Reading Journal: "The Death of the Moth" Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf uses description most effectively in her writing. In some parts of the essay, she uses different types of modes. However, her descriptions stand out the most. At the beginning of the essay she is very specific and detailed when describing moth's and their daily activities. She comments "Netherless, the present speciment, with his narrow hay-colored wings, fringed with a tassel of the same color, seemed to be content with life"(1). Woolf also uses emotion to describe the moths as well.Woolf writes her essay as if she is a moth herself . In other words, she in a sense is telling a story as if it is her own story. It could be that there is a deeper meaning behind Woolf's story.

Weekly Reflection 2

During this week I learned how to properly write an cause and effect paper. Shortly after,we were given an assignment to write a group cause and effect paper.My groups topic was social media and how it affects student. There were about five people in my group, and each person wrote about a different aspect of social media. My part was to write about how social media can enhance student's learning in the classrooms. Writing a group essay was very new to me because I have never done it before.However, I have been given several  group power point assignments before for other classes. It was a great experience for me, and I am glad I got to experience this.

Reading Journal: "Last Rites for Indian Dead" Suzan Shown Harjo

1)Susan S. Harjo is angry at the fact that Indian American individuals who have dies on do not get the same respect as Americans who have passed on. She is tired of constantly seeing dead Indian Americans being claimed as archaeological property. Harjo not only feels it is an insult to the deceased Indian Americans, she also stressed how disrespectful it is ti the families of the deceased. Harjo can relate tot his because she reveals to the readers that "Some of my Cheyenne relatives skulls are in the Smithsonian Institution today[...]" (158). Harjo does acknowledge the fact that the reason parts of Indian Americans are being taken is to study more about them,and share the information discovered to the world.However, she feels that it is being done way to often. Harjo also feels they need consent from the deceased Indian American families before they use any of their remains for research.

2) Harjo is writing her essay in a Aristotelian argument format. First, she starts her essay off with a question. Secondly, she gives us brief history about the topic of her essay. Third, she makes a declarative statement about how Indian Americans o no have any laws that prevent them fro becoming archaeological property. However, Americans do have laws that protect them. Fourth, Harjo has facts and statics to back up what she is saying. Lastly, she reinforces her views in her conclusion paragraph.

Weekly Reflection 1

This week I have learned a lot of writing techniques that I never knew about. In class we leaned how to condense a long quote by adding brackets on the left and right side with dots in the middle . Doing this will allow one to cut off parts of a quote we do not need in our paper.Or if we must include a quote with more then four lines, then we make it a block quote. We also learned how to avoid making our writing sound too cliche by using certain phrases and not using others, Something I have been really good about in my writing is using signal phrases before my quotes. Also, I am good with incorporating signal phrases before my quotes. This week I have learned how to perfect my writing. Honestly, I can say my writing has improved.

Reading Journal: "On Keeping a Notebook" Joan Didion

1)Joan Didion's essay makes me rethink thoughts I have had in the past. Didion makes a comment about keeping up with her diary. She says "At no point have I ever been able successfully to keep a diary; my approach to daily life ranges from the grossly negligent  to merely absent[..],on [a] few occasions [..] I have tried [..] to record a day's events"(8). Immediately when I read this , I could relate to her. As a little girl I would always see girls on t.v. and books write their everyday experiences in a diary. Seeing that made me want to do the same. No mater how much I tired it just was not for me. As a couple days went on, I would get over that desire to write in my diary. At that time, there was not any passion in me to keep writing.


2)There is a section at the begining of the essay that touches me emotionally. Didion says "[,,]the girl has been on the Eastern Shore, and now she is going back to the City, leaving the man beside her, and all she can see ahead are the viscous summer sidewalks and the 3 a.m. long distance calls[..]"(8). When I read this it really caught my attention. It made me want to read more. To me this line was very deep. As a reader, she caught my attention with this line.

3)Didion incorporates unanswerable questions in her essay. This technique draws the readers into her essay. In other words, it makes readers stop, think, and question what she means when she is saying certain things in her essay. If she did not incorporate the unanswerable question technique in her essay, she may not catch the readers attention as much as she does with the technique. Therefore, the technique has a huge impact on her essay.

Reading Journal: "The Chinatown Idea" Eric Liu

1) Eric Liu uses objective descriptions in his story. In some part's of his story he would describe what he is seeing without telling the readers how he felt about it. Liu also uses sensory impressions through out his story. He uses this technique very well in his first body paragraph. Liu describes what he sees and smells while walking through East Broadway. Liu says "Soon we were wading through thick crowds on the sidewalk, passing through bells of aroma: sweat and breath, old perfume, spareribs"(80). Liu refers to two out of the five senses smell and sight to give the readers a better understanding of what is going on around him.

2)Liu did not just want the readers to read his story. He wanted people to be able to read his story and visualize everything. By using sensory impressions readers will have a better idea of what the setting looks like. Also by using sensory impressions, readers will be able to connect with Liu when he is expressing a thought that is going through his mind. His sensory impressions grab the readers attention. As a result, it makes his story more interesting.

3)His word choices also help the readers recreate the setting. When Liu uses the word "incongruous" he is commenting on how unusual it looks to see a New York, Empire State license plate in the area he is in. He then uses "emporium" as another way of saying marketplace. Liu uses this to add on to the setting so readers can picture what he is seeing.Lastly, he add's the word "fortified in paragraph six to express how he feels about making a trip to Chinatown.

Reading Journal: "Only Daughter" Sandra Cisneros

1)In the beginning of the story, Cisneros father was not at all interested to see what his daughter was always writing about. Her father never cared to learn about Cisneros passion for writing either. Cisneros wished her father would of ask her randomly what she was always writing about. But her wish never came true until the very end of her story. Her father was only concerned about her finding a life partner in college. By the end of the story her father's attitude changed. He read her book and enjoyed it. One thing that never changed about Cisneros dad is his love for Mexican entertainment and magazines.

2)At the end of the book Cisneros goes home for Christmas. When she gets home she goes upstairs to talk to her dad. She describes to the readers what she sees her dad doing. Cisneros says "And that's how I found him, watching a Pedro Infante movie on Galavision" (499). Cisneros is showing a side of her father's personality. In the beginning of the story she also talks about how "[..] my father's only reading includes brown-in Esto sports magazines from Mexico[..]"(497).Therefore, he love for Mexican entertainment and magazines never changed

3)One thing Cisneros and her father agreed on is getting a good education. Although the reasoning for why her father wanted her to go to college was wrong, he still encouraged her and all his children to get a good education. Cisneros confirms this when she talks about a conversation he had with her and the rest of her siblings. Cisneros father says " 'Use this,' my father said taping his head, 'and not this', showing us [his] hands"(489). Cisneors father wanted his kids to know it is better to get a good education and get a good paying job. Rather than not getting an education and working receiving low pay.

Reading Journal: "The Art of Eating Spaghetti" Russel Baker

1)In a sense in his essay "The Art of Eating Spaghetti" is personal. At the beginning of his essay, he shares some personal thoughts with the readers. Baker expresses how he feels about himself as well. Most importantly, he reveals some of his goals in life. Therefore, Baker is writing informally.

2)In the first sentence of Bakers's introduction paragraph he tells the readers his main goal. Baker writes "The only thing that truly interested me was writing, and I knew that sixteen-year-olds did not come out of high school and become writers(60)."This is a very personal and important topic for Baker. He admits that he knows their is a small chance of him making it as a successful writer.However, he still likes to think of himself as one because it gives him a sense of identity. Even the slightest thought of him becoming a writer made him happy.
                                                      

3)Russel Baker's purpose for his essay is to inform readers about how his dream of becoming a successful writer came about. He starts off by telling the readers that the only thing that interest him is writing. Russel then shares an important moment in his life with the readers. He specifically talks about his experience in his third year English class.He ends up writing and turning in an essay that originally was not meant to be turned in. Russel thought his teacher Mr. Feagle would be upset about his essay. However, he ended up favoring his essay over all the student's essay's.

4)Russel Baker's essay is exactly like a narrative. He was not formal at all. In his introduction paragraph, Baker talks about the downside of being a writer.He admits "It was so obviously not real work,not a job at which you could earn a living"(60).In a casual way Baker was admitting how unrealistic it sounded for him to think being a writer would be an acceptable profession knowing it would not bring in any money in for him to survive.

Narrative freewrite

       My mom, stepdad and I are in the car going to Gary, Indiana from Cincinnati, Ohio. We are making a trip there because my step dad searched on craigslist and found a car he wanted to buy. For days now he communicated with the owner about the car. He already let the owner know we were coming to purchase the car today. My step dad is the designated driver on our short two-hour trip to Indiana. He is a very joyful person that does not allow anything to bring him down. On the passenger side beside him is where my mother was seated. My mom is a very caring and hardworking woman. At the back in front of the driver's seat is where I am seated. As for me, Music is something I have a love for. We have been driving for a while and already passed downtown. This is just the beginning of a long day that at first seemed joyful then suddenly sad.

Reading Journal: "Once More to the Lake" E.B. White

1).E.B. White was able to recall events that happened in the past.He not only talked about personal events,White also talked about all his observations.He writes about what he smells,see's,and the sounds that he comes across.White is able to express how he feels as well. E.B. is very specific about everything he says because it has a meaning behind it. E.B. White's ability to recreate the setting is what makes "Once More to the Lake" a strong narrative.

2)Observations on the present,in comparison to the past work the most effectively in the narrative.White makes observations about objects,animals,people and the sceneries. If one read carefully,you would see that E.B. White felt the lake in Maine never changed. Physically,everything is the same. He comes back to camp every year and everything is just as he left it.At times it feels like he never left the camp to begin with.

3)In the narrative White is fishing when a dragonfly comes on the tip of his rod. White then points out that "It was the arrival of this fly that convinced me beyond any doubt that everything was as it always had been,that the years were a mirage and there had been no years." White makes it clear that he feels nothing has changed about this camp. E.B. feels the years are an "optical illusion" and does not believe it has been years since he has been to the camp. White get's even more specific when he starts naming object's from last time he saw them. He comes to the conclusion that there are no differences. Everything is the same.