"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.