My Thoughts on "The Deer at Providencia"

          

“The Deer at Providencia”(1982), by Annie Dillard, is a literary narrative which explores the concept of suffering.  Dillard’s wish in the narrative is to figure out why suffering exist in nature.  Dillard develops her essay by describing events in which suffering has taken place.  Her intended purpose  is to make humans examine the existence of suffering in the world.

     Dillard’s essay was a difficult for me to follow.  Though I understood the point she was trying to make the reader grasp, I was a little lost while reading her narrative.  She uses alot of subtle imagery throughout  the text that made it difficult for me to catch.  When Dillard breaks off from the image of the deer suffering in the Amazon and trys to link it with a burn victim in Boston, she completely lost me.

     The beginning of the text was very descriptive and graphic when descriping the state of the deer.  Towards the end, the tone of the story seems to become more general, and not as precise.  The text seems to be very subtle and abstract.  Trying to constantly find the hidden message made it hard to grasp the effect the writer was trying to convey.  

    

My Thoughts on "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society"

  

                                                           

      "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society"(1985), by Jonathan Kozol, is an informative essay which explores the cost illiteracy can have on humankind, Kozol idea is that a society which suffers from illiteracy can not continue to sustain itself on a first class level.  Kozol develops his essay by using a variety of personal examples from others on how not being literate can have extremely negative consequences on a person's life.  Kozol intended purpose is to remind others of the threat illiteracy is to a society.  Kozol's intended audience are literate Americans.


     Kozol's essay speaks on a lot of social issues that can effect everyone, even those who are lliterate.  When you live in a democratic society,  the decisions and votes of others can have serious effects on your life.  The American standard of living will continue to decrease if we do not try to help those who are illiterate.  Illeteracy has long lasting consequences for everyone, even those who are literate.


     Kozol's essay is very organized and precise.  He uses the language in his essay to make others appreciate the fact that they are literate.  Most of the tone in the story is meant to make the reader show more sympathy towards the illiterate.  He starts his essay by first showing the affect illiteracy can have on daily activities like paying bills, writing checks, and reading signs, he then shows how illiteracy can have deadly repercussions.  Kozol ultimately shows that illiteracy traps a person in a narrow life, and society bears the burden of its effects.

                    


     "Black Men in Public Spaces(1986)," is a narrative essay written by Brent Staples which explores the phenomenon of racial profiling.  Staples uses personal incidents in his life in which he has been racially profiled by others as a criminal because of his race.  The authors intended purpose is make others more aware of their own social prejudices against others.  Staple's intended audience is everyone, he mentions how all races, classes, and sexes seem to hold these stereotypes.


      While I understand the point that the writer is trying to make in his essay, I could not help but come to the understanding that we all are profiled to some degree.  Whether it is based on a person's race, religion, sex, or age, there are always negative connotations associated with some aspects of a person's life.  Profiling seems unavoidable, it has existed since probably the dawn of time.  All groups of people seem to hold prejudice and stereotypes of others who are outside of their "group."


     Staples focuses on his own personal experiences with racial profiling on blacks.  The text begins when he is a young college student and experiences his first case of racial profiling.  He writes about how he becomes sort of familiar with other people's perception on him.  Because of this, he tries to make himself less threatening to others.  Though he writes on the topic of racial profilling, he does not really seem to use words like racial, prejudice, or stereotype in the text, that would make others believe he was painting himself as a victim. 


    
    

Thirty Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call The Police: A Shocking Story

"Thirty Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call The Police", which was written by Martin Gansberg, is an unfortunate and shocking story about a woman who was stalked from her workplace back to her home. She worked at a local bar and was the target of a man's fatal attack. She was stabbed multiple times by this stalker and was brutally murdered. During the first of his stabs, she yelled out desperately for help, but to no avail. The THIRTY-EIGHT people who lived in the same apartment building did not react and brushed it off as a simple argument between a couple.

When I read this story, I was shocked. How in the world could 38 different people not dial 911, or even check to see what was happening? Any one of those 38 people could have saved her life. She could still be walking around among us today. But no, they decided to ignore it and continue with what they were doing inside their homes. This event represents how many Americans are used to such situations and brush it off like it was nothing. Violence and crime are so common in that area that they did not even care to help out.

I believe Gansberg wrote this story to get people to take action. He wanted justice for this woman and wanted this kind of crime to end. People should be more aware of their surroundings. If you hear screams for help, go help them or call the authorities. It does not hurt to dial 911 in an emergency situation.

Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain,”(1998) is an informative essay written by Jessica Mitford, which explains the American embalming procedure.  Mitford develops the essay by explaining step by step the embalming process undertakers perform on deceased bodies.  Mitford’s purpose is to explain to others what goes on behind the scenes before a funeral is held.  Her intended audience is everyone, since we all will eventually have to experience some kind of burial process.

    As a self-admitting necrophobe, reading Mitford’s essay was a bit much to process and take in.  I literally felt sick while reading.  The embalming process to me has no logic. I have never had the desire to be buried or experience the embalming procedure.  It is not like the person who is dead knows what is going on anyway.  I try to avoid anything having to do with death, so having to read an assay based on corpses was quite morbid.

     The text reminds me why I try to avoid anything having to do with death.  I do not think I could ever partake in a career where dealing with dead bodies was a necessity . I really did not enjoy having to read this story, and I hope I will not have to in the immediate future.

My Response to How to Mark A Book

            

    Mortimer Adler’s essay, “How to Mark a Book”, (1940) defines a clear and logical way of marking up a book that will help a person not only have a book to read but have a book they respect and understand inside-out. Adler’s essay is merely made up of self-examined ideas and the thought process of humans while reading. The sole purpose of this essay was to not only inform his audiences but to also teach them in order to later have a new found respect for whatever they may read in the future. The intended audiences of the essay are people who are in a more mature stage of studies.

            I automatically connected with Alder’s idea because I’m one of the many college students who try to find a variety of ways to better understand any material I may be studying. The way he explained the art of marking a book helped me see the passion and pure knowledge of how much help this could provide a person. I was personally drawn towards this because it gave me a general idea on how to study to where I will not only just read over the context but I will have a full knowledge of whatever I’m studying. Although people may use different study methods, I do believe that they all fall back to Adler’s idea of marking the book and seeing its true soul.

            They way Mortimer Adler brought this essay together was ingenious. Every explanation not only helps one understand it but it will stick with them after reading. Like most people, I’m one who reads and, in the end, has to go back and read again to gain any kind of knowledge. Adler states in paragraph four, “I am arguing that book, too, must be absorbed in your bloodstream to do you any good.” What Adler clearly means is, until one takes the literature and really makes it a part of themselves, they will never fully acknowledge the true meaning behind it.

That's How I Roll

      "That's How I Roll" was written by Ginny Donaldson for her English 1101 class in 2009. This informative essay describes how and why slang is created and used. Many phrases, such as "That's How I Roll", are used throughout the United States. This kind of slang is widespread and is mutually understood by most Americans. Donaldson poses a question. Why and how is slang created?

      Donaldson uses sources, such as the Urban Dictionary, Google, and Buzzle, to describe her thoughts on this subject. Slang seems to develop everyday. Once new slang is created, most of the old slang becomes obsolete and forgotten. Some slang stays longer than others because they are "sticky" or well-remembered. Radical, hip, and gnarly are examples of slang words that are rarely used now but were commonly used years ago. New slang pops up from many places, such as the Internet or everyday conversation.

      This essay reminds me how I use slang everyday and don't even realize it. Most people feel the same way. Slang phrases are used so often that they receive a spot in the official dictionaries. Throughout any regular day, people like me will use slang words and phrases so much that it becomes part of everyday language. Each day, new slang is added to our repertoire.

My Thoughts on "Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall'

                              
  "Why Leaves Turn Coloe in the Fall," (1990), is a poetic, scientific essay written by Diane Ackerman, which explains why leaves turn color in the fall.  Ackerman develops the essay by gradually explainig the process  of what causes leaves to change color in the fall.  Ackerman's purpose is to explain the scientific process of  leaves changing colors in a poetic fashion, in order to teach others why the process happens.  Her intended audience is individuals, who although might not be interested in science, are probably fans of poetry.

      I had a hard time reading Ackerman's essay for a long period of time.  Perhaps, the writing style is simply Ackerman's way of writing poetry, it sometimes felt as if Ackerman was doing a little too much in the form of her writing.  For a poem, the essay did not seem to flow gracefully.  Maybe an essay such as this is intended more towards people who enjoy life sciences and can identify more with the subject matter.  As someone who enjoys reading pretty much anything, it was strange to come across a text that had me mentally exhausted after the first two paragraphs.

     The text just did not seem to flow, it seems that when I tried to immerse myself in the essay, I would come across something that made me do a double-take.  Instead of being able to read along and follow the essay, I found myself having to stop and look up the definition of a word in the text.  Even though, I can see how Ackerman used her poetic and scientific knowlede while writing this essay,  I am not so sure that the two blend together very well in her poem.

My Thoughts on "Spanglish"

"Spanglish," (1998) is an article written in TIME magazine by Janice Castro, Don Cook, and Christina Garcia.  The three authors explore on the fact that Spanish is increasingly being used in American society. Castro, Cook, and Garcia develop the essay by using a mixture of both English and Spanish to help the reader understand not only what Spanglish is, but why someone might speak Spanglish instead of English. The writer's purpose is to show others how both the Spanish and English languages have been influenced by each other in America.


Castro, Cook, and Garcia write on a phenomenon that has only increased since 1998.  There are now currently more Spanish speakers in the United States than speakers of Chinese, French, Italian, Hawaiian, and the all of the Native American languages combined.  There are about 35,000,000 people in the United States who speak Spanish as their primary language at home. The influence of English on American Spanish is also very important. In many areas where there is a influx of Spanish immigrants, it is common to mix Spanish and English, thereby producing Spanglish. The new generation of American Hispanics want to preserve knowing and Spanish as equal to knowing English.


The authors of "Spanglish," were not trying to give an opinion on the matter of whether or not one should only speak English when one immigrates to America.  They were simply stating that when you have an influx of foreign speakers, it is almost impossible to expect everyone of them to simply forget their language and culture that preceded their immigration.  Both languages, Spanish and English seem to be expanding off of the other in America.  I believe this was the authors intent, to show how both cultures are trying to learn and cultivate a connection with each other.

"A Man in the Woods" and My Thoughts

      "A Man in the Woods" is a narrative written by Andrew White for his English 1101 class in 2010. White tells his story of how he delivered food and water to needy people in Bankhead Village, Georgia. The men that lived in the village had livelihoods unlike anything most of us would experience. They live in the woods and survive on donations or food that they hunt for themselves. When it gets cold during the winter season, they burn logs and trash to keep themselves warm. When White enters the village with food and water, a man named James greets him and guides him through the village. James dropped off food and water from White at every hut that was inhabited. While White walks through the village, he notices the horrible odor that was coming from the trash that was piled everywhere. White realizes what horrible conditions they are living in and feels grateful for the things that he has.

      This story reminds me of the time I visited Vietnam with my family. Instead of one village, there were several poor villages. There are millions of people in the world who do not live in comfort and prosperity like us. They live harsh lives and are faced with difficult challenges that we have never experienced. This narrative reminds me of how blessed I am and how I need to support these needy people when I have the financial means to do so.

      White probably wrote this narrative to show his experience and uses it as a way to persuade people to not take their lives for granted and to show that there are people out there who are not as lucky as us. We should be thankful for our fortunes and do not forget about the people who are less-fortunate.

  

"The Battle Will Not Be Lost" and My Thoughts

     

      "The Battle Will Not Be Lost" is a compelling narrative written by Sandi Millwood for her English 1101 class in 2008. It retells the story of Millwood and her daughter, Aubrie, and their troubling beginnings. When her daughter was still young, Aubrie was found on her bed with blue lips and was having difficulty breathing. The emergency paramedics rushed Aubrie to the hospital where they found a tumor in her lung. After six hours of grueling surgery, the doctors diagnosed her with a rare form of cancer. Millwood was suddenly struck with a formidable obstacle. After four years, Aubrie won the battle and was cancer-free.

      This story touched me deeply and none of my horrible experiences can even compare to Millwood's heart-breaking battle. Millwood was a young mother that had her life thrown into confusion and depression because of her daughter's disease. This event scarred them for life and will affect them forever.

      Despite the few grammar errors and typos, Millwood wrote this narrative in a riveting way. Her use of words and the way she described her emotions captivates the reader. This emotional story could be easily picked up by any person, especially mothers. The story reminds us of how spontaneous life can be and the obstacles that block our paths.

My Thoughts on "A Lasting Impression"

“A Lasting Impression,” (Oct. 5, 2010), a narrative written by Debra Anderson, explores  Anderson’s memories of her mother’s struggle with alcoholism that ultimately lead to her death.  Anderson  develops the narrative by telling the reader of her mother’s difficult childhood and adulthood, which she thinks lead to her mother’ s addiction to alcohol.  Anderson’s purpose is to show how earlier issues not dealt with could lead one to develop an addiction. Her hope is that others may listen to her story, in order to stop themselves or someone they know from following in her mother’s footsteps.  Anderson addresses those who may be struggling with an addiction or those who may be dealing with someone with an addiction.

My heart goes out to Anderson.  Even though the story only gives the reader a few examples of what her mother had to endure because of her alcoholism, I can only imagine what Anderson had to go through.  Alcoholism does not only affect the life of the person who is an alcoholic, but also the entire family, especially the children.  Hearing the stories of Anderson’s mother is a little depressing, but it helps the reader to understand the steps that more than likely lead to her addiction to alcohol.

Anderson’s view of her mother is not only as an alcoholic, but also as someone who made an extremely strong impression on her life. Instead of thinking less of her mother because of her addiction, she shows the reader two sides of her mother’s life.  She was once a beautiful and successful woman who ultimately falls to the dreadful disease of alcoholism.  Anderson reminds the reader that her mother was more than just an alcoholic, her, ‘’amazing strength, generosity and love,” as Anderson remembers, “gives me the courage to proceed forward in whatever life has in store for me.”

"The Chase" and My Observation

      "The Chase" is written by Annie Dillard, who won the Pulitzer Prize and published dozens of books. "The Chase" describes a certain event during Dillard's childhood. During this time, she was seven years old and was considered "one of the boys". She played sports, such as football and baseball, with the boys in her neighborhood and played them as well as any other boy. Dillard learned something from football. If you fall, concentrate on the ball and try to leap forward. In other words: when you fail at something, try to make the best of it and work hard to achieve that goal.
      On the day after Christmas, Dillard and the rest of the boys come out from their homes looking for something to occupy their time. They gather around the front yard on a house located on Reynolds Street. As cars pass by, they throw snowballs at them to pass the time. Each car moved by at a slow pace and did not really care about the little kids having fun. But then a black Buick rolls along and is hit by the boys. This time, the driver is not so nonchalant. The business-ready dressed man comes out of his car and chases the children mercilessly. They split up and Dillard and one of the boys ends up being the man's main target.
      As the chase drags on, the children are finally caught by the man. After several minutes of catching their breaths, the man finally speaks.

       "You stupid kids," the man blurts out.

       Dillard actually remembers this event as one of the happiest times of her life. She enjoyed the thrill of being chased and the comradery with the other boys. She had fun playing without another care in the world. But who wouldn't enjoy that?
      During my childhood, which was not so long ago, I had great fun in the snow. We would build snowmen and have snowball fights all day long. Dillard's story greatly reminds me of my time in the icy wonderland as a child and brings me a desire to travel back to that time. I had no responsibilities, no grade-threatening exams to study for, and no endless amounts of homework. I had all of the time in the world at my hands and I could do whatever I wanted with it.
      Reading this story brought back those precious memories and entertained me thoroughly. 


~ David N.



      

My thoughts on, "The Garbage Man"

"The Garbage Man," is an excerpt from Sharon Curtin's novel titled, "Nobody Ever Died Of Old Age." Written in 1972, Curtin attempts gives the reader a look into the way society views the elderly. The excerpt tells the story of an elderly man who rambles through his neighbors's garbage cans, and is told through the memories of Curtin herself. The storyline follows Curtin in her childhood as she trails the elderly man in order to get a glimpse of his face, which many people in the neighrhood think will resemble some sort of monster. In the end Curtin finally sees the man face to face, and discovers that he's not a monster at all, but as Curtin puts it, "just a regular old face."

From my understanding of the story, Curtin was trying to express societies fear and prejudice of the elderly . He is thought around the neighborhood to be a kind of, "dirty old man." We read of him being mocked and made fun of by children and adults alike. Perhaps because, he is such an easy target.I comprehended Curtin'd point of the story, but I didn't quite experience the emotional reaction that perhaps the author was hoping for. Though the excerpt was only about six pages, I found myself becoming quickly bored with the story. The ending was a bit of a disspointment. Rather then simply reading the excerpt,  I think if I had read the entire novel, "The Garbage Man" would have produced a more meaningful opinion on my part.

Since this book was written in 1972 and the story was based in the 1940's perhaps that is why I have a bit of a disconnect with the views expressed from the other characters. In my personal experience I've never seen the elderly viewed with this much mockery and disrepect. It's possible people treated older individuals like that in earlier decades, but I dont think it's as common as expressed in Sharon Curtin's novel.