Shadow vs. Sarajevo

The stories to be analyzed are intriguing for the use of place as much as for the issues surrounding them. Part of what makes "Shadow" so interesting and captivating for the reader is the sense that the setting suits the darkness of the events. A poor, destroyed family, disconnected with the rest of society seems to fit into the landscape of an unknown, rural community made famous by the shooting. While logically possible, it would be difficult to imagine two rich little citygirls doing the same thing. The "place" in Lowry's piece adds a great deal to the story, from the first line which reads, "By now, the shooting is old news, and Rush Springs, Oklahoma has had its five minutes of notoriety" (256).
"Sarajevo" has a few similarities to "Shadow" in relation to place. It is difficult to imagine events such as war happening in any other setting than the one described. Merrill does an excellent job depicting the setting for readers; descriptions and historical aspects add to the story immensley. The use of dialogue added to the history give the "Sarajevo" add reality to story, adding to its validity. By adding comments about everday life, such as the radio continuing to play (298), Merrill combines place and events into an intriguing story.

Furia and Moore

I certainly find it interesting how going into the biographies i knew so very little about either Berlin or Sargent but still found both pieces to be quite intriguing. Both authors were amazingly creative; I think it's very difficult to make someone's life interesting when a the reader may never have heard of the person before.
"It was a time of hope, that was the thing" was incredibly vivid. Most of what I imagined contained lots of colors and shapes. Moore should be commended on this seeing as how he was describing an artist; painting a subject through words such as his makes the reader recognize the importance of Margarett's art.
The piece about Berlin was excellent. It flowed extremely well. I doubt I would have ever read this had it not been assigned, but I found it to be very interesting. This was my favorite of the two assignments for today; I loved how Furia managed to combine Mackay's essay and Berlin's recollection of writing "Remember." These give the biography a sense of reality; without them, Furia's piece would not be nearly as accountable. This is what taught me the biggest lesson about writing a biography. Furia showed how to combine creativity with actual events and make something even more interesting than either one would be alone.

What We Don't Need to Know about Your Body

The different styles of writing certainly make a difference in depicting the personalities in "Portrait of My Body" and "What They Don't Tell You about Hurricanes." The tone used in each is perhaps what sets the mood, intrigues the reader, and makes them worth-while reads. To compare, both Lopate and Gerard use tones that vent their frustration over things-that-be of which they have no control; Lopate's body is his, yet he can do little to change it while Gerard can do nothing to prevent the hurricane or the devastation that is certain to follow. Gerard and Lopate write to some degree to voice their protests, but more so to complain. They write out their frustrations.
The styles in which Lopate and Gerard write are very different however. Lopate writes about himself entirely. He describes his physical image and at the same time gives the reader a thorough description of his thoughts as well. Gerard's writings describes the oncoming hurricane and is not as straight-forward about himself. One can sense his dread about the hurricane, but he does not stress his concerns in the same way as Lopate.
Lopate's "Portrait if My Body" was entertaining at first, but ended in a way that seemed tiresome and whiney. Gerard's description seemed depressed and sad, understandable regarding his situation.

"The Woman" vs. "Basha"

The introduction to "The Woman Who Slept with One Eye Open" grabbed me from the start not so much because of anything particulary exciting, but because of how the author relates her life to the tale. In some ways I feel a connection to the term "macho." I like how Cofer explains that the aspects it encompasses: "you belong where you choose to stand. . . inferior to no one" (182). As for the tale of Maria Sabida, I could see how there could be different meanings, different lessons to be drawn from the tale. I love the image Mary; there is definite power in both these women. The second section with Maria La Loca was strange; I felt sorry for this woman.
"Basha Leah" was also very different. The most interesting part to me, perhaps because it seemed the most real, was Ronnie's bar-mitzvah. This event was more touching than others because of the image of teenagers doing something meaningful for someone else, an unusual occurence. On the whole, I did not enjoy reading "Basha Leah" nearly as much as Cofer's writing. "The Woman Who Slept with One Eye Open" had more personal qualities.

"Why I Write"

The author of “Why I Write” has keyed in to an important aspect of writing. There doesn’t have to be a specific goal or purpose, there only has to be inspiration. Good writing has passion; it is an outlet for a variety of emotions. Writing doesn’t have to be for anyone else to ever read, but if composed with insight and creative expressiveness, it will be what others want to read.
I write to express myself, to show emotion and creativity that perhaps no one would see just from me sitting here. I write for fun; my favorite writing is what I have done when I don’t have an assignment or project due. I like to write out my emotions, to give a real and tangible element to emotions that otherwise are whirling around me. Writing allows for a whole new world, a place where a writer and reader can connect through beautiful descriptions and personal experiences.