be included when making a web page: alignment, proximity, repetition, and contrast.I feel that in the creation of our class publication we should use these principles to make our web design look clean and professional.

"Introduction" New Media Design

     This introduction explains how much media has evolved, and the vast differences between "old" media and "new" media. With the invention of the computer, the future of new media is looking to be very interactively centered. One of the main differences between the new and old media stems from the new media's ability to let the user interact with it. Before the computer, media was limited to books, newspapers and films. It even told how old films didn't have "re-runs", but the actors would perform the act all over again each time it was shown. The new technologies used by graphic designers are taking media to all new heights.
    
     I really enjoyed this article, because it put into perspective how far media has come, and the constraints it had to deal with before are being eliminated by the expanding technologies of the computer. With all of these new "virtual worlds" used in videogames, theme parks, etc., it is easy to see just how much media has evolved. Graphic designers now have so many more possibilities, and a wide variety of fields to go into.

"Introduction" The Seventh Sense" by Lynn Truss and "Grammar, and Nonsense, and Learning: We Look to the Future" by Jack Lynch

    I really appreciated these two articles. Both authors seemed very passionate about their subjects, yet took a sort of playful approach that made the articles very enjoyable to read. And as a student majoring in writing and editing, the subjects of punctuation and grammar were extremely relevant and beneficial to my writing.  
   
    In Truss's article, I was especially fond of all of the definitions and analogies related to punctuation. It is something that can be so easily taken for granted, and isn't used nearly as much or as efficiently as it should be. I personally feel that the credibility of a writer can easily be dismantled by their misuse or lack of punctuation. And I also know that I too am at fault. I use comma's like it's nobody's business, and I'm sure that at times they are excessive and distracting from my writing.
 
    Lynch's article was also a pleasure to read. I laughed out loud at Alexander Graham Bell's proposal of Ahoy! being the common greeting, as opposed to hello. And like Truss, I recognized some of my own faults through his examples. The idea of the "green grocer's apostrophe" is one I sadly struggle with. I find myself throwing apostrophes into my paper like they're nothing, especially when trying to convey possession for "it", making it "it's", which in turn changes the meaning to it is.
 
    Lynch went on to talk about how technology is having such an impact on writing and grammar, and some differences between publishings in print and those online. He quoted John Humphrys, who commented on his appreciation of "the feel and smell of good paper", which I completely agree with.
 
    Both of these articles gave wonderful insights on the delicacy and awe of the English language, and how the misuse or lack of use of proper grammar and punctuation can have detrimental effects on a person's writing.

"Before You Begin" by Sullivan and Eggleston

    The title of this article caught my attention. Its use of direction combined with its vagueness made me curious to see what it was about. I soon figured out it was an article about editing and proofreading, the different degrees of each, and how to do them sufficiently with a time constraint. It was organized into different subheadings, all of which were titled with a different question that editors and proofreaders have surely pondered. They ranged from "What level of work will you do?", to "Who will answer your questions?". Beneath each subheading, Sullivan and Eggleston went on to answer these questions, and to give advice on how to accomplish editing and proofreading tasks effectively.
  
    I liked how the authors put the editing process into a continuum. It stretched from proofreading all the way to substantive editing. These types of editing are very different, ranging from just a basic skim through, looking for misspellings and grammatical errors, to suggesting new approaches and ideas. I know that I personally seem to always edit substantively, even though at times only proofreading is necessary.
  
   This article also focused in on the idea of identifying and keeping in mind the intended audience. This is an idea that has been repeated throughout the many articles we have read, which has helped me realize just how important attending to the audience's limitations is.

   Another element of this article that I particularly appreciated were the little "TIPS" boxes. These took some of the major ideas of the article and made them into little blurbs, which all seemed very helpful to a rookie editor.

"Media Forms" by Sturken and Cartwright

    I gained some very important insight right at the beginning of this article. I'm almost ashamed to say that, while reading this article, I for the first time realized that Media was actually the plural form of medium. It was like all of a sudden a light bulb went on, and it made complete sense! The idea that the Media is the combination of all different types of mediums now feels like common sense, though I hadn't thought of it until now.
  
    With this new insight, I made my way through the rest of the article, which though was pretty lengthy, I really enjoyed. One thing that popped out to me was the idea that there is "no such thing as a message without a medium", which is entirely true. The way we perceive a message is so much influenced by the way in which we do so, whether it is through television, over the internet, or face to face. The medium in which a message is conveyed is such a critical part of what the message will actually put across.

    Another idea I was fond of was that television is a "medium of distraction". This idea holds so much truth, and completely describes the use of the television in the majority of peoples lives. Also was the very critical idea that the lines between entertainment and information, and news and fiction, are becoming more and more blurred. The explosion of reality shows that are such large parts of television now are a huge factor in the lines being blurred. Though these shows may possess some truth, they are in no ways "news" or "information", yet their popularity many times outshines them, as in the case of American Idol.

    The organization One Laptop per Child is such a wonderful project, and its success could truly have such a positive affect on the literacy and computer competency of underprivileged children. Sturken and Cartwright mentioned this multiple times, showing their belief in the great things this project, if implemented, could accomplish.

"Material, Literacy and Visual Design" by Lester Faigley

    Faigley's article confused me quite a bit initially, with the introduction showing examples of young teen's websites. He then went on to show an actual company, Time Warner's, website, right afterwards. I thought here Faigley was going to compare and contrast the two, but instead said very little about their differences and similarities.

    He then quickly moved on to describing how pictures and illustrations have been viewed as "for the illiterate" and how many, including William Wordsworth, condemn the use of such, and believed it would lead to the dumbing down of society. Faigley argues that the combination of writing and pictures, commonly referred to as multimedia, is being and in the future can be used to surpass rhetoric potentials set with writing being their only discourse.

    Faigley seems to be very optimistic and determined that with the growing use and unending possibilities of the web, people will realize that they have the ability to create rhetorical discourse with the use of multimedia that can surpass the limitations that writing alone entails.

    I personally did not prefer the set up of this article; the layout and order of ideas both seemed a little scattered. Especially the first website Faigley displayed, called “Phaedreus Media”, which held what looked like links, but really weren’t, gave the actual article a sloppy appearance, and didn’t draw the reader in.

    But even so, Faigley’s ideas are very enlightened, and commonly held among many writers, publishers, and composers of the present time.

"Understanding Composing" by Sandra Pearl

      I found Pearl's article to be very interesting, and many of the terms and ideas she discussed were new to me. When she began with the idea that writing is a recursive sequence, it automatically made sense to me, though I had never thought of it that way before. Pearl described the process, and included how some writers reread their work after every sentence, while others ventured back maybe every paragraph or so. I found myself to be one of the latter, as I usually skim over my writing once I'm moving on to a new idea.
  
       Another new topic for me that Pearl analyzed was the felt sense. Eugene Glendin described this as:

"the soft underbelly of thought ... a kind of bodily awareness that . . . can be used as a tool ... a bodily awareness that . . . encompasses everything you feel and know about a given subject at a given time.... It is felt in the body, yet it has meanings. It is body and mind before they are split apart."

Pearl discussed just how much this sense is present all writings, how it creates the essence of what the writer is trying to convey, how the audience, feels, etc. She goes on to say how an in depth understanding of the felt sense would allow writers to embrace their inner thoughts even more, and creativity and uniqueness would be much easier to harness. This sense, which originates as images and ideas in the writer's head, is, as Pearl puts it, probably the most important recursive component, because it is what moves the writer to compose something meaningful.

"Keywords in Composition Studies" by Peter Vandenburg

     I found Vandenburg’s article to be slightly overwhelming at first glance, and when reading the headlines of the different “chapters”, I was not sure how the author was going to relate them to one another. But as I actually began reading, I saw that Vandenburg was trying to explain the main ideas of each f the themes, which were audience, coherence, collaboration, form/structure, freshman English, process, revision, rhetoric, and style.
     One topic that was focused on in this article that I had not necessarily thought about previously was collaboration. Here Vandenburg states, “Collaboration refers not to a unified object but rather to a variety of pedagogies and practices, each grounded in somewhat different, and often conflicting, epistemological and ontomological assumptions.” This definition at first threw me for a loop, but as the author’s explanation continued, it became very clear. By including the history of collaboration, Vandenburg simply states that the assumptions of what collaboration really is can seem somewhat contradictory, and it cannot be defined in any simple terms. Some believe writing is an individually accomplished task, while others believe it is completed by the collaboration involved in the said writer learning to read and write the words he uses.

"What is Rhetoric?" by Covino and Joliffe

     This article dove into the depths of the terms associated with rhetoric, as well as the complex meaning of rhetoric itself. In doing this, the authors helped identify that such devices such as audience, situation, arrangement, etc., are all necessary components of what rhetoric is. They repeatedly referred back to the ancient philosophers of Aristotle, Socrates, etc., to point out that the definition of rhetoric has been questioned and hard to define since it was born. Along with these references were multiple examples of rhetoric in action, including its involvement in current debates, while all the time keeping the reader fully aware of the necessity of rhetoric, and how important it is for writers especially to deeply understand what it consists of and what it portrays.

     In the publication of a book I am currently reading, entitled Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet A. Jacobs, it is easy to see the elements of rhetoric described by Covino and Joliffe, used by Jacobs, as the rhetor. The situation is clearly that slaves are being beaten, starved, abused and mistreated, and still the practice is legal and acceptable. The audience was originally intended to be for the white, non slave owning women of the north, yet has traveled down to the hands of me, a 19 year old college student over 60 years later. The invention is that Jacobs told her account first hand, and included all of the horrific things she both saw and endured. The arrangement was in the order of events, starting with her birth into the slave world, and ending in her escape and the freedom of herself and her children. The style is very straight forward, yet Jacobs still uses language that pulls on the reader’s heartstrings, which helped her gain empathy and understanding. Memory and delivery were not a part of this publication, as it was not given orally. But collectively, I have realized that in all publications, rhetoric can be seen, and how its components influence every part of the publication.

Writing in the 21st Century by Kathleen Blake Yancey

      When I took my first glimpse at this article, I was thrilled to see that it was composed by Kathleen Yancey, an instructor at Florida State University. The fact that I could associate this article and the writer close to home made me even more enthused to read in than normal. The title in itself, "Writing in the 21st Century", caught my interest, as I figured it would cover the topic of writing online, which I believe to be a main part of this WEPO course.
      So as I began making my way through the article, a quote jumped out at me that I found very interesting and inspiring. "Writing has never been accorded the cultural respect or the support that reading has enjoyed, in part because through reading, society could control its citizens, whereas through writing, citizens might exercise their own control."
      The absolute truth in this quote caught me a little off guard, especially as I consider myself more of a reader than a writer. And while in books such as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 it was always books and reading that were banned to control society, the thought of writing instead being banished seems it could cause even more harm.
      The rest of the article kept up it's captivating whit and sense of urgency in it's ideas with great finesse, accomplishing what I figure was intended: Getting the reader to understand how writing came to be looked upon as just a means of testing, but can now, with the cooperation of English and writing teachers and willing to learn students, become a more common and positively viewed means of communication.
      Another quote that jumped out at me in this article was, "Through writing, we are." These four words hold such profoundness, and when read intently, cam make any person thoughtfully consider a profession or even a hobby, as a writer.
      I would be honored if I ever actually got the chance to meet with Yancey. Her writing in this article caused me to think about writing and the type of connotation it withholds, and how a better understanding of it’s necessity could do great things in our society.


   

The Rhetorical Stance by Wayne C. Booth

        While reading The Rhetorical Stance, I automatically noticed that this article seemed to combine the ideas of both of the previous articles I have commented on. Booth focused mainly on how rhetoric required a certain balance of recognizing and incorporating the audience, as well as staying true to the logistics and facts of the topic, regardless of what the audience is more likely to respond to.

        I personally enjoyed how Booth included personal experiences, with interactions from his own students and lessons he himself learned through his writing endeavors. From these, I gained better insight on how an in depth understanding of rhetoric and the need of an audience to be recognized are so critical for quality writing. Throughout the article, I found myself becoming more and more engaged, contrary to my normal inability to concentrate for over ten minutes at a time. I correlate this to the amount of examples, and the specific yet not too drawn out reasoning for his ideas.
        If I were to personally meet with Booth, I would first off be extremely excited, for after reading his article I became very fond of both his writing techniques and his ideas of the three types of stances. I would probably even bring a sample of my own writing, and ask him to critique it, and to explain in his own words to me how I should approach my rhetorical stance to help improve my writing. What impressed me the most about this article by Booth is how he wrote it exactly how he described the rhetorical stance to be. He kept the audience in mind, but stayed true to his ideas and motives of writing the paper, keeping me captivated, interested, and when finished reading it, a motivation to try and obtain the balance of the rhetorical stance in all of my writing.

The Meanings of "Audience" by Douglas B. Park

         This article tried to convey the abstractness and importance of the concept of "Audience". I found myself repeatedly confused with the terms Douglas tried to define audience with, but also appreciated his explanations of how much the meaning of audience is misinterpreted these days, and how a wrong idea of audience can greatly hinder writing.
         It seemed sort of ironic how, as Douglas went through his explanation of what an audience is or is not, I noticed that his proposed audience seemed to be that of English composition teachers. He referred multiple times to the importance of teaching the concept of audience correctly, and how students need to understand how it is more of a metaphor than an actual group of people. But even though I didn't group myself in his intended audience, I realized as I made my way through the article that since I benefited in some way from what he wrote, and will take this new idea of audience and apply it to my future writings, that I actually am apart of his audience, as he defined it.
         If I were able to converse with the author of this article, I would commend him for taking on such a brave task as to explain the different meanings and misinterpretations of such a commonly misused idea. I would admit to him that the way he went about it did create certain elements of confusion for myself as a reader, but would admit that I know no other way to try and go about the task. I also enjoyed his multiple comments and references to "The Rhetorical Situation", which I wrote about in my previous blog. Its role in the Audience article helped clarify some of the points Park was making, and helped me relate audience to a rhetorical situation, and how an audience is significant in it.

The Rhetorical Situation by Lloyd F. Blitzer

      The Rhetorical Situation, by Lloyd F. Blitzer, is an article that delves into the concept and definition of such a situation; what it requires, what is cannot contain, how it comes about, etc. To complete such a task, Blitzer took the reader through a sequence of reasoning, where he set the stage for what a rhetorical situation is, and what it entails.


     As I made my way through the article, I found myself becoming more and more impressed with the way Blitzer set up the article, and the way his reasoning slowly helped the reader understand and quite easily follow along with his explanations. The array of examples used, especially the one of the fishermen on the boat, and how it was justified as a rhetorical situation, and its inclusion of all necessary components, helped paint a picture in my mind of what a rhetorical situation is. Other examples, such as the Gettysburg address and Socrates’ apology helped define more complex rhetorical situations, along with how discourse was not necessary, but commonly upheld.

    If I were to engage in a conversation with Blitzer, I would probably just ask him to in his own words explain his concept again, and just marvel at the brilliance and sophistication he would no doubt exude. Taking on the definition of such a complex and untouched situation with such confidence and backed with perfect examples and reasoning, I would praise the author of this article and thank him for granting me such clarity on an idea I would never have guessed had such complexity.