Professional Text: Part 2

The Next 41 Pages: The Southerner and the Turtle.

Over the course of the next 41 pages, Gornick talks about the personal essay. Rather than talk at length about her opinions of what makes a good personal essay, or share her pieces, Gornick selects an eclectic groups of essays, that to her exemplify what a great personal essay is. Among the many examples Gornick uses, I found two of her examples to be most intriguing. 

The first example of an exemplary personal essay is Harry Crews "Why I Live Where I Live." Gornick reinforces the idea of the unsurrogated narrator, declaring that Crews shows no shame in his piece. In his opening paragraph, Crews displays an aggressive swagger, basically declaring "here I am, take it or leave it." Gornick praises his aggressive nature, noting that the reader will want to understand why this man is the way he is. As important as he aggressive intro, Gornick notes, is his insecure second half of the essay. Gornick notes, if Crews wrote with an aggressive tone throughout, and offered up nothing more, the essay would fall flat. People are complex. No man is one hundred percent of something. Gornick applauds Crews ability to balance machismo and insecurity.

The second essay that caught my eye was Edward Hogan's "the Courage of Turtles." In this lesson, Gornick uses Hogan's essay to show how a personal essay can be veiled in another style. Hogan's essay is a self-investigating, introspective piece disguised as nature writing. Hogan's voice in the essay is so calmly detached, that the reader is lulled into thinking he is indifferent to the subject. Only after a couple reads can the reader see that the piece is not about turtles at all. The end of the essay really strikes Gornick. She admits reading the end three time, finding three possible endings. A personal essay, especially one as introspective as this one, can inspire different interpretations. Below is a link to the essay (page 1-6 is Hogan)

http://www.cwu.edu/~garrisop/makeup_quiz_essays.pdf

What I learned: I learned that the personal essay can, like poetry, be open to interpretation. Just because it's non-fiction, doesn't mean it is straight forward.

Golden Lines: "That's it. There is no more. The piece has arrived."

Questions: What is the difference between confession and self-investigation?

Strategies: Think of your deepest, darkest secrets. Try to write a paragraph about each one. Pick the strongest, and investigate that secret.     

Professional Text: Part 1

The professional text I have chosen for the upcoming blog posts is The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick. The book is not organized into chapters, but rather, four uneven sections. Instead of reading the four sections, I divided the total pages by four and will go off of that.

THE FIRST 41 PAGES

Early on, Gornick talks about a funeral she went to for doctor. While many of the doctor's colleges, and patients spoke about the deceased in a positive manner, only one speaker moved Gornick. The question of why this woman's eulogy touched Gornick haunted her for many nights until she realized the reason. This woman had composed her eulogy. Her memories were structured, and the structure imposed order, and the order had made the sentences more shapely, and the shapeliness increased the expressiveness of the words, and the expressiveness deepened the association. All of this build up created texture, and it was the texture that moved Gornick. In building such a well composed eulogy, the eulogist captured the spirit of the deceased, and the connection they shared.

Later, Gornick explains how personal writing is more challenging than fiction or poetry. In order to write personally, the writer must "fashion a persona out of one's own undisguised self." The writer of fiction uses a surrogate to convey their inappropriate longings or embarrassing ideas; the writers of personal narrative are unsurrogated. In Gornick's opinion, creating this unsurrogated persona is the hardest thing for writers of personal narratives to accomplish.

What I learned: Writing personal narrative requires the author to bare themselves completely. Being 75% honest is not enough. The reader can tell when the author is being true.

Golden Lines: "Every work of Literature has both a situation and a story. The situation is the context or circumstance, sometimes the plot; the story is the emotional experience that preoccupies the writer..."

Questions: Why is detachment especially important in personal narrative? What limitations arise when the writer is too close to her material?

Strategies: Practice writing about a time you were embarrassed. Be honest and dig deep.

FREE WRITE

MY WEEK IN REVIEW

I have spent the last week (and then some) dealing with an obnoxious chest virus. The remedy, as prescribed by a Dr. at the UCF clinic, was lots of rest, an inhaler, and some pills that smell like oak. I missed two days of internship, two days of work and one UCF class (this one). So what did I do with all of this sickly down time? 

I watched a Fish Called Wanda twice. For those who are unfamiliar, A Fish Called Wanda is comedy starring Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese, and, to borrow a phrase from Mr. Travolta, the wickedly talented Kaleab Kleen (Kevin Kline). Curtis, Kline, Michael Palin, and some other dude steal 20 million dollars worth of jewels. Curtis and Kline turn the other dude into the police, placing the entire crime on him. Unbeknowst to them, the other dude (I probably should have just looked up his name by now) hides the jewels, leaving Curtis and Kline in a bind. Curtis decides to seduce the other dude's barrister to find out where he hid the jewels. That is when hilarity ensues. While everyone gives great performances, it is Kline (who won an Oscar for his performance) really steals the movie. Here is a clip (WARNING - the following clip contains a heap of curse words). If this scene tickles you, then be sure to check out the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaiUqapF9Y4    

Dark Souls 2 came out while I was sick...rejoice nerds! So far I've only logged 11 hours...only 64 more to go.

 

Yes, I am fully aware that Woody Allen is a creepy creepster. While I do not condone any of Woody's actions (from Soon-Yi to Dylan Farrow), I cannot help but enjoy his movies. Manhattan, Allen's least favorite movie, is by far one of his best. The movie is about love lost, and how past relationships seem great once we're no longer in them. Shot in gorgeous black and white, Allen captures the romantic side of New York City. The opening of the film is one of the most awe-inspiring sequences in cinema history! Don't believe me, see for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyaj2P-dSi8

I wish I wasn't sick.   

Tech Post 2

I never used a Prezi before so I thought why not give it a whirl. Here it is!

http://prezi.com/trgr5dg9bcz9/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy