Looking back on my essay, I realize I followed the prompt and filled in all the blanks Mr. Allen asked of me. I reviewed my comma usage, added a few semi-colons here and there, and made sure my topic sentences flowed with the paragraphs.
But is that all that is required of me? Just following the rubric to earn points? As we have discussed in class, writing is about discovering. I learned through writing my essay that it feels good to get my thoughts out in an organized manner. Sure, I like following the rubric, using the guidelines to assist me through the essay. But, I think the rules for the essay should be guidelines, and not set rules.
Is writing ever set in stone anyways? If we are so confined to rules, limited with our topics, won't all of our essays soon morph together? Of course, there are many ideas throughout the text. We might all have different topics, but our structures are all the same. Then again, you can have complex thoughts portrayed in simple structures. Aren't different, unique structures part of what make great books, great books?
As much as I wanted to go outside the set rules for the essay, I knew I couldn't. After all, I am an Academy student and I do care about my grades. But I found trouble finding my own voice through this essay. If I were to go back, I would reassess my sentences and make sure it sounds more like me. My grade will be happy for following the structures, but my creative writing skills will not.
P.S. sorry for going a little outside the guidelines(definitely not as bad as Sean's though ;))
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Blogging Around
Alex's Post: Carry it Forward: "Beat by Beat: The Rhythm of Writing", writing a note to grandparents vs. writing intensely
I liked how Alex related what she learned in class to the real world. Sure, we all have to write papers and essays for school. Its required, we get a grade on them, so therefore we must do a good job. But what about elsewhere? Is it really necessary? Alex seems to think that when writing a note to her grandparents, it doesn't matter too much. They know her, they know her writing style, and they know she means well. But what about a note to someone you do not know? You need to get your point across, but you also want to get it across in the feelings you want to show. I don't think that we necessarily want to be intense with our writing, as Alex said, but we want to be honest and portray ourselves the way we really are. After all, it is our writing.
Connors Post: Best of the Week: Author-Character Interaction, the struggle between the author and his character
In general, this is a great topic to explore. We may not fully realize it at times, (although truly obvious), but the author has absolute full control over his characters. The authors goal is to intrigue his readers and teach them a lesson. In this case, there were many, but the most salient one was that of redemption. Hosseini pulled and tugged at Amir's strings, until he finally found the way. Hosseini made the road so hard for Amir that at one point he couldn't even talk. Isn't this hard for us to read? After all, why would a reader want to read about horrific events, such as rape, beatings, and suicide? For some reason, we actually enjoy this. Why is this? I don't really have a solid answer for this question, other than maybe we need some form of entertainment to keep ourselves occupied. But is that reason enough? Or is it just accepted in our society? Authors create suspense and put their characters through the worst of things, just for our entertainment.
I liked how Alex related what she learned in class to the real world. Sure, we all have to write papers and essays for school. Its required, we get a grade on them, so therefore we must do a good job. But what about elsewhere? Is it really necessary? Alex seems to think that when writing a note to her grandparents, it doesn't matter too much. They know her, they know her writing style, and they know she means well. But what about a note to someone you do not know? You need to get your point across, but you also want to get it across in the feelings you want to show. I don't think that we necessarily want to be intense with our writing, as Alex said, but we want to be honest and portray ourselves the way we really are. After all, it is our writing.
Connors Post: Best of the Week: Author-Character Interaction, the struggle between the author and his character
In general, this is a great topic to explore. We may not fully realize it at times, (although truly obvious), but the author has absolute full control over his characters. The authors goal is to intrigue his readers and teach them a lesson. In this case, there were many, but the most salient one was that of redemption. Hosseini pulled and tugged at Amir's strings, until he finally found the way. Hosseini made the road so hard for Amir that at one point he couldn't even talk. Isn't this hard for us to read? After all, why would a reader want to read about horrific events, such as rape, beatings, and suicide? For some reason, we actually enjoy this. Why is this? I don't really have a solid answer for this question, other than maybe we need some form of entertainment to keep ourselves occupied. But is that reason enough? Or is it just accepted in our society? Authors create suspense and put their characters through the worst of things, just for our entertainment.
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