It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.
- Frederick Douglass |
*To write, is to feel. No matter what you’re composing you will always be connected to the piece. As I visited my past and shared something I can barely talk about moved me. I started remembering, envisioning, dreaming. I actually became emotional trying to find the deepest words to explain the feelings. Momentarily, I felt like I was digging and there was nothing to be dug up. Then, it all started pouring out of me. Like I’ve been waiting to tell someone how bad it hurt. I never knew writing could impact you so much. Just like I didn’t know a decision could either.*
Write a 50-word introduction that provides the focus of the blog post In this post, I will be recreating a scene from The Yellow Wall-Paper (Charlotte Perkins Stetson) using my own ideas/creativity and attempting to convey the pain she’s in. Also, stepping out of my comfort zone to talk about a time I was negatively affected by someone’s decision. To revisit the scene, after I haven’t in years and try to compose a piece strong enough to convey how hard it affected me. Write a 250-word scene that rewrites the action in The Yellow Wall-Paper (Charlotte Perkins Stetson). Within these walls, I am trapped, Isolated and alone. I remain inside this yellow room hoping for my nervousness to stop controlling me. John says it’s best for my health and well-being to stay in a small, ugly room with little activity or interaction. Mostly, I lie in bed, look out the windows, think, and write if possible. My opinion never matters, nor do my thoughts or feelings. They make me feel so powerless, depressed and angry. John always says “it’s for your own good darling, the feelings it brings you is natural”. Personally, I think feelings that make you think living is unbearable is unnatural. John is always right but, I started to think what if he wasn’t? That this wasn’t for my own good. I close my eyes and envision where I’d rather be, who I’d rather be, and how I want to be treated. All I know is being so alone and empty is deteriorating and it’s time for me to leave. If I told john I wanted to go he wouldn’t let me, so I have to escape if I want to find myself again. I began to knot blankets together creating a stable source to hang from my window and connect it to the house. After praying, I wrote the hardest goodbye note of my life, and slid down the homemade ladder with 1 bag of belongings. When my feet hit the floor, the outdoor sensations made me feel so alive. I decided to run and never look back, at least not for a long time. Write a 250-word scene that shows the reader a moment when a you or someone close to you made a decision that had a negative impact on your life. I find it hard to talk about anything that negatively impacted my life. I’ve contributed, and so have others but, some hurt more than the rest. At least when you do things yourself you’re in control. A significant time in my life that someone’s decision negatively affected me was 5 years ago. For my whole life, my parents always loved each other and had a tolerable relationship until this time. My family was miserable and falling apart due to a traumatic event. My mother had so much weight on her shoulders that she didn’t want to let go of. As my parents destroyed each other and their love the pressures tortured her. Marriage isn’t just love and commitment but you’re also joined in various ways. For example, income and housing that only my mother contributed to. We’ve always lived in the same house since I was born and planned to stay there forever. I loved my childhood home, the memories, neighbors, and environment. At the time, my father was incarcerated and nobody was allowed to have contact with him due to PFA’s. He wasn’t in the picture, so my mother was the one who had to make the decision for us all. One event had changed all of our lives forever and raised issues that were never planned for. My mother was severely suffering and couldn’t bare to live in our childhood home anymore. The nightmares, paranoia, anxiety, and depression were eating her alive. She made the decision we were to move out and stop fighting for everything she’s built. My heart felt so heavy to see my mother weak, a kind I could barely even recognize. It was the greatest pain to watch everything that’s ever been important to you almost vanish completely. I would always think “when it rains, it pours” and it was always pouring. After attempting to adjust to all the changes and pack it just seemed to get harder. My mother sits my siblings and I down, and tells us the government will be taking our house and we need to leave sooner. I had even less time to say goodbye and bring all the things I could. I have never felt so lost and confused in my life. Not only did I lose my family structure, but my childhood home I’ve created every memory in. But, I had to be strong and move along to the next house. This one was a temporary home. It was beautiful, until we got a notice the home is being sold and we need to move out immediately. My mother was trying her best to keep us together and stay strong through the storm. We decided we’d move in with my grandma to finally have a home! My mother had to make those hard decisions because she needed to and it was best for herself and her children. At the time our family couldn’t catch a break but she was always there to catch us.
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*Selfless behavior impacts people and situations immensely. Also, that doing the right thing can be extremely beneficial but, potentially hold risks. Standing up for others and taking action is an example. By standing up for yourself, or others who cannot stand for/ protect themselves you are exemplifying strength and bravery.* Write a 50-word introduction that provides the focus of the blog post. The focus of this post will be to paint a picture. To express feelings, actions, and remarks in the best way. Also, to relay important messages such as grounding yourself. Getting through difficult obstacles, and selfless behavior! Not everything is easy but, it can be with help and support. Write a 250-word scene that rewrites the action in Bullet in the Brain (Tobias Wolff). Early in the morning, Anders gathers his belongings to go to the bank. This consisted of his wallet, keys, and his 9 millimeter Beretta. It has only been a month since he was retired from serving in the military for 20 years. The bank is only two blocks away, so he arrives shortly. As he approaches, Anders unexpectedly notices a man attempting to conceal an illegal firearm. He sprints to the nearest entrance, enters the building and finds the safest way to cover. The clowns entered and raised their guns in the air. ”Everyone put your hands up, If anyone moves you will be shot. In order to live, cooperate. Where are the tellers?” the first one screamed. A small woman slowly raised her hand as the second clown grabbed her by the wrist. As she’s covering her face she cries, “what do I need to do"? The first clown hands her a bag, “fill it, bitch” he exclaims. Anders hears them getting closer by the minuet. Violently shaking her head no, the woman walked behind the booth and noticed Ander’s. Instantly, her facial expression changed. Curiously, he steps over asking “what’s wrong?. “there’s no money under here, come look!”. The man is walking behind the counter as Anders shoots him in the head, he drops instantaneously. The other clown pointed his gun at the woman “What have you done?”. Anders finally jumps up from cover and shot him in the chest. The entire bank yelled with joy and the cops arrived. The woman thanked Anders for saving her life. Write a 250-word scene that shows the reader action in your current life. I have a pit in the bottom of my stomach, I have my drivers test today. First, I have school so I only have a limited time to practice. I’m sickly anxious but attempt to stay positive. I take a deep breath while I simultaneously put the car into reverse, back up, and begin to cut the wheel. Suddenly, I pull onto the curb once and my body temperature rises making me sweat. “It’s okay, just take a deep breath and keep trying”, David said. I look at the clock and I’m already running late. After taking a deep breath, I continued to accel forward and straighten out my wheel. After, I feel confident about my parking and pull out of the spot. Now, I'm on my way to the Norristown DMV. As I’m driving, I notice the gas meter is on empty. “Where is the closest gas station?” I ask my passenger David. He rolls his eyes and reaches for his phone. As I’m in the left lane, he yells “turn right”! We miss the turn, “why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I asked. “I’m sorry my app wasn’t loading” he replies. I took another deep breath, I was determined to find the gas station. A little down the road, I recognize a tall, sign reading “Exxon”. We stop, fill the tank and are back on track. David looked at me sweetly, “I told you it will be okay”. I take a deep breath and smile in relief. “I know I can just get so frazzled. Thank goodness for deep breaths.” *Here are two readings I've read in class that helped me write this blog post: What is Creative Nonfiction? (Lee Gutkind) | Making Scenes in Memoir (Lee Martin). They promote helpful themes such as process, revision, creativity, and detail.* Write a 50-word introduction that provides the focus of the blog post. This post is to create a visual and understanding of a present moment in my life, my job! I am a nanny for a 1 year old baby girl. The main focus would be our routine throughout the day. I will be using description to make my writing come alive and more realistic.
50 word intro that explains focus of blog post- Writing can be stressful and it is easy to be hard on yourself as you try to create the best piece every time. If you follow the steps to construct a strong paper then you will. If don’t give up and keep trying to explore your mind for new ideas bt drafting and prewriting you will happy with your writing. Make a set and describe a scene for the roundtable discussion about writing process- I was running very late to work but, of course I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for my favorite coffee. The store was completely crowded and I waited in the longest line. Then, my order was called and some man grabbed my coffee! I walked over to his table as he sat with two good looking women and confronted him. As he apologized, I then realized I was talking to authors Don Murray, Mary Karr, and Anne Lamott. I checked the time and my only options were to call out of work and talk or leave They asked me to sit with them so I called off work and immediately asked Don Murray what writing process’ he would most recommended from his book. 3 Quotes about writing process for each reading- (9 quotes) Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray) 1.) …”Don’t look back. Yes, the draft needs fixing. But first it needs writing.(DM)” 2.) “Writing is primarily not a matter of talent, of dedication, of vision, of vocabulary, of style, but simply a matter of sitting. The writer is a person who writes.(DM)” 3.) “What is the process we should teach? It is the process of discovery through language.(DM)” Against Vanity: In Praise of Revision (Mary Karr) 1.) “Getting a sense of the person’s time in history often helped me to understand their styles in that context--what literary pressures and fashions and values of the day were forging their pages.(MK)” 2.) “But the self consciousness that hits them weighs them down . It’s like trying to dance with armour strapped on, bulky and awkward.(MK)” 3.) “To bring oneself to others makes the whole planet less lonely. The nobility of everybody trying boggles the mind.(MK)” Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) “E. L. Doctorow once said that writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way”. You don't have to see where you're going, you don't have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you.(MK)” 2.) “The first draft is the child’s draft where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.(MK)” 3.) “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.(MK)” Provide own 3 quotes about my writing process- 1,) “Writing in general is like a house, in order to have a successful story it needs to have a foundations.(AR)” 2.) "Don’t be judgemental with your writing because the end result will most likely be a better outcome.(AR)” 3.) “Prewriting is everything.(AR)” Total (12 quotes, 9 Sources 3 Myself) September 6, 2018 Focus of blog post #! Beyond my control, I do not recognize some parts of myself. The focus of my blog post is mostly mentality and inner-self. The deepest parts I barely visit or acknowledge. Ones, I didn’t know even existed. Some of the most important values, beliefs, and struggles I possess that make me who I am that I had to put a lot of thought into. __1.__What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being at peace with yourself and various aspects of life including family, health, relationships, socially and financially. __2.__What is your greatest fear? My greatest fear is to lose my mother or to be abducted. __3.__What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I despise how hard I am on myself or how complicated I am. __4.__What is the trait you most deplore in others? I cannot stand when people aren’t genuine. This would include being untrustworthy, judgemental, racist, sexist, homophobic and more. __5.__Which living person do you most admire? I most admire my 7 year old little brother Weston. __6.__What is your greatest extravagance? Considering how the tradition started, Bonnaroo would be my greatest extravagance. It is a music festival held in Manchester, Tennesse that is like no other. My best friend Maddy and I were both going through very hard times. We felt the only way was out, so two nights before graduation she proposed the idea of leaving and attending this festival. The day of graduation we walked, ate with family, packed, slept for a few hours and left for Bonnaroo. It was such a surreal experience that we decided we’ll make it a tradition. __7.__What is your current state of mind? Frazzeled, I am overwhelmed, anxious and feel sick. __8.__What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Chastity for many reasons. We naturally experience desire. __9.__On what occasion do you lie? Generally, never but to protect someone’s feelings. __10.__What do you most dislike about your appearance? My skin. __11.__Which living person do you most despise? My brothers ex-fiance. __12.__What is the quality you most like in a man? Respect __13.__What is the quality you most like in a woman? Outgoing __14.__Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Literally” “Brother“What” “Baby” __15.__What or who is the greatest love of your life? My babysitter from when I was younger, Maureen. She is an angel. __16.__When and where were you happiest? UCA Nationals February 2017. When we hit all 3 of our performances perfectly, our coaches were proud, and I was ending my high school cheerleading career the best way. __17.__Which talent would you most like to have? I wish I could sing! __18.__If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would change how impatient I can be with people. I sometimes do not take the time to accept actions, ideas or perspectives. __19.__What do you consider your greatest achievement? Being able to get myself together and not let everything consume me. Leading me to making bigger and better decisions and a healthier lifestyle. __20.__If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? I want to believe reincarnation is real so I would prefer to be a bird. __21.__Where would you most like to live? California or with my best friend __22.__What is your most treasured possession? My “babies” that were made for me when I was a baby. __23.__What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Losing someone incredibly close to you __24.__What is your favorite occupation? Being a nanny I love babies and kids. __25.__What is your most marked characteristic? How outgoing I am. __26.__What do you most value in your friends? Loyalty, being genuine. __27.__Who are your favorite writers? I have many but I’m stumped. __28.__Who is your hero of fiction? The Hulk. __29.__Which historical figure do you most identify with? Benjamin Franklin simply because..blue faces. __30.__Who are your heroes in real life? My mother, my sister, and Mr. Pickett a teacher at Upper Darby. __31.__What are your favorite names? Madeline, Aysla, Adalena __32.__What is it that you most dislike? Littering, anyone yelling at me, airplanes, heights and people who think the world revolve around them. __33.__What is your greatest regret? Is it ever easy to say? __34.__How would you like to die? Surrounded by everyone I love in a beautiful place with tons of flowers and desserts. __35.__What is your motto? “Don’t cry blue skies” “from struggle come strength” |
AuthorMy name is Alexandra Ross and I will be posting all of my assignments on this page. Please feel free to comment and ask questions! Archives
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