Blog #3 (Writing Strength)

     "It’s a cold winter’s morning. The fresh scent of pine wisps through the vents of the house. You are lying in bed dreading what is to come next, stepping on the bitter cold hardwood flooring. With each step you take, you swear up and down that you will get frost bite. You sprint across the room, hopping on the small Christmas rug neatly placed in front of the closet door to snatch a pair of slippers to save your poor feet. You smell the scent of pine and then it hits you like a brick, IT'S CHRISTMAS! Suddenly, you become a little kid again. You are all excited for the presents, even though Christmas is about the Lord Baby Jesus. You go to walk out of your door, trying to be quiet but it is a tad hard when your hardwood floors creak with each step, but when you're a ninja like me, you can manuver through these halls like a pro, but when you go to open your door, you discover your little twerp of a brother is sitting there like a lost puppy just waiting. We wake our parents and enter a the living room, so lively with the bright lights of our Christmas tree, shimmering in all directions. Eric dives into the first present of his and the crinkle of the wrapping paper brings back so many memories from my childhood. It is almost as if I am dead in the body of another person, living my life again. I kinda feel like that bunny kid from "A Christmas Story", Ralphy. I don't know why, but all this excitement is like him waiting for his Red Ryder BB Gun!!"

     The above paragraph is a demonstration of my english skills which have been aquired throughout the year, thanks to Ms. Owen. I have decided that I have strength in the use of metaphors and sensory details. I speak of the cold and really describe how cold it is. I also mention the scent of the house, which is pine, but I never tell that the pine is the Christmas tree, because it allows the imagination of the reader to discover that. I compared the cold hardwood flooring to having frost bite and that excentuates my point of how cold the floor actually is. My audience is impacted by this because I am really making them visualize what I am doing and how it is affecting the mood. I am really trying to grasp the Christmas spirit and that is why I mention a very famous and well known Christmas classic. I want my reader to be there with me, experiencing my excitemt to open these Christmas gifts. Who cares if I am a 17 year old kid, I can still act like I am a little girl again in order to have fun and bring back memories.

Blog #2 Learning Outcome #3 (The Book Thief)

The Book Thief     Written By: Markus Zusak
     It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . .
     Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
     This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.
(http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375831002)

     "In the beginning, it was the profanity that made an immediate impact. It was so vehement and prolific. Every other word was either Saumensch or Saukerl or Arscholch." The words in italics are German words in which contain a meaning that is vulgar. They are slang terms which we do not hear often if at all here in America. This just shows the difference in the way our cultures are built. Rosa has no issue with saying these words on a daily basis, sometimes all in a row. The use of profane words by a woman in a book really comes to show who her character is. It shows that she is a strong-willed person who won't let anything get in her way. “She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Liesel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips. He tasted dusty and sweet. He tasted like the regret in the shadows of trees and in the glow of the anarchist’s suit collection.  She kissed him long and soft, and when she pulled herself away, she touched his mouth with her fingers. Her hands were trembling, her lips were fleshy, and she leaned in once more, this time losing control and misjudging it. Their teeth collided on the demolished world of Himmel Street.” This quote demonstrates the respect that these children show for one another. Liesel was in made love with Rudy, as he was with her, but she never really wanted him to know this. Her only chance, well actually she passed up many but this was her last chance to kiss him was now. Although he had been killed and died she was going to get her kiss in. I don't really know if this is a cultural thing, but more of a respect that I think all of us could share if we were put in this situation.

Blog #1 Learning Outcome #1 (The Nacirema)

     "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" by Horace Miner is a piece of writing that is directed towards mankind, because we as humans are known to make quick judgments on things that appear as strange or different from our customs. Horace Miner wrote this piece about the tribe, the Nacirema, "a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles." This makes you as a reader question who these people are and why have they never been heard of before.
     “Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy which has evolved in a rich natural habitat. Special women’s rights are performed only during each lunar month, but what they lack in frequency is made up in barbarity. As a part of this ceremony, women bake their heads in small ovens for about an hour.” We stop and think, ‘Who would put their head in an oven?! These people are weirdoes.’ Too bad these “weirdoes” are actually us. This piece is specifically written to make our every day lives sound like an odd, uncivilized tribe, because the purpose is to prove how quickly we judge. Something that is weird to us may be completely normal to someone else. Who is to claim what is normal?
     “At other times they insert magic wands in the supplicant’s mouth or force him to eat substances which are supposed to be healing. From time to time the medicine men come to their clients and jab magically treated needles into their flesh. The fact that these temple ceremonies many not cure, and may even kill the neophyte in no way decreases the people’s faith in the medicine men.” This quote makes it seem as though this “tribe” lacks modern technology and these people focus on physical pain as a ritual. With such strange beliefs, we question how they have managed to live on and continue their lives as if what they do is normal.
     This just shows that humans are so closed-minded and ignorant, because this entire piece is written about us, not some savages, but us. The author wrote this piece to appear as strange or odd in order to prove that we are these savages. The only difference is the choice of words in which he uses. If you look back at the writing, the Nacirema is American backwards, along with Notgnihsaw (Washington), and these medicine men are doctors. How something is written and the diction used, really affects how the audience perceives the story. Next time you hear of a strange tribe or culture, think of how silly you felt once you found out the Nacirema was you. Don’t judge others just because they are a little different.