We will be having an end-of-class shindig/soiree/party/201 extravaganza
for our last class!
In order to figure out what food/drinks everyone
should bring, I'd like ALL of you to
comment on this blog post. Please explain, in the comment section:
1. Which snacks/drinks you'd like to have at the party, so I or others can buy them, and/or
2. Which snacks/drinks YOU, personally, can bring to class for
everyone to enjoy.
This way, we won't have any redundancy in snacks and
we can be sure we have enough for everyone.
I'd like to see everyone's
thoughts by Tuesday, April 23rd so people have time to shop/cook
accordingly. Thanks in advance.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Casper Mulholland & Azia Walker on Reg Saner's "Technically Sweet"
Casper Mulholland:
Saner's “Technically Sweet” was a very entertaining read for me. I love the way Saner uses repetition and rhythmic language to illustrate what he’s seeing. The beauty of the language serves to mirror the beauty of the landscape, which is very effective at drawing the reader into the essay. Read this passage to yourself, then read it aloud, trying to feel the ebb and flow of the language:
“In the luminous dusk of their canyon I sit doing nothing: savoring the strange pleasures of tired legs, watching the light go, watching white-bellied swallows catch damselflies, watching sunset fade from the spiderlike limbs of cholla cactus. An evening hush makes the light quiet, makes me want to give up the day as slowly as possible.”
Can you hear how easily Saner slips into an almost-entrancing rhythm? “watching, watching, watching...makes, makes.” In this passage, it shows how he's trying to hold onto the moment, as if by repeating the words in him mind he can inscribe it into him memory forever. She does inscribe it into memory, but not just him own; rathim, he gives the experience to him readers, using him language and structure to imprint it into our minds. It is a very powerful thing, to be able to communicate so clearly and vividly that it makes the reader sit up and take notice.
Another very impressive thing about the piece is how well Saner creates tension. She juxtaposes Robert Oppenheimer's life in the essay's past with the beauty of the New Mexican desert he is exploring in the essay's present. The very beginning of the piece starts us off by talking about how Oppenheimer was bullied as a child, and how he swore revenge. It doesn't do anything melodramatic; it doesn't imply that Oppenheimer created the bomb for the feeling of power, or to get back at his childhood tormentors by saving the day. In fact, it doesn't even tell us that this child is Robert Oppenheimer until a section or two later. What it does is get us instantly inside Oppenheimer's life. Who wouldn't sympathize with a child who, having issued very little observable provocation, found himself the subject of bullying and humiliation from his peers? It also, however, portrays Oppenheimer as a little strange and not quite fully identifiable to the reader.
The rest of the essay moves back and forth between the beautiful landscape of the “Land of Enchantment,” as Saner puts it, and facts from Oppenheimer's life and the lives of Americans during the last phase of World War Two. This serves to build tension because the two strands are so contrasted, yet ultimately intertwined, both being about people; about civilizations and cultures, how they interacted with nature, and how many members of them are now gone from what was once their home. Using this tension, Saner goes back and forth and develops the conflict, using it to express his viewpoint on nuclear weapons—and Robert Oppenheimer's decision to create them—without directly stating it.
******
Azia Walker:
The second half of Reg Saners essay Technically Sweet was very interesting. It brought up issues and places that I am not familiar with and I was intrigued. For me, the language Saner used was very difficult to follow. I read this essay several times and even out loud in hope of trying to better comprehend what was going on. By doing so, I was able to find a better incite of the essay but things were still muddle. However, I was able to draw a conclusion and find out what I felt Saner was trying to get across to the reader.
Right from the start (page 12) Saner made it clear that he was going to be sharing with the reader his perception and memories of being in the military, and information and his feelings about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. "On a morning bright with sea haze and vapor still rising from dark ripples near shore, my troop ship eases toward its berth past cargo vessels riding at anchor off Yokohama." Saner immediately introduces us to a greatly detailed setting answering both the where and what question. I obviously cannot relate to this experience but this scene was easy for me to envision. I really appreciated as a reader the vivid detail throughout the essay.
Technically Sweet is loaded with names (people and places) that also made it confusing for me to follow. I think the many subjects is what got to me the most. I didn’t understand how certain memories tied into each other but then that might not have been his point. Saner uses many themes that showed how credible and experienced of a writer he is. I learned from him the true meaning of how much detail can enhance my writing and make the reader feel comfortable, willing, and connected. Also the importance of observing the world around me and concentration it takes to be good. Since writing is what I want to do and I wish to improve a great deal this is what has to be done. My thoughts before writing future papers will definitely be a much longer process than it has been in the past. I want to become better and more thorough and less worrisome about something I enjoy doing.
Overall, I think Reg Saner was trying to get the reader to appreciate the power of life and the people who have died trying to help our country. In Technically Sweet he states, "we ought to welcome that curse as a left-handed blessing. It will signal that an intelligent posterity exists." I think by this quote he called life first, a curse because we can't control how up and down day to day life is, and then a left handed blessing because we each were the cell that made it for a reason. It gave me even more a sense of purpose. Saner was very affective in tying in future generations with his experiences throughout his essay and it was enjoyable.
Saner's “Technically Sweet” was a very entertaining read for me. I love the way Saner uses repetition and rhythmic language to illustrate what he’s seeing. The beauty of the language serves to mirror the beauty of the landscape, which is very effective at drawing the reader into the essay. Read this passage to yourself, then read it aloud, trying to feel the ebb and flow of the language:
“In the luminous dusk of their canyon I sit doing nothing: savoring the strange pleasures of tired legs, watching the light go, watching white-bellied swallows catch damselflies, watching sunset fade from the spiderlike limbs of cholla cactus. An evening hush makes the light quiet, makes me want to give up the day as slowly as possible.”
Can you hear how easily Saner slips into an almost-entrancing rhythm? “watching, watching, watching...makes, makes.” In this passage, it shows how he's trying to hold onto the moment, as if by repeating the words in him mind he can inscribe it into him memory forever. She does inscribe it into memory, but not just him own; rathim, he gives the experience to him readers, using him language and structure to imprint it into our minds. It is a very powerful thing, to be able to communicate so clearly and vividly that it makes the reader sit up and take notice.
Another very impressive thing about the piece is how well Saner creates tension. She juxtaposes Robert Oppenheimer's life in the essay's past with the beauty of the New Mexican desert he is exploring in the essay's present. The very beginning of the piece starts us off by talking about how Oppenheimer was bullied as a child, and how he swore revenge. It doesn't do anything melodramatic; it doesn't imply that Oppenheimer created the bomb for the feeling of power, or to get back at his childhood tormentors by saving the day. In fact, it doesn't even tell us that this child is Robert Oppenheimer until a section or two later. What it does is get us instantly inside Oppenheimer's life. Who wouldn't sympathize with a child who, having issued very little observable provocation, found himself the subject of bullying and humiliation from his peers? It also, however, portrays Oppenheimer as a little strange and not quite fully identifiable to the reader.
The rest of the essay moves back and forth between the beautiful landscape of the “Land of Enchantment,” as Saner puts it, and facts from Oppenheimer's life and the lives of Americans during the last phase of World War Two. This serves to build tension because the two strands are so contrasted, yet ultimately intertwined, both being about people; about civilizations and cultures, how they interacted with nature, and how many members of them are now gone from what was once their home. Using this tension, Saner goes back and forth and develops the conflict, using it to express his viewpoint on nuclear weapons—and Robert Oppenheimer's decision to create them—without directly stating it.
******
Azia Walker:
The second half of Reg Saners essay Technically Sweet was very interesting. It brought up issues and places that I am not familiar with and I was intrigued. For me, the language Saner used was very difficult to follow. I read this essay several times and even out loud in hope of trying to better comprehend what was going on. By doing so, I was able to find a better incite of the essay but things were still muddle. However, I was able to draw a conclusion and find out what I felt Saner was trying to get across to the reader.
Right from the start (page 12) Saner made it clear that he was going to be sharing with the reader his perception and memories of being in the military, and information and his feelings about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. "On a morning bright with sea haze and vapor still rising from dark ripples near shore, my troop ship eases toward its berth past cargo vessels riding at anchor off Yokohama." Saner immediately introduces us to a greatly detailed setting answering both the where and what question. I obviously cannot relate to this experience but this scene was easy for me to envision. I really appreciated as a reader the vivid detail throughout the essay.
Technically Sweet is loaded with names (people and places) that also made it confusing for me to follow. I think the many subjects is what got to me the most. I didn’t understand how certain memories tied into each other but then that might not have been his point. Saner uses many themes that showed how credible and experienced of a writer he is. I learned from him the true meaning of how much detail can enhance my writing and make the reader feel comfortable, willing, and connected. Also the importance of observing the world around me and concentration it takes to be good. Since writing is what I want to do and I wish to improve a great deal this is what has to be done. My thoughts before writing future papers will definitely be a much longer process than it has been in the past. I want to become better and more thorough and less worrisome about something I enjoy doing.
Overall, I think Reg Saner was trying to get the reader to appreciate the power of life and the people who have died trying to help our country. In Technically Sweet he states, "we ought to welcome that curse as a left-handed blessing. It will signal that an intelligent posterity exists." I think by this quote he called life first, a curse because we can't control how up and down day to day life is, and then a left handed blessing because we each were the cell that made it for a reason. It gave me even more a sense of purpose. Saner was very affective in tying in future generations with his experiences throughout his essay and it was enjoyable.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Lisa Heisterberg on John D'Agata's About a Mountain
John
D’Agata’s About A Mountain was a very
interesting read for me. Throughout the entire book I was “hooked” and had the
feeling that I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to
happen. I enjoyed the book. However, once I got to class and found out about
some of D’Agata’s questionable facts, I found myself sincerely questioning
everything that I had read.
The style D’Agata used was very casual, lyrical, and choppy. He often jumped from one thought to the next. For example on page 145-146, D’Agata begins talking about Ron Flud and how he hadn’t explained how Levi’s sneakers got knocked off his feet during the fall; “…were knocked off at the moment his body hit the ground, even though his sneakers looked unscuffed in the photo, unstained, still laced, even double- knotted. I suppose Ron knew that there are facts that do not matter,” and then abruptly begins recalling his trip with the students to Yucca Mountain, “Okay, kids,” Blair said, when our bus came to a stop. “I want you to show your school identifications to the soldier.” This shift had me wondering what was going on for a second since I had forgotten who Blair was. I happened to like this style of writing though. It helped keep me focused on the content of the book and made for an exciting read.
Another aspect of D’Agata’s style that was very prominent throughout the piece was his use of long lists. This can be seen especially on page 125 when D’Agata lists the 200 words the linguist Swadesh came up with to trace the roots of languages; “all, animal, ashes, back, bark, belly, berry, big, bird, bite, blood, bone, breast, brother , burn, child…” These lists, for me, helped to solidify some topics that D’Agata wanted to get across, such as the absurdity of some ideas or facts, and the vast extensiveness of some topics.
D’Agata seems to keep his own personal opinions and beliefs out of his writing. Instead he writes as if he is a journalist just presenting the facts in an objective and unbiased manner. This way of writing made me inherently trust what D’Agata was writing; even though I had no clue about any of the real facts. Learning that the author altered some facts, such as the day that Levi had committed suicide, the number of strip clubs in Vegas, how he had melded some characters and days together into one made me wonder about all the other “facts” that were presented. This revelation forces me to question whether a piece can remain nonfiction even though some facts are changed (no matter how minutely). Furthermore, it makes me wonder what the genre of nonfiction really is. Is it still nonfiction if some of the facts are altered?
There were many themes running through this book such as the escalation of events, risk taking, and the questioning of reality. D’Agata though doesn’t say any of these explicitly though; instead of skirts around them by talking about other topics like Yucca Mountain and suicide. I thought this was a very neat way to write, especially since I am used to stating what I want the reader to upfront.
Reading this book introduced me to a style that I would like to try incorporating into my own writing. The lyric style seems like it would be difficult to get the hang of, but I really liked the way D’Agata used it in About A Mountain. I hope to be able to work more with it in the future to make my writing have better flow and emphasis on my internal thoughts.
The style D’Agata used was very casual, lyrical, and choppy. He often jumped from one thought to the next. For example on page 145-146, D’Agata begins talking about Ron Flud and how he hadn’t explained how Levi’s sneakers got knocked off his feet during the fall; “…were knocked off at the moment his body hit the ground, even though his sneakers looked unscuffed in the photo, unstained, still laced, even double- knotted. I suppose Ron knew that there are facts that do not matter,” and then abruptly begins recalling his trip with the students to Yucca Mountain, “Okay, kids,” Blair said, when our bus came to a stop. “I want you to show your school identifications to the soldier.” This shift had me wondering what was going on for a second since I had forgotten who Blair was. I happened to like this style of writing though. It helped keep me focused on the content of the book and made for an exciting read.
Another aspect of D’Agata’s style that was very prominent throughout the piece was his use of long lists. This can be seen especially on page 125 when D’Agata lists the 200 words the linguist Swadesh came up with to trace the roots of languages; “all, animal, ashes, back, bark, belly, berry, big, bird, bite, blood, bone, breast, brother , burn, child…” These lists, for me, helped to solidify some topics that D’Agata wanted to get across, such as the absurdity of some ideas or facts, and the vast extensiveness of some topics.
D’Agata seems to keep his own personal opinions and beliefs out of his writing. Instead he writes as if he is a journalist just presenting the facts in an objective and unbiased manner. This way of writing made me inherently trust what D’Agata was writing; even though I had no clue about any of the real facts. Learning that the author altered some facts, such as the day that Levi had committed suicide, the number of strip clubs in Vegas, how he had melded some characters and days together into one made me wonder about all the other “facts” that were presented. This revelation forces me to question whether a piece can remain nonfiction even though some facts are changed (no matter how minutely). Furthermore, it makes me wonder what the genre of nonfiction really is. Is it still nonfiction if some of the facts are altered?
There were many themes running through this book such as the escalation of events, risk taking, and the questioning of reality. D’Agata though doesn’t say any of these explicitly though; instead of skirts around them by talking about other topics like Yucca Mountain and suicide. I thought this was a very neat way to write, especially since I am used to stating what I want the reader to upfront.
Reading this book introduced me to a style that I would like to try incorporating into my own writing. The lyric style seems like it would be difficult to get the hang of, but I really liked the way D’Agata used it in About A Mountain. I hope to be able to work more with it in the future to make my writing have better flow and emphasis on my internal thoughts.
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