Assignment #3

Fairytale

Lesson taught: Never do something because of someone else. Go with your heart and dreams instead.

Main Characters:
   Melinda- adopted daughter of successful wealthy doctors, Meredith & Henry. She has a huge dream,           but her parents have other plans for her.

   Meredith & Henry- parents of Melinda. Controlling want her to live like them. (antagonists)

   Mary Jay- Melinda's birth mom who passed when she was born. Now works in magical ways for Melinda guiding her and helping her

    William- Melinda's love


 

Genres

For our upcoming paper, we have an assignment in which we have to write using a certain genre, instead of a narrative. I researched a few genres as follows:


fable: a short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters
example: http://tomsdomain.com/aesop/aesopmain.htm
In this paper, I don't think a fable would be the best choice as It would be hard to use animals or inanimate objects to talk about education.


parable: a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach sometruth, religious principle, or moral lesson.
example: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LittRed.shtml
I think this is one of the better choices for me to chose in writing this paper.


fairytale: an interesting but highly implausible story; often told as an excuse
example:http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/english/story_telling/cinderella/cinderella4.htm


dialogue: a literary work in the form of a conversation
example: http://www.monologuearchive.com/c/carroll_001.html
I also think this is a good genre to use. There are many ways It can be used.


graphic novella:
I am not artistically inclined to write using this genre.


(www.dictionary.com) 

"essentialism"

One of our english assignments this week was to read Essentialism and Experience by Bell Hooks. Overall I thought the article was hard to comprehend and I found it confusing.

Throughout the article, the concept of "essentialism" was used numerous times in Hooks arguments against Fuss. By reading and understanding the context in which Bell and Fuss used the word, I am able to form my own definition. To me essentialism means something similar to a guideline of living to a certain group. I don't think essentialism is something that is true rather then it's a stereotype given to certain ethnic groups such as "black feminists." People often think that one group or person is superior to another and they are given privileges.

argument:
"Black women are treated as though we are a box of chocolates presentedto individual white women for their eatingpleasure,so that they can decide for themselves,and others,which pieces are most tasty."

Close Readings

We recently received an assignment to blog about our opinion of a close reading. First off, a close reading, according to Dr. McClennens, is "developing a deep understanding and a precise interpretation of a literary passage that is based first and foremost on the words themselves. But a close reading does not stop there; rather, it embraces larger themes and ideas evoked and/or implied by the passage itself. It is essential that we distinguish between doing a close reading and writing one. Doing a close reading involves a thought process that moves from small details to larger issues. Writing a close reading begins with these larger issues and uses the relevant details as evidence." 

When it comes to close readings, I have a very indifferent opinion on it. I don't like having to pick out just one part of the writing, when there are usually more than one part that is confusing. I don't think when taking apart one sentence you're able to fully tell what the author is saying or wants the readers to think. But to contradict that, I like the idea of being able to view the passage in a more abstract way.

I think it's an interesting way of writing and without practice writing this way, i'll remain optimistic.  

Myself at 18 in 1943 ("Gillian Lynne")

In my English 101 class, we started writing a page each about different scenarios involving Gillian Lynne. Gillian Lynne was a girl, where nowadays we would say she has ADD or ADHD, but back in the early 1900's she was just thought to have some type of learning disorder. She was extremely fidgety and could never sit still, so her parents enrolled her in a dancing school. In todays century we would assume take the easy way out and shove a pill down children's throat to make them concentrate, rather than to listen to what they are trying to tell us. I am writing a narrative of myself living with some type of learning disorder, in 1943.
It's funny how today the day doesn't seem nearly as long and boring as it had last week. I don't feel as out of control and troublesome as usual. I feel like I can control my random outbursts and interruptions. I even volunteer to answer questions and read out loud. My teacher has approached me and told me what a joy I was in class to me, the total opposite of what she thought of me a week ago. Each class seems to be going by faster than the previous. I usually enjoy lunch and being able to talk freely with one another, but It's for once not the highlight of my day. Science and Social are a breeze to me, I even feel like I am understanding and getting the material being presented. Math doesn't seem to as dreadful as usual because I know once that bell goes off, I am free. I am free to do what feels as though is my future- to act. My parents told me I had to get involved with something, something to keep me busy that I would enjoy. I never thought about anything like that before. The theater feels like home to me. It gives me something to look forward to. It gives me a commitment other than school. I love it, I really do. My parents have never been happier to see me smiling and enjoying what I do. My attitudes towards school have completely changed. I know I need to concentrate and do well to keep my grades up to keep acting.  I love my parents for this. For the fact that they noticed this and done what was right. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

Twenty First Century, Emerson's view on "The American Scholar"

When looking at "The American Scholar" and the views Emerson has makes me question how much this would change in the twenty first century. Emerson states the idea that "Thinking is the function. Living is the functionary." I found this quote extremely interesting and It made me think of how we are living life in todays society. Knowledge is fed through the way you act upon it and the actions you take against it. I think today we are doing exactly so. There is so much knowledge in our world, were doors are constantly being open to new materials and ideas, that we take it and use it to our best advantages. We are building off one another's ideas and creating our own. We are an interdependent world in the way that we would not be self-sufficient without one another. 


"It is one central fire, which, flaming now out of the lips of Etna, lightens the capes of Sicily; and, now out of the throat of Vesuvius, illuminates the towers and vineyards of Naples. It is one light which beams out of a thousand stars. It is one soul which animates all men." Unlike my previous paragraph, his quote questions me as to if Emerson would be happy with the way we are in this century. Although our own knowledge and ideas are built off one another, how much do we interconnect with one another? Society today is divided into such obvious classes where everyone kind of does their own things. We need each other to a certain extent, but do much now on our own. I don't think Emerson would like the way that is. Rather than ".. one soul that animates all men," it is more so a tree with many branches, branching off to one man. 

"The American Scholar"

Through reading Emerson's "The American Scholar" I often found myself lost in his words and concepts. It was hard for me to follow the thoughts and writings he was delivering to his audience. I overall found the  fourth paragraph the most complex and difficult to understand. We know he is delivering a commencement, but he does so in an intricate, honest manner. As I look at the forth paragraph I wonder what Emerson is saying in the lines, "...in the beginning, divided Man into men, that he might be more helpful to himself; just as the hand was divided into fingers, the better to answer its end." I see it as stating that one will take more and gain more success from himself rather than from taking from others. I believe this is an overall difficult passage to read, but from it, I gained the insight that Emerson has a strong belief in self reliance when it comes to wisdom and knowledge.