Writing Reflection 2: My Motives For Writing

I think my main motive for writing is aesthetic enthusiasm. I say this because I like to share experiences with people. Someone could take that experience and learn from it or just simply compare things that have happened in their own life. It’s a small way to make a difference in someones life. I don’t want to be selfish or bring someone down to make myself look or feel better. I write to build someone up. Nor do I just want to state a bunch of facts. I write to tell a story that can take someone places without going anywhere physically. I mean take a trip with me mentally. To see what I see or understand where I come from.  I don’t write to sway someone. Everyone has their own strong opinions. To try to change that would make the world less diverse. The world is so diverse and there are so many ways to look at things it is hard to sway someone about something that they’re so passionate about. I’m all about a good story. A good story is very interesting to me. Depending on how you word it a story can be taken more than one way. That is truly interesting. I am a simple person and when I write it tends to be complex because it may be too simple. I just write what flows through my mind and hope that someone can get something good out of it. The right arrangement of words can make a big difference.

Weblog 4: Brooke vs Fish

In the article titled Devoid of Content, Stanley Fish, a professor of English, says most students can’t write because they’re not correctly being taught. Fish says the theory being taught, content is more important than form, is wrong. Fish claims that form is the way. Fish says he gets his students to focus on form by helping them to create their own complex language. He says he does that by teaching his students about the structure of English and how it tells the difference between the types of interaction of words. Fish says that his students learn that form is necessary to communicate content and makes content possible. Fish claims that after practicing on only his form method all semester, it becomes natural to students. He says that in his class students learn real composition skills.

In Fish in a Barrel, Collin Brooke says that the article by Stanley Fish clouds any dialogue that we might have about writing. He says that Fish’s claim that most students graduating from high school and college can’t write a clear & understandable sentence is not true. Brooke says that composition courses are not that different from courses taught by Fish throughout most of his teaching career. Brooke does say that Fish’s solution is an intriguing idea that challenges & educates. The writer also says that form is taught in the context of actual writing so Fish’s way is not the only way to learn about form. Brooke doesn’t doubt the success of Fish’s students being able to craft logical sentences, paragraphs or essays but doubts they learn writing in the class.

I mainly agree with Brooke. He says that ” Writing is necessarily the blending of form and content.” You can’t really have one without the other. I do think Fish’s method is believable. After all Fish takes his students that don’t know much about English and teaches them a method that will allow them to learn on their own by taking his method and applying it. If someone is learning something for the first time they will have a better chance at grasping the concept because that is the only concept they know. That’s how Fish teaches his theory of form. It’s unclear to me exactly how the students are broken up into their groups to create their languages and whether or not that had an effect on the results. Fish didn’t have much evidence in his article to show that. Brooke thinks that Fish’s theory of form is “an intriguing idea, and one that undoubtedly challenges and educates.” I agree with that. It’s a complex method but in the end I don’t think the actual sentences are coherent. When you write it needs to make sense. So there needs to be content. Form is very important but you can’t have one without the other in writing.

Weblog Assignment 3

Harold Bloom feels that Stephen King is a very incompetent writer. He thinks King writes commercial books. For this reason, Bloom feels the National Book Foundation made a mistake by giving Stephen King the annual award for “distingiushed contribution”. He is not too fond of Danielle Steel or J.K. Rowling either. He feels that Rowling has only one style of writing with cliches and dead metaphores.  It would be just a stepping stone to reading Stephen King’s writing, which he doesn’t like. He feels that reading nothing at all is better than reading anything written by Rowling. Bloom also feels that our culture is being “dumbed down” because the study of literature has lowered in quality and the study of humanities is very minimal. He continues to attack others by saying English romantic poets such Felicia Hemans, Charlotte Smith, Mary Tighe, Laetitia Lanson just can’t write. He’s comparing them to the English romantic poets of the 1950s and early 1960s. Bloom also calls playwrite Alphra Behn fourth rate. He only thinks there are four living American novelist who deserve our praise today.

 

Steve Almond says that Bloom’s piece is both perceptive and rediculous. He feels Bloom is addressing us from the perspective of somene that is grumpy & in their 70s. Almond doesn’t totally disagree with Bloom when it comes to the declining of literacy. He disagrees with with how Bloom focuses on more of the negative by insulting people rather than focusing on the positive ideas. Almond feels Bloom is narrow-minded and finds fault in things he doesn’t understand. Bloom’s rage seems misplaced to Almond. He would rather have Bloom as an ally because Bloom has a brilliant mind, and a true believer in the redemptive capacities of literature. Almond feels writers should work to promote the common goal of getting people to read, think and feel again.

 

I agree with Bloom and Almond about the decline of literacy. I mainly agree with Almond’s idea that Bloom is very negative and is very critical of things that are considered outside of his intellectual comfort zone. Bloom is in his own world. Instead of trying to understand, Bloom would rather criticize. Bloom feels the decision to give the National Book Foundation’s annual award for distinguished contribution to King is extraordinary. I think the award shows how distinct King is. Bloom criticizes Stephen King’s writing because it shares nothing with Edgar Allen Poe. These writers come from two different eras. He also attacks many other writers of this era. This shows that this is a personal attack on writers. Bloom is in his 70s and comes from a different, more structured era where there were not many different cultures like today. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I agree with Almond when he says there’s an “entire world of literature, quite seriuos and beautiful”. If Bloom feels literacy is on the decline, he should try to join other writers to help build it up. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the same idea as Almond to unite and figure out where the root cause lies. I agree with Almond that literacy can be helped if lots of people come together.

Writing Reflection 1: Why I Braid

I braid because it is an art. I braid for expression. I braid because it is a talent given by the man above that I love to share. I braid to extend me. I braid to release ideas that flow through my mind. I braid to help others create. I braid when someone needs to be picked up. I braid for the masculine and feminine. I braid to give someone the confidence that they need to get through that rough situation. I braid to give people something to talk about. I braid because of the feeling of creating something so wonderful from the mind that ends up looking very interesting. I braid for the mazes. I braid for the detail. I braid for the perfection. I braid to give that fresh new look that has been screaming to come out. I braid as a person who loves to give of herself for the needs of others. I braid to uplift. I braid as a beginning to other forms of art. I braid so that others can add to my creations. I braid to just make it better sometimes. I braid for silent therapy within. I braid and it is sometimes misunderstood. I braid even though some people don’t know the history or care to try to understand it. I braid designs into the heads of many not knowing where it will end until it is ended. I braid a pattern that is a creation that flows from the mind to the soul and through my quick fingers. It is an expression of me that some will never be able to understand or appreciate but it is apart of me and I love it.

Weblog #2: Things Didn’t Go As Planned

I chose to write about a time when my plans didn’t turn out as expected. What happened last April is that I witnessed an accident that ended up with a fatality. I was supposed to testify for the Commonwealth of Virginia to help get the man that caused the accident some time behind bars. Unfortunately he was able to get the first trial continued and then appealed the second trial. This was a long drawn out process. Finally there was another trial date set for January of this year. I found out that my sister was scheduled to come home from Iraq the day before the trial date and I planned to drive down to Georgia to welcome her home. My Grandmother left it up to me to make the plans for the family to get down to Georgia in time to welcome her home. I had to make this a short trip there and back due to the trial I had to testify for. This consumed my time for a few days. I had lots of phone calls to make to get everyone on the same page. Finally, with the help of my other sister, I came up with the plan to drive down on that Saturday and stay in a hotel until that Monday. After many hours of research on the computer and phone calls, the hotel reservations were set. The next problem was that the truck that I wanted to drive down to Georgia needed new tires. After a lot more phone calls, the arrangements for the truck to get some new tires were made. I have never planned anything so important on such short notice. Now we were set to leave early Saturday morning. A few hours after the tires were put on the truck, I found out that my sister’s arrival time had been changed from that Monday to Tuesday. Tuesday was the day that I had to testify for the trial. Now, hotel reservations were made, new tires were paid for and a few of my family members had already taken off work for this trip. I was bummed because I couldn’t go. This was a problem because I was supposed to do most of the driving. I had no choice but to cancel the trip. I felt that all this hard work was for nothing. I couldn’t just let my sister come home without someone there to welcome her. What ended up happening was that my oldest sister and I managed to get my Mom a flight down to Georgia to meet up with our Aunt so at least they could be there to welcome my sister home. They stayed in one of the rooms I reserved. Luckily the hotel didn’t charge me a cancellation fee for the other rooms. From what I was told, that was a good decision. They made such a big welcome home sign and made such noise that they ended up on the local news down there. So they did represent for those of us that couldn’t be there. My sister was happy when she saw them. As far as the trial, I helped a grieving family feel a little better. With my testimony, the man that caused the accident ended up getting almost two years for reckless driving. Things didn’t go as planned but it all worked out in the end.

Weblog 1

I just wanted to explain the title of my weblog a bit. I chose the title Uniquely Blue for just a few simple reasons. There are few things about me that are kind of unique just like my favorite color blue.

 

Basically, I was not supposed to be here. Well, that’s what my Mom was told. Before my Mom gave birth to me, she was told that the odds of her having another successful pregnancy were slim to none. With a lot of love and prayer she carried me to term. Upon my delivery, the doctors realized the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck. That was a big deal with not a lot of room for error. Well, needless to say I arrived as a miracle baby. I beat the odds and here I am. My Mom told me I was very unique for that.

 

I’ve also been told many times throughout my life by others that I’m unique. It might have something to do with how simple I am. Some people don’t understand how you don’t need as much as you think to make it. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth so I learned how to pick needs over wants. It makes a lot of since to me, especially since I’ve hit the “real world”. It makes life a bit easier. Most of the time, things are like a yes or no question. There are two choices, and a lot of the time there’s no need for a big drawn out explanation. Simply make a choice, and there you have it. But I also am unique due to the fact that one minute I’ll watch sports with the guys wearing a pair pumps with four inch heels and then the next minute want to be at the waterfront watching a beautiful, quiet sunset with my daughter. Some say that those are two different extremes but I just say it’s my life.

 

Now, the color blue is my favorite. When I see anything with that color, it reminds me of relaxation and simplicity. Blue makes me think of water. I think of the waves crashing or the sound of a small waterfall. Then after the crashing and falling there’s stillness with the water that is so relaxing. Things happen in my life like a big wave crashing on the shore or fall like a cascading waterfall, but in the end there’s stillness that leads to the relaxation. I also think the color blue is such a simple, primary color. It doesn’t need to be blended with any other colors to be noticed or make a statement. It does it all by itself. The color blue kind of reminds me of myself, nice and simple. No need for a whole lot of extra stuff. Uniquely Blue is me.

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