In this final narration post, remember that you are synthesizing: (1) your reading of the essays, our class dicussion, and your classmates posts.
Deadline is Sunday at 10:00 PM.
Mrs. Field
Through reading "Fish Cheeks", "Champion of the World", "Crime of Compassion", and "Indian Education" I learned something very important: people are different. No matter where you are and who you are around no two persons are exactly the same whether you look at it physically, mentally, psychologically or any other way; and no matter what happens there will be differences and discrimination. These differences also apply in how someone tells a narrative. All of the essays we read were personal experiences (or at least told in first person)showing that despite being able to tell narratives in third person, first person is more effective to convey an emotional standpoint such as the discrimination faced by being different. The emotion and setting that Angelou described in "Champion of the World" was so powerful and realistic because of her point of view that it made you feel like you were there with her experiencing the heartache when Louis went down and the exuberance when he won the bout. The same intensity of emotion was also felt though in "Crime of Compassion". The pain of watching not only one of your patients, but someone that you have grown to know and love lie in bed and suffer every time he was resuscitated was excruciating. The fact that he did not even have the desire to live anymore and yet you were forced to be the one who allowed the coding to continue, only to see him suffer more. And the shame that Tan described in "Fish Cheeks"; not only the shame that the white boy was disgusted at your culture but that you were disgusted at your culture, disgusted at your favorite foods prepared just for you, and finally in "Indian Education" the hardships that you faced in your transition from the reservation to the white man's world. That no matter what you did to fit in you would always be oppressed by either those you left behind or those to whom you were trying to assimilate with now. That even the missionaries, those who felt it was God's very will that they should help those in need, would discriminate against and hate you for the color of your skin. The power that these authors conveyed through these stories was so intense that it shed a whole new light to me about the influence of first person in a story. All of the stories also contained a great deal of description and detail that made everything very easy to visualize. The detail of the food in "Fish Cheeks", the rapid decay of a man who was the very epitome of what a man should be to nothing more than a sixty-pound skeleton in "Crime of Compassion", and the packed store and feeling of devastation and then triumph in "Champion of the World" showed how essential specifics are in a narrative. Overall from reading these passages I believe that the most vital point of a narrative is connecting with the audience. No matter who it is directed at or how it is done the most pivotal thing is that the audience feels that you are talking to them. Without a connection on an emotional level it is hard to have the audience pick up and be affected by the moral and point of your narrative.
When I was reading "Champion of the World", "Fish Cheeks", "A Crime of Compassion", and "Indian Education" I learned many things that are important in order to write a well-developed narrative, and I learned that people see the world in different eyes because everyone is different. All the authors wrote in first person, which intensified the emotions and feelings of the narrative. Writing in first person allows the writer to include personal experiences, which allows others to relate to the issue. Mary Angelou talks about her culture and how her culture's spirit and hopes hang in the hands of Joe Louis. Joe Louis is personified as the African American culture because with his win, the African Americans from all over the United States will be able to celebrate and believe that they are equal to the Whites. Each step and punch that Joe delivers to the white fighter is a step taken by the African American culture toward complete desegregation and equality. Angelou is not ashamed of her culture because she accepts the fact that she is African American, and she is proud to be African American. Angelou uses different pace throughout her narrative because it creates suspense and uses details to make you experience what it is like to live in her situation. Amy Tan's narrative, "Fish Cheeks" is about how she feels ashamed to be Chinese because a boy that she has a crush on comes over for dinner. Tan does not understand that she will always be Chinese and that she must accept who she is in order for her to feel proud of her culture. Tan does however learn that she made a mistake in feeling ashamed of her culture. Angelou and Tan both sooner or later learn that being different is not a bad thing, but actually a blessing because having different cultures make them unique. Barbara Huttmann's narrative, "A Crime of Compassion", was the most engulfing narrative out of the four that we read. Huttmann uses magnificent descriptions and tells the narrative in such a compelling way that you feel as if you have no choice but to agree with her.
Huttmann's starts off the narrative with the word "Murderer", which is a type of word that makes all people wonder what happened. Huttmann's narrative makes you cringe, when she is explaining the man losing body mass. Huttmann proves her strength when she does not push the button because she has to force herself to not push the button. This story makes you ponder over the questions of life, such as: what would I have done?, would I have the courage to take one's life?, and is it God's wish to take this man to the light? Obviously, it was God's wish to take the man because he was going toward heaven 52 times, but the medical staff continually resuscitated him even though Mac himself told them to let him go. This constant back and forth between the gates of heaven and the life of pain and Hell were gut-wrenching to watch because of the details that Huttmann employs. Sherman Alexie's narrative, "Indian Education", illustrates the differences of life on the reservation from the whites' land. Alexie portrays each year of his life in school as a separate story. Alexie expresses how his life completely changed when he moved over to the white man's world. He was able to learn how to read and write, and now he has a future ahead of him. Back on the reservation, many of Alexie's friends could not even read when they graduated. However, Alexie faced discrimination everywhere he went. The reservation is like a cage where you have no hope of becoming a successful man because everyone there will just pull you down if you try to become better than them. On the white people land you will be discriminated because of your skin color. This shows that no matter where you are you will always be discriminated against. You can be discriminated because of who you are or what you do. Alexie supports his theme with specific examples, which are tremendously important because if you giving nebulous examples then it will not make a connection with the audience. All these authors are extraordinary writers because each express their own life, but they all show how they were discriminated against because they were different and saw the world in a different angle. After meticulously analyzing the narratives, I believe that in order to write a successful narrative you must have details, appeals to the senses, a powerful hook, and a connection with the audience so they can relate to the narrative. Without a way for the audience to relate to the narrative they will just ask themselves "Who cares?" The most important part of narrative is to make sure that your narrative can relate to the audience in some way or fashion.
Studying “Fish Cheeks”, “Champion of the World”, “Crime of Compassion”, and “Indian Education” has made me realize how powerful a narrative can be. One of the key factors that makes a narrative so powerful is the fact that it engages the audience. “Murderer” is the first word of Barbara Huttman's “Crime of Compassion”. Murderer is a strong, attention grabbing word that immediately hooks the audience, as well as turning them against the nurse in the story. Huttman allows the audience members to form their own opinion and then slowly explains and reveals her purpose and lesson, forcing the audience to question their own beliefs and previous judgments. In Amy Tan's “Fish Cheeks”, Tan uses point of view to engage the audience. Tan tells this story through the eyes of someone who does not value and understand the culture, emphasizing the awkwardness of the experience and the shame that the young girl felt for her culture. This is a feeling most people can relate to, either the embarrassment of having a different culture, or the awkwardness of being introduced to a culture you do not understand. This is also shown in “Champion of the World”, when Maya Angelou expresses her pride in her culture as well as the struggle of overcoming discrimination. When Minna and Jerika shared their thoughts and feelings towards both these narratives in the class discussion and how they affected them in different ways I realized that not only was it true that both narratives were relatable and engaging, but that a narrative’s power also depends on the audience receiving it. Keeping an audience in mind when writing a narrative is important because the reactions and interpretations of the narrative depend on the experiences of the audience. People's experiences affect their perception. Minna felt a deeper connection with Tan's narrative due to the fact that she has experienced that same awkward and embarrassing feeling, where as Jerika felt more connected with Angelou's narrative because she can relate to feeling pride in one's culture.
Though keeping an audience in mind is important when writing a narrative, it is not the only thing that can help make the narrative effective. Another strength in Tan and Angelou's narratives is their use of detail. Angelou uses sensory details to put the audience in the setting of the narrative, creating a feeling of apprehension and suspense, while Tan uses detail to emphasize and point out the important features of her narrative. She glosses over minor details and puts great emphasis on the major ones to clearly show which details are significant, such as her details of the food served at the dinner. The food at the dinner is representative of her Chinese culture that she can not bring herself to accept. Sherman Alexie uses an interesting method of writing because he writes his narrative in short scenes, only giving brief flashes of one moment in his life through each year of schooling, and after each scene he ends with a thought provoking, or powerful statement, hammering in his lesson and meaning. Alexie shows through experiences in his youth, the struggles,and discrimination he endured. He was forced to leave his culture behind to seek a better life, but he never really let go of his culture. It will always be where he came from and part of who he is. His culture caused him to have to overcome many struggles in his life, but that only made him stronger. Every year he battles with discrimination but he continues to overcome it, and have pride in himself and his accomplishments, but it is a battle he will have to fight for all his life. One lesson that I got out of these narratives is that your culture is just part of who you are, and whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, you will always carry it with you. Our cultures influence the choices we make and the kind of people we are, they are part of what makes us different and unique. We all come from different places, grow up learning different things, and that is nothing of which to be ashamed. Narratives have the power to bring out these realizations and lessons, they have the power to make people question themselves and the world, and they have the power to connect with and engage the audience, if they are written with a clear purpose, the audience in mind, specific detail, and interesting and engaging word choice.
All the essays we read this week have opened my eyes to the world around me about conveying stories, or composing a message. Each story engages the reader from the very start: Indian Edcation, Champions of the World, and Crime of Compassoin caught me the most with the opeining lines of suspense, always keeping me on the edge of my seat. Fish Cheeks stated off with a ‘crush’, and for some reason I was already turned off because it was already starting off with the plight of an anxious teenager.The two essays that really intertwined together were Indian Education, and Champion of the World. Neither had the happy ending that people usually yearn for at the end of the story; however it gave a sense of hope. I agree with Mrs. Field that even if the whole race, or group didn’t have the future they wanted, if one person made then there was hope for later generations to follow in their footsteps. In Crime of Compassion it really makes one question about a ‘moral conscience’ and an ‘imperial conscience’. (Paralleling with Vere in Billy Budd, which should a person decide?) The post Romessa made about the doctor really made think from his piont of view. A doctor who is in school for most of his life, then to save another life by 'murdering' him, willl make him loose everything. I find it ironic that we look up to doctors as Gods when they save lives, but then look down upon them as the Devil when they don't save lives. Are we forgetting they are merely human in the first place? Fish Cheeks was an essay I did not connect to as much. To have an embarrassing moment because something was said or done shouldn’t mean you are ashamed of who you are and where you came from. I learned this point from both Minna and Romessa when they were describing their religion. How they would be open to share and explain what they believed in, not shun who they were. There isn’t more to add to this because everything I felt about each of the stories was already said, or stated by someone else. Each essay conveys the thoughts of different perspectives in the world, and still stands with the struggles anyone of any race, age, or sex may have today. Each depict the lower man society denies or rejects, being the race you are from, the health state you are in, or the personal choices that you make. There will always be those who judge, and shun. Above all, all essays prove that we are alms bags. Our rear pockets are filled with our faults, however are front pockets are empty for everyone else. (Jerika Reed)
In reading the four narratives, "Fish Cheeks," "Champion of the World," "Indian Education," and "Crime of Compassion," they definitely taught me what a narrative is and should be. Each narrative had different qualities that made them unique and effective. Tan's use of point of view made "Fish Cheeks" different from the others. The way she wrote the narrative in a point of view different than first person. She wrote about the foods in the way that the white boy saw them. Her use of detail in explaining those foods also made her narrative very effective. Angelou's narrative was extremely engaging for readers because of her pace and the way that readers could follow along and feel like they are a part of the story. Her detail and use of dialogue also helped in engaging the readers. I felt so...into it when I was reading. It was almost as if I was actually listening in on the radio with Angelou and the people in the story. In writing "Indian Education," Alexie used chronological order very well, and instead of writing about one single encounter, he chose to write about a passage of time. Not only was his conclusion to the entire narrative strong, but each section or grade he wrote about also had a punch at the end. Huttmann's detail and shifts made her narrative effective in the way that she describes Mac as a lively person before the illness and then directly after, describes him as a 60 lbs. skeleton. All of these narratives were effective because they really make you think instead of leaving you saying "So What?" Each one of them also engages your emotions and makes you feel for the characters/narrators, but also it makes you think about if you've ever been in that situation or what you would've done if you were in that situation. Upon discussing how we minorities in the class felt about different awkward situations in the past due to racial differences, I realized that we are all different. Discussing made me really think about how I felt about my background and ethnicity. My emotions were really involved in thinking about being different. Unlike the others, "Crime of Compassion" did not have to do with racial oppression, but it still hooks onto your emotions. It definitely got me thinking about the sick people I've known in my life and the suffering they went through. It made me think about what I would have done if I was the nurse. I think narratives are effective when they get readers to really connect with them. The key, I think, is getting the audience to hook their emotions and past experiences onto the narrative and make a connection between the narrative and their own personal lives. An effective narrative will teach a lesson, engage the audience and their emotions, and keep a clear purpose.
The first posters have done an outstanding job speaking to how effective narratives are crafted. Follow their lead and keep this kind of conversation a part of your final posts and keep these elements in mind as you craft your own narratives.
Reading and analyzing these four narratives has showed me and taught me how effective a narrative can and should be. In order to have a strong narrative, the writers use of language cannot be lazy. It needs to be powerful and capture the audience immediately. This way, it will persuade the audience to continue reading because they want to know what happens next. A great example of this is in "Crime of Compassion". The author, Huttman, uses, "Murderer" as her first sentance. This is an automatic attention getter. That first word gives the suspicion that the nurse is either a murderer or she isn't. Huttman allows the audience to imagine their own input in the story at the very beginning. In "Fish Cheeks," "Champion of the World," and "Indian Education," they all use point of view. In "Fish Cheeks," Tan targets the audience in a more opinionated way than Angelou does in "Champion of the World." Tan tells her narrative in a perspective of an embarressed, immature teenager, who is not ready to embrace her culture and be proud for who she is. We all can relate to the assertion of being embarressed. Angelou's narrative targets a more broad audience. It does indeed relate to Tan's narrative, but it describes racism. In class, Romesa, Jerika, and Minna shared their connection to these two narratives. Minna felt more connected with Amy Tan's argument while Jerika and Romesa felt more connected to Angelou's. Reflecting back to class discussion, with classmates personal stories, it was very clear to me that making your narrative effective and able to relate to is probably the number one most important thing. If an audience can't slightly relate to your narrative, than it definitely is not as stong. In "Indian Education," I believe it is similar to "Champion of the World." In "Champion of the World," the perspective of the narrator is very proud of her culture and feels zero embarressment. There is no shame. In "Indian Education," when the boy is getting yelled out by his teacher, "indian, indian, indian," his response is, "Yes I am. I am an Indian!" This just shows that the the boy is not ashamed of who he is. He is proud of who he is and where he came from.
There really isn’t a better way to obtain a better understanding for a type of writing than to see multiple examples as we did in an outside of class. Before this unit on Narrations, I had a vague sense of what a narration was, “It’s pretty much the telling of a story, right?” and it is that but what makes a narrative more than just “once upon a time there was a little girl that hated broccoli because it tastes nasty” type telling are the details, the reactions and interactions of the character(s), the point of view that it is told and the attention to speed in the writing that makes a narrative more than just a lame story some kid in the second grade writes with her spelling words as a homework assignment. Of all the narrations we read (“Fish Cheeks,” “Indian Education,” “A Crime of Compassion,” and “Champions of the world”) one thing common with the lot is that they were all told in first person, giving that sense of first-hand experience. If these stories were to be told in third person, they would most likely not have been the stories we used as examples of good, powerful narratives because the humanity of the stories would be taken out, the embarrassment of Tan’s story would be nonexistent and the reader would think, “It’s just a winey teenager… Who Cares? Good for her that she learned a lesson, you know what, so did everyone else that has ever done something.” The point of view in first person, where everything is referred to as “ I did, I felt, I thought” puts the reader in place of the scenario the writer describes, making the reader feel the pride Angelou describes feeling or the stress and weight of the final decision in Huttman’s narrative, it teaches the reader just as much of a lesson as it did the writer. The pacing of the narrative is very important in keeping the reader’s interest. Not every detail is to be explained because that would take forever and cause the reader to say, “Who cares?” before the story is even through. Details are important and without them the story would be very dry and boring and cause the reader to question the value of reading such a piece. The narrative needs just the right amount of details, only the details necessary to creating the final conclusion, the final impact, the feeling that causes the reader to care. A good example of using details to pace writing is in Tan’s story where she analyzes every dish in a rather unappetizing manner, repeating her feeling of embarrassment. Even though that narration is only a page long, the suspense of wanting the night to end makes it seem longer. Angelou’s story is interesting in that the writing flows very quickly yet she still holds suspense in finding out who wins the match. Huttman’s narrative is told mostly as details to describe the first paragraph where the nurse is being called a murder, giving the first impression of a not-so-wonderful person but ending with the impression of a saint because of the grueling details describing the prolonged, multi-death of a once great man. Here, the setting is not so important besides knowing that it is a hospital but the steps of death the man goes through are painful to read, the description of them seems to be so long in comparison to the rest of the story because the mind takes the time to visualize the bedsores on the living skeleton. Alexie is able to make a few pages of words seem like school year with the way the narrative is organized into paragraphs, starting out and ending with a final thought on the event described and what the character learned or realized in that year. All these narratives show how important a final redeeming statement is to prove the point and leave the reader feeling as if they have experienced something.
We read and studied a wide range of essays this week and the differences between them is a common theme of our posts. I agree that there is much difference, however, I have attempted to draw a parallel between them. Starting with some major differences: Obviously, each essay has a different author, and this apparent difference between the papers accounts for the vast majority of dissimilarities between them. Everyone has a background to draw upon and they can be entirely exotic to one another, and I think we are provided with a brief glimpse of how cultural the world can be. Tan was born into a Chinese family, slowly trying to assimilate to an American lifestyle without losing their culture; Angelou an African-American fighting for the respect of her race; Huttmann an ordinary White woman exposed to extraordinary experiences and circumstances; and Alexie a Native American surmounting the stereotypes surrounding his race and succeeding in life. All of the authors come from varied roots, thus their insight is grossly strange from another. Similarly, in class I was amazed at the wide variety of families and home settings that we all came from. Sitting next to Matt and Cody, I obtained sympathy for anyone who has ever felt like a minority whilst the rest of my peers explained their lives within the household. My house is neither loud nor bustling like Minna’s or Jerika’s, but not nearly as peaceful as Romesa’s; the average Caucasian household in America, if you will, 3 children, a two-car garage and a picket fence. Yet, it was easy for me to see that the thoughts shared had much emotion tied to them, and I could feel that each member of that discussion loved the way he or she lived similar to the way I do, and that is a common characteristic. Ironically, I came to a similar conclusion with the narratives. Relating to the texts, there is something in particular that I have found to be similar between the papers: the moral. Morally, I have narrowed each paper down to one theme. In Fish Cheeks, though she struggles with her identity and attempts to exchange it, Tan learns to accept her Chinese heritage. Angelou was proud from the beginning, but has to fight to protect her race. Huttmann does not necessarily experience an ethnic battle, but she is defending her actions and the position she took on life and death. And Alexie has all of the conflicts, brawling with discrimination and critics of his lifestyle with the Whites. Each of these writers has been through a commendable amount of turmoil, and though their lives are completely different from one another, a common moral can be drawn: Be proud of who you are and what you do.
Reading and discussing “Fish Cheeks”, “Champion of the World”, “Crime of Compassion”, and “Indian Education” has showed the diversity a narrative posses. In “Fish Cheeks,” Amy Tan was able skew the story so the narrator did not sound like her own culture. Instead, she saw her life as what her crush Robert would have seen her. With using this perspective, it took away the pettiness of a teenagers view and added an insightful meaning to the story. This meaning was: No matter what society thinks about you, your roots are the greatest thing you posses. In our class discussion, we spoke of how member of our aplang community have shared these experiences similar to Tan. Also it was surprising to see the diversity within our classroom. I spoke of personal stories where I have felt like an outsider and at times drifted from my culture just to “fit in.” In the Classmates post, it was interesting to see how people from different cultures spoke of their thoughts and how they was a different variation. In “Champion of the World,” Mary Angelou uses the fighting of Joe Louis so engage the audience. By using this method, she was able to expose the hardships of being an African American. What I found most interesting about both “Fish Cheeks” and “Champion of the World” was that both of the female characters felt the need to prove them against some racial idea. In “Champion of the World,” the fighter is not only representing himself but the entire African American race of that time. During a time where a man would be lynched for showing his pride, by winning this boxing match; he won it for the suppressed African race of America. In both our class discussion and the post by jerika, she spoke of how she had the feeling of being uncomfortable around a larger population of whites. What I found most wonderful as that she has always been true to herself and not let present-day discrimination change the type of person she is. Although I could not finish reading “Crime of Compassion,” this was because of how powerful the details in this essay were. When Huttmann describes the man sitting on the bed and it’s physical changes, it is something that appeals to all 5 senses. The ability to connect and trigger each sense in this peace is outstanding. In our class discussion, we talked about morality and how it is better to let some people die. Even though we feel it is a crime to end like the nurse did, we need to be able to understand it from the perspective of the patient. If you are going through treatments and are unable to sustain life, there is no point in keeping that person alive just to put them in pain. This can also be related to doctors and the hardship they face when they are battling between their morals and society. What I found interesting in a a post was the mention of God’s Will. I believe that at times, we as humans find natural things to be God’s will even though God would not ask for a person to get purposely drunk and get into an accident. “Indian Education” made me realize that at times, we do not need ot be put through difficult situations. It was amazing to see that a minister was judging the Indian kids but she herself was supposed to be a “worker of God.” Is in interesting ot see the hypocritical times in society.
Each author of the four narratives we studied this past week present aspects of storytelling that draw us in as readers and enhance the experience altogether. Tan's "Fish Cheeks" use a fluent progression of her story by using simple diction and selecting only the most important events and details to expand on. Her emphasis on the food, which defined her culture and lifestyle, was a key point in order to pull the reader into her life and feel intimacy for Tan, as a character. It is critical that the audience gets to know the characters in the narrative and become attached to them. In “Indian Education” we are inundated with the intimate details of an Indian boy throughout many years of his life. We begin to get to know the protagonist and yearn to learn more and more as he reveals blunt information about his life and his peer’s lives. The thoughts and details that Huttmann focuses on in “Crime of Compassion” submerges her readers into the life of Mac and her thoughts about his battle with cancer. We hear her intimate thoughts about the situation and we feel the pain that Mac is going through, because of the important decision that Huttmann made when she decided what details to expand on. Angelou uses details in her fast-paced storytelling to quickly snag us into the story and urges us to seek more of her rich storytelling. Each of these writers form a powerful essay that peaks our interest because of the fascinating details that they choose from.
Through reading these four pieces "Champion of the World", "Fish Cheeks", "A Crime of Compassion", and "Indian Education", and through the class discussions i learned how diverse our country is. Even during the classroom talks I felt there was a diversity, but we were still able to express the same feelings towards the pieces even though we had different cultures. My favorite pieve is "Indian Education", I felt as though her style was very powerful in her narration and it really spoke to me. I liked how she broke up the story into time periods and how each one had a moral at the end. I really felt a connection with her story because Alexie's story was the most emotionally appealing to me. I felt that the importance of keeping the main characters hair was very important because his hair symbolized his heritage and he only connection with her culture since he moved schools. In "crime of Compassion" just the word murderer alone set the tonee for the entire piece. It was a great hook which left me wanting to read more. I think hooking your audience is a very effective way to make your narration more enteresting. I also feel first person narration is the most powerful because its personal and appeals to the emotions more. By using first person you can connection to the audience which makes them want to continue reading the story. Tan focuses more on emotions which makes her writing appealing. Angelou's style of writing was also very powerful. Her use of excitment and supense enguages the audience. I likes how she uses the fight as a metaphor of the African Americans struggle to freedom. All of these pieces really help me understand what is vital to write a successful narration. Appeals to emotion is very important because you want to connect to your audience and a hook to enguage your quidence is very important as well because you want to keep your audience wanting to read more. I liked how each author focused on a certain style and how each was successful in enguaging thier audience by using these ifferent styles
In our class discussion and the post, there was mention of how these Indian people were put into reservations and now they feel as if they do not have any other choice but to be there so they do not lose their culture.
While reading the four narratives “Champion of the World”, “Fish Cheeks”, “Crime of Compassion”, and “Indian Education” I was astonished of how each narrative was able intensely hook me into their story. I was on the edge of my seat awaiting the outcome of Joe's fight. . I was feeling embarrassed reading Tam's situation because I can deeply relate. I was heartbroken of the prejudice Alexie was forced to suffer his entire life. I was disgusted of the conflicting morals of human beings and how Hutmann must live through guilt everyday pressing the "code button". These feelings were the result of reading truly great narratives. There are many details I noticed in writing great narratives. I noticed in "Champion of the World" Maya unveiled the fear she must live with and how the fight was not any normal fight. It was the fight to weaken the chains of oppression that every African American was wearing. She deeply appeals to emotion which hooked me in. In "Crime of Compassion" the imagery hooked me in. I remember in the class discussion that they said 5 of the senses was used in one paragraph. I admit that imagery really hooked me into this narrative. A true narrative show the how the authors learned from their experiences. In writing my narrative I know that it can't simply be something about a lost pet or meaningless troubles. It must be an an experience where when others read they can use that as a role model when they cross the same path.
In each of the four narratives we read, "Fish Cheeks", "Champion of the World", "Indian Education", and "Crime of Compassion" the writers used certain skills that I liked and hope to use in my writing to improve on it. Each of the authors had a distinct and clear purpose in writing their narrative and that is something I think that we all need to implement in our writing. When someone is reading our narrative, they should be able to easily identify the author's purpose or motive in writing the story. My two favorite pieces were "Indian Education" and "Champion of the World". Maya Angelou has a good writing style, in that her story has a good and natural flow to it and she creates anticipation and eagerness in the reader. When I was reading "Champion of the World" Angelou made me feel as if I was in the cramped up store, listening to the radio, eager and longing for the outcome of the fight. She also varies the pace of her story well and this adds "flavor" to her story, as opposed to a bland and monotone. I gathered the most about the narrative mode from "Indian Education". Alexie did a great job in ending each section with a succinct but powerful sentence. This allowed the reader to reflect and appreciate what Alexie presents in each section. In doing so Alexie is very efficient in engaging the reader just as Angelou did but in two very different ways. Overall these were the most important things I gained from the narrative mode; engaging the reader, and a powerful conclusion. Each of the four writers we covered all had great features in their stories that made them effective narrators. From these we can all garner effective writing techniques that will make us all better narrators.
Overall I feel that I have really come to understand the essence of narrative writing. Through reading the passages of "Champion of the World" and Fish Cheeks" I saw the details that were provided to make the main idea more relateable and powerful. Angelou conveyed her message powerfully through the use of sensory details as did Tan. However, their methods of connecting the reader were different. They served as a great segue into the styles of narrative writing. "A Crime of Compassion" was also relateable for me, and used great detail to depict Mac dying. Overall I believe that in order to get the point across effectively, you must have details/imagery, an engaging tone, and a powerful ending to tie the idea together. Nada
Champion of the World and Fish Cheeks, Crime of Compassion, and Indian Education are each unique pieces that do a great job of connecting to their readers both by absorbing them and describing situations that relate to us. I found that in each piece a central message is being presented and reinforced to us. I enjoyed Indian Education the most in part because the form of which it is presented. By dividing the piece into grades of which the student progressed through in school the reader could see the true raw situation in which this person was put in. In the end he became the Valedictorian of the new school he attended. It was an engaging and Raw piece that connected to me with it vivid description. (Ali Marmal)
Through reading "Fish Cheeks", "Champion of the World", "Crime of Compassion", and "Indian Education" I learned something very important: people are different. No matter where you are and who you are around no two persons are exactly the same whether you look at it physically, mentally, psychologically or any other way; and no matter what happens there will be differences and discrimination. These differences also apply in how someone tells a narrative. All of the essays we read were personal experiences (or at least told in first person)showing that despite being able to tell narratives in third person, first person is more effective to convey an emotional standpoint such as the discrimination faced by being different. The emotion and setting that Angelou described in "Champion of the World" was so powerful and realistic because of her point of view that it made you feel like you were there with her experiencing the heartache when Louis went down and the exuberance when he won the bout. The same intensity of emotion was also felt though in "Crime of Compassion". The pain of watching not only one of your patients, but someone that you have grown to know and love lie in bed and suffer every time he was resuscitated was excruciating. The fact that he did not even have the desire to live anymore and yet you were forced to be the one who allowed the coding to continue, only to see him suffer more. And the shame that Tan described in "Fish Cheeks"; not only the shame that the white boy was disgusted at your culture but that you were disgusted at your culture, disgusted at your favorite foods prepared just for you, and finally in "Indian Education" the hardships that you faced in your transition from the reservation to the white man's world. That no matter what you did to fit in you would always be oppressed by either those you left behind or those to whom you were trying to assimilate with now. That even the missionaries, those who felt it was God's very will that they should help those in need, would discriminate against and hate you for the color of your skin. The power that these authors conveyed through these stories was so intense that it shed a whole new light to me about the influence of first person in a story. All of the stories also contained a great deal of description and detail that made everything very easy to visualize. The detail of the food in "Fish Cheeks", the rapid decay of a man who was the very epitome of what a man should be to nothing more than a sixty-pound skeleton in "Crime of Compassion", and the packed store and feeling of devastation and then triumph in "Champion of the World" showed how essential specifics are in a narrative. Overall from reading these passages I believe that the most vital point of a narrative is connecting with the audience. No matter who it is directed at or how it is done the most pivotal thing is that the audience feels that you are talking to them. Without a connection on an emotional level it is hard to have the audience pick up and be affected by the moral and point of your narrative.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading "Champion of the World", "Fish Cheeks", "A Crime of Compassion", and "Indian Education" I learned many things that are important in order to write a well-developed narrative, and I learned that people see the world in different eyes because everyone is different. All the authors wrote in first person, which intensified the emotions and feelings of the narrative. Writing in first person allows the writer to include personal experiences, which allows others to relate to the issue. Mary Angelou talks about her culture and how her culture's spirit and hopes hang in the hands of Joe Louis. Joe Louis is personified as the African American culture because with his win, the African Americans from all over the United States will be able to celebrate and believe that they are equal to the Whites. Each step and punch that Joe delivers to the white fighter is a step taken by the African American culture toward complete desegregation and equality. Angelou is not ashamed of her culture because she accepts the fact that she is African American, and she is proud to be African American. Angelou uses different pace throughout her narrative because it creates suspense and uses details to make you experience what it is like to live in her situation. Amy Tan's narrative, "Fish Cheeks" is about how she feels ashamed to be Chinese because a boy that she has a crush on comes over for dinner. Tan does not understand that she will always be Chinese and that she must accept who she is in order for her to feel proud of her culture. Tan does however learn that she made a mistake in feeling ashamed of her culture. Angelou and Tan both sooner or later learn that being different is not a bad thing, but actually a blessing because having different cultures make them unique. Barbara Huttmann's narrative, "A Crime of Compassion", was the most engulfing narrative out of the four that we read. Huttmann uses magnificent descriptions and tells the narrative in such a compelling way that you feel as if you have no choice but to agree with her.
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ReplyDeleteHuttmann's starts off the narrative with the word "Murderer", which is a type of word that makes all people wonder what happened. Huttmann's narrative makes you cringe, when she is explaining the man losing body mass. Huttmann proves her strength when she does not push the button because she has to force herself to not push the button. This story makes you ponder over the questions of life, such as: what would I have done?, would I have the courage to take one's life?, and is it God's wish to take this man to the light? Obviously, it was God's wish to take the man because he was going toward heaven 52 times, but the medical staff continually resuscitated him even though Mac himself told them to let him go. This constant back and forth between the gates of heaven and the life of pain and Hell were gut-wrenching to watch because of the details that Huttmann employs. Sherman Alexie's narrative, "Indian Education", illustrates the differences of life on the reservation from the whites' land. Alexie portrays each year of his life in school as a separate story. Alexie expresses how his life completely changed when he moved over to the white man's world. He was able to learn how to read and write, and now he has a future ahead of him. Back on the reservation, many of Alexie's friends could not even read when they graduated. However, Alexie faced discrimination everywhere he went. The reservation is like a cage where you have no hope of becoming a successful man because everyone there will just pull you down if you try to become better than them. On the white people land you will be discriminated because of your skin color. This shows that no matter where you are you will always be discriminated against. You can be discriminated because of who you are or what you do. Alexie supports his theme with specific examples, which are tremendously important because if you giving nebulous examples then it will not make a connection with the audience. All these authors are extraordinary writers because each express their own life, but they all show how they were discriminated against because they were different and saw the world in a different angle. After meticulously analyzing the narratives, I believe that in order to write a successful narrative you must have details, appeals to the senses, a powerful hook, and a connection with the audience so they can relate to the narrative. Without a way for the audience to relate to the narrative they will just ask themselves "Who cares?" The most important part of narrative is to make sure that your narrative can relate to the audience in some way or fashion.
ReplyDeleteStudying “Fish Cheeks”, “Champion of the World”, “Crime of Compassion”, and “Indian Education” has made me realize how powerful a narrative can be. One of the key factors that makes a narrative so powerful is the fact that it engages the audience. “Murderer” is the first word of Barbara Huttman's “Crime of Compassion”. Murderer is a strong, attention grabbing word that immediately hooks the audience, as well as turning them against the nurse in the story. Huttman allows the audience members to form their own opinion and then slowly explains and reveals her purpose and lesson, forcing the audience to question their own beliefs and previous judgments. In Amy Tan's “Fish Cheeks”, Tan uses point of view to engage the audience. Tan tells this story through the eyes of someone who does not value and understand the culture, emphasizing the awkwardness of the experience and the shame that the young girl felt for her culture. This is a feeling most people can relate to, either the embarrassment of having a different culture, or the awkwardness of being introduced to a culture you do not understand. This is also shown in “Champion of the World”, when Maya Angelou expresses her pride in her culture as well as the struggle of overcoming discrimination. When Minna and Jerika shared their thoughts and feelings towards both these narratives in the class discussion and how they affected them in different ways I realized that not only was it true that both narratives were relatable and engaging, but that a narrative’s power also depends on the audience receiving it. Keeping an audience in mind when writing a narrative is important because the reactions and interpretations of the narrative depend on the experiences of the audience. People's experiences affect their perception. Minna felt a deeper connection with Tan's narrative due to the fact that she has experienced that same awkward and embarrassing feeling, where as Jerika felt more connected with Angelou's narrative because she can relate to feeling pride in one's culture.
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ReplyDeleteThough keeping an audience in mind is important when writing a narrative, it is not the only thing that can help make the narrative effective. Another strength in Tan and Angelou's narratives is their use of detail. Angelou uses sensory details to put the audience in the setting of the narrative, creating a feeling of apprehension and suspense, while Tan uses detail to emphasize and point out the important features of her narrative. She glosses over minor details and puts great emphasis on the major ones to clearly show which details are significant, such as her details of the food served at the dinner. The food at the dinner is representative of her Chinese culture that she can not bring herself to accept. Sherman Alexie uses an interesting method of writing because he writes his narrative in short scenes, only giving brief flashes of one moment in his life through each year of schooling, and after each scene he ends with a thought provoking, or powerful statement, hammering in his lesson and meaning. Alexie shows through experiences in his youth, the struggles,and discrimination he endured. He was forced to leave his culture behind to seek a better life, but he never really let go of his culture. It will always be where he came from and part of who he is. His culture caused him to have to overcome many struggles in his life, but that only made him stronger. Every year he battles with discrimination but he continues to overcome it, and have pride in himself and his accomplishments, but it is a battle he will have to fight for all his life. One lesson that I got out of these narratives is that your culture is just part of who you are, and whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, you will always carry it with you. Our cultures influence the choices we make and the kind of people we are, they are part of what makes us different and unique. We all come from different places, grow up learning different things, and that is nothing of which to be ashamed. Narratives have the power to bring out these realizations and lessons, they have the power to make people question themselves and the world, and they have the power to connect with and engage the audience, if they are written with a clear purpose, the audience in mind, specific detail, and interesting and engaging word choice.
ReplyDeleteAll the essays we read this week have opened my eyes to the world around me about conveying stories, or composing a message. Each story engages the reader from the very start: Indian Edcation, Champions of the World, and Crime of Compassoin caught me the most with the opeining lines of suspense, always keeping me on the edge of my seat. Fish Cheeks stated off with a ‘crush’, and for some reason I was already turned off because it was already starting off with the plight of an anxious teenager.The two essays that really intertwined together were Indian Education, and Champion of the World. Neither had the happy ending that people usually yearn for at the end of the story; however it gave a sense of hope. I agree with Mrs. Field that even if the whole race, or group didn’t have the future they wanted, if one person made then there was hope for later generations to follow in their footsteps. In Crime of Compassion it really makes one question about a ‘moral conscience’ and an ‘imperial conscience’. (Paralleling with Vere in Billy Budd, which should a person decide?) The post Romessa made about the doctor really made think from his piont of view. A doctor who is in school for most of his life, then to save another life by 'murdering' him, willl make him loose everything. I find it ironic that we look up to doctors as Gods when they save lives, but then look down upon them as the Devil when they don't save lives. Are we forgetting they are merely human in the first place? Fish Cheeks was an essay I did not connect to as much. To have an embarrassing moment because something was said or done shouldn’t mean you are ashamed of who you are and where you came from. I learned this point from both Minna and Romessa when they were describing their religion. How they would be open to share and explain what they believed in, not shun who they were. There isn’t more to add to this because everything I felt about each of the stories was already said, or stated by someone else. Each essay conveys the thoughts of different perspectives in the world, and still stands with the struggles anyone of any race, age, or sex may have today. Each depict the lower man society denies or rejects, being the race you are from, the health state you are in, or the personal choices that you make. There will always be those who judge, and shun. Above all, all essays prove that we are alms bags. Our rear pockets are filled with our faults, however are front pockets are empty for everyone else.
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In reading the four narratives, "Fish Cheeks," "Champion of the World," "Indian Education," and "Crime of Compassion," they definitely taught me what a narrative is and should be. Each narrative had different qualities that made them unique and effective.
ReplyDeleteTan's use of point of view made "Fish Cheeks" different from the others. The way she wrote the narrative in a point of view different than first person. She wrote about the foods in the way that the white boy saw them. Her use of detail in explaining those foods also made her narrative very effective.
Angelou's narrative was extremely engaging for readers because of her pace and the way that readers could follow along and feel like they are a part of the story. Her detail and use of dialogue also helped in engaging the readers. I felt so...into it when I was reading. It was almost as if I was actually listening in on the radio with Angelou and the people in the story.
In writing "Indian Education," Alexie used chronological order very well, and instead of writing about one single encounter, he chose to write about a passage of time. Not only was his conclusion to the entire narrative strong, but each section or grade he wrote about also had a punch at the end.
Huttmann's detail and shifts made her narrative effective in the way that she describes Mac as a lively person before the illness and then directly after, describes him as a 60 lbs. skeleton.
All of these narratives were effective because they really make you think instead of leaving you saying "So What?" Each one of them also engages your emotions and makes you feel for the characters/narrators, but also it makes you think about if you've ever been in that situation or what you would've done if you were in that situation. Upon discussing how we minorities in the class felt about different awkward situations in the past due to racial differences, I realized that we are all different. Discussing made me really think about how I felt about my background and ethnicity. My emotions were really involved in thinking about being different. Unlike the others, "Crime of Compassion" did not have to do with racial oppression, but it still hooks onto your emotions. It definitely got me thinking about the sick people I've known in my life and the suffering they went through. It made me think about what I would have done if I was the nurse.
I think narratives are effective when they get readers to really connect with them. The key, I think, is getting the audience to hook their emotions and past experiences onto the narrative and make a connection between the narrative and their own personal lives. An effective narrative will teach a lesson, engage the audience and their emotions, and keep a clear purpose.
The first posters have done an outstanding job speaking to how effective narratives are crafted. Follow their lead and keep this kind of conversation a part of your final posts and keep these elements in mind as you craft your own narratives.
ReplyDeleteK.Field
Reading and analyzing these four narratives has showed me and taught me how effective a narrative can and should be. In order to have a strong narrative, the writers use of language cannot be lazy. It needs to be powerful and capture the audience immediately. This way, it will persuade the audience to continue reading because they want to know what happens next. A great example of this is in "Crime of Compassion". The author, Huttman, uses, "Murderer" as her first sentance. This is an automatic attention getter. That first word gives the suspicion that the nurse is either a murderer or she isn't. Huttman allows the audience to imagine their own input in the story at the very beginning. In "Fish Cheeks," "Champion of the World," and "Indian Education," they all use point of view. In "Fish Cheeks," Tan targets the audience in a more opinionated way than Angelou does in "Champion of the World." Tan tells her narrative in a perspective of an embarressed, immature teenager, who is not ready to embrace her culture and be proud for who she is. We all can relate to the assertion of being embarressed. Angelou's narrative targets a more broad audience. It does indeed relate to Tan's narrative, but it describes racism. In class, Romesa, Jerika, and Minna shared their connection to these two narratives. Minna felt more connected with Amy Tan's argument while Jerika and Romesa felt more connected to Angelou's. Reflecting back to class discussion, with classmates personal stories, it was very clear to me that making your narrative effective and able to relate to is probably the number one most important thing. If an audience can't slightly relate to your narrative, than it definitely is not as stong. In "Indian Education," I believe it is similar to "Champion of the World." In "Champion of the World," the perspective of the narrator is very proud of her culture and feels zero embarressment. There is no shame. In "Indian Education," when the boy is getting yelled out by his teacher, "indian, indian, indian," his response is, "Yes I am. I am an Indian!" This just shows that the the boy is not ashamed of who he is. He is proud of who he is and where he came from.
ReplyDeleteThere really isn’t a better way to obtain a better understanding for a type of writing than to see multiple examples as we did in an outside of class. Before this unit on Narrations, I had a vague sense of what a narration was, “It’s pretty much the telling of a story, right?” and it is that but what makes a narrative more than just “once upon a time there was a little girl that hated broccoli because it tastes nasty” type telling are the details, the reactions and interactions of the character(s), the point of view that it is told and the attention to speed in the writing that makes a narrative more than just a lame story some kid in the second grade writes with her spelling words as a homework assignment. Of all the narrations we read (“Fish Cheeks,” “Indian Education,” “A Crime of Compassion,” and “Champions of the world”) one thing common with the lot is that they were all told in first person, giving that sense of first-hand experience. If these stories were to be told in third person, they would most likely not have been the stories we used as examples of good, powerful narratives because the humanity of the stories would be taken out, the embarrassment of Tan’s story would be nonexistent and the reader would think, “It’s just a winey teenager… Who Cares? Good for her that she learned a lesson, you know what, so did everyone else that has ever done something.” The point of view in first person, where everything is referred to as “ I did, I felt, I thought” puts the reader in place of the scenario the writer describes, making the reader feel the pride Angelou describes feeling or the stress and weight of the final decision in Huttman’s narrative, it teaches the reader just as much of a lesson as it did the writer.
ReplyDeleteThe pacing of the narrative is very important in keeping the reader’s interest. Not every detail is to be explained because that would take forever and cause the reader to say, “Who cares?” before the story is even through. Details are important and without them the story would be very dry and boring and cause the reader to question the value of reading such a piece. The narrative needs just the right amount of details, only the details necessary to creating the final conclusion, the final impact, the feeling that causes the reader to care. A good example of using details to pace writing is in Tan’s story where she analyzes every dish in a rather unappetizing manner, repeating her feeling of embarrassment. Even though that narration is only a page long, the suspense of wanting the night to end makes it seem longer. Angelou’s story is interesting in that the writing flows very quickly yet she still holds suspense in finding out who wins the match. Huttman’s narrative is told mostly as details to describe the first paragraph where the nurse is being called a murder, giving the first impression of a not-so-wonderful person but ending with the impression of a saint because of the grueling details describing the prolonged, multi-death of a once great man. Here, the setting is not so important besides knowing that it is a hospital but the steps of death the man goes through are painful to read, the description of them seems to be so long in comparison to the rest of the story because the mind takes the time to visualize the bedsores on the living skeleton. Alexie is able to make a few pages of words seem like school year with the way the narrative is organized into paragraphs, starting out and ending with a final thought on the event described and what the character learned or realized in that year. All these narratives show how important a final redeeming statement is to prove the point and leave the reader feeling as if they have experienced something.
We read and studied a wide range of essays this week and the differences between them is a common theme of our posts. I agree that there is much difference, however, I have attempted to draw a parallel between them. Starting with some major differences:
ReplyDeleteObviously, each essay has a different author, and this apparent difference between the papers accounts for the vast majority of dissimilarities between them. Everyone has a background to draw upon and they can be entirely exotic to one another, and I think we are provided with a brief glimpse of how cultural the world can be. Tan was born into a Chinese family, slowly trying to assimilate to an American lifestyle without losing their culture; Angelou an African-American fighting for the respect of her race; Huttmann an ordinary White woman exposed to extraordinary experiences and circumstances; and Alexie a Native American surmounting the stereotypes surrounding his race and succeeding in life. All of the authors come from varied roots, thus their insight is grossly strange from another.
Similarly, in class I was amazed at the wide variety of families and home settings that we all came from. Sitting next to Matt and Cody, I obtained sympathy for anyone who has ever felt like a minority whilst the rest of my peers explained their lives within the household. My house is neither loud nor bustling like Minna’s or Jerika’s, but not nearly as peaceful as Romesa’s; the average Caucasian household in America, if you will, 3 children, a two-car garage and a picket fence. Yet, it was easy for me to see that the thoughts shared had much emotion tied to them, and I could feel that each member of that discussion loved the way he or she lived similar to the way I do, and that is a common characteristic. Ironically, I came to a similar conclusion with the narratives.
Relating to the texts, there is something in particular that I have found to be similar between the papers: the moral. Morally, I have narrowed each paper down to one theme. In Fish Cheeks, though she struggles with her identity and attempts to exchange it, Tan learns to accept her Chinese heritage. Angelou was proud from the beginning, but has to fight to protect her race. Huttmann does not necessarily experience an ethnic battle, but she is defending her actions and the position she took on life and death. And Alexie has all of the conflicts, brawling with discrimination and critics of his lifestyle with the Whites. Each of these writers has been through a commendable amount of turmoil, and though their lives are completely different from one another, a common moral can be drawn: Be proud of who you are and what you do.
Reading and discussing “Fish Cheeks”, “Champion of the World”, “Crime of Compassion”, and “Indian Education” has showed the diversity a narrative posses. In “Fish Cheeks,” Amy Tan was able skew the story so the narrator did not sound like her own culture. Instead, she saw her life as what her crush Robert would have seen her. With using this perspective, it took away the pettiness of a teenagers view and added an insightful meaning to the story. This meaning was: No matter what society thinks about you, your roots are the greatest thing you posses. In our class discussion, we spoke of how member of our aplang community have shared these experiences similar to Tan. Also it was surprising to see the diversity within our classroom. I spoke of personal stories where I have felt like an outsider and at times drifted from my culture just to “fit in.” In the Classmates post, it was interesting to see how people from different cultures spoke of their thoughts and how they was a different variation. In “Champion of the World,” Mary Angelou uses the fighting of Joe Louis so engage the audience. By using this method, she was able to expose the hardships of being an African American. What I found most interesting about both “Fish Cheeks” and “Champion of the World” was that both of the female characters felt the need to prove them against some racial idea. In “Champion of the World,” the fighter is not only representing himself but the entire African American race of that time. During a time where a man would be lynched for showing his pride, by winning this boxing match; he won it for the suppressed African race of America. In both our class discussion and the post by jerika, she spoke of how she had the feeling of being uncomfortable around a larger population of whites. What I found most wonderful as that she has always been true to herself and not let present-day discrimination change the type of person she is. Although I could not finish reading “Crime of Compassion,” this was because of how powerful the details in this essay were. When Huttmann describes the man sitting on the bed and it’s physical changes, it is something that appeals to all 5 senses. The ability to connect and trigger each sense in this peace is outstanding. In our class discussion, we talked about morality and how it is better to let some people die. Even though we feel it is a crime to end like the nurse did, we need to be able to understand it from the perspective of the patient. If you are going through treatments and are unable to sustain life, there is no point in keeping that person alive just to put them in pain. This can also be related to doctors and the hardship they face when they are battling between their morals and society. What I found interesting in a a post was the mention of God’s Will. I believe that at times, we as humans find natural things to be God’s will even though God would not ask for a person to get purposely drunk and get into an accident. “Indian Education” made me realize that at times, we do not need ot be put through difficult situations. It was amazing to see that a minister was judging the Indian kids but she herself was supposed to be a “worker of God.” Is in interesting ot see the hypocritical times in society.
ReplyDeleteEach author of the four narratives we studied this past week present aspects of storytelling that draw us in as readers and enhance the experience altogether. Tan's "Fish Cheeks" use a fluent progression of her story by using simple diction and selecting only the most important events and details to expand on. Her emphasis on the food, which defined her culture and lifestyle, was a key point in order to pull the reader into her life and feel intimacy for Tan, as a character. It is critical that the audience gets to know the characters in the narrative and become attached to them. In “Indian Education” we are inundated with the intimate details of an Indian boy throughout many years of his life. We begin to get to know the protagonist and yearn to learn more and more as he reveals blunt information about his life and his peer’s lives. The thoughts and details that Huttmann focuses on in “Crime of Compassion” submerges her readers into the life of Mac and her thoughts about his battle with cancer. We hear her intimate thoughts about the situation and we feel the pain that Mac is going through, because of the important decision that Huttmann made when she decided what details to expand on. Angelou uses details in her fast-paced storytelling to quickly snag us into the story and urges us to seek more of her rich storytelling. Each of these writers form a powerful essay that peaks our interest because of the fascinating details that they choose from.
ReplyDeleteThrough reading these four pieces "Champion of the World", "Fish Cheeks", "A Crime of Compassion", and "Indian Education", and through the class discussions i learned how diverse our country is. Even during the classroom talks I felt there was a diversity, but we were still able to express the same feelings towards the pieces even though we had different cultures. My favorite pieve is "Indian Education", I felt as though her style was very powerful in her narration and it really spoke to me. I liked how she broke up the story into time periods and how each one had a moral at the end. I really felt a connection with her story because Alexie's story was the most emotionally appealing to me. I felt that the importance of keeping the main characters hair was very important because his hair symbolized his heritage and he only connection with her culture since he moved schools.
ReplyDeleteIn "crime of Compassion" just the word murderer alone set the tonee for the entire piece. It was a great hook which left me wanting to read more. I think hooking your audience is a very effective way to make your narration more enteresting. I also feel first person narration is the most powerful because its personal and appeals to the emotions more. By using first person you can connection to the audience which makes them want to continue reading the story. Tan focuses more on emotions which makes her writing appealing.
Angelou's style of writing was also very powerful. Her use of excitment and supense enguages the audience. I likes how she uses the fight as a metaphor of the African Americans struggle to freedom. All of these pieces really help me understand what is vital to write a successful narration. Appeals to emotion is very important because you want to connect to your audience and a hook to enguage your quidence is very important as well because you want to keep your audience wanting to read more. I liked how each author focused on a certain style and how each was successful in enguaging thier audience by using these ifferent styles
In our class discussion and the post, there was mention of how these Indian people were put into reservations and now they feel as if they do not have any other choice but to be there so they do not lose their culture.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the four narratives “Champion of the World”, “Fish Cheeks”, “Crime of Compassion”, and “Indian Education” I was astonished of how each narrative was able intensely hook me into their story. I was on the edge of my seat awaiting the outcome of Joe's fight. . I was feeling embarrassed reading Tam's situation because I can deeply relate. I was heartbroken of the prejudice Alexie was forced to suffer his entire life. I was disgusted of the conflicting morals of human beings and how Hutmann must live through guilt everyday pressing the "code button". These feelings were the result of reading truly great narratives. There are many details I noticed in writing great narratives. I noticed in "Champion of the World" Maya unveiled the fear she must live with and how the fight was not any normal fight. It was the fight to weaken the chains of oppression that every African American was wearing. She deeply appeals to emotion which hooked me in. In "Crime of Compassion" the imagery hooked me in. I remember in the class discussion that they said 5 of the senses was used in one paragraph. I admit that imagery really hooked me into this narrative. A true narrative show the how the authors learned from their experiences. In writing my narrative I know that it can't simply be something about a lost pet or meaningless troubles. It must be an an experience where when others read they can use that as a role model when they cross the same path.
ReplyDeleteIn each of the four narratives we read, "Fish Cheeks", "Champion of the World", "Indian Education", and "Crime of Compassion" the writers used certain skills that I liked and hope to use in my writing to improve on it. Each of the authors had a distinct and clear purpose in writing their narrative and that is something I think that we all need to implement in our writing. When someone is reading our narrative, they should be able to easily identify the author's purpose or motive in writing the story. My two favorite pieces were "Indian Education" and "Champion of the World". Maya Angelou has a good writing style, in that her story has a good and natural flow to it and she creates anticipation and eagerness in the reader. When I was reading "Champion of the World" Angelou made me feel as if I was in the cramped up store, listening to the radio, eager and longing for the outcome of the fight. She also varies the pace of her story well and this adds "flavor" to her story, as opposed to a bland and monotone. I gathered the most about the narrative mode from "Indian Education". Alexie did a great job in ending each section with a succinct but powerful sentence. This allowed the reader to reflect and appreciate what Alexie presents in each section. In doing so Alexie is very efficient in engaging the reader just as Angelou did but in two very different ways. Overall these were the most important things I gained from the narrative mode; engaging the reader, and a powerful conclusion. Each of the four writers we covered all had great features in their stories that made them effective narrators. From these we can all garner effective writing techniques that will make us all better narrators.
ReplyDelete-Roy Njeru
Overall I feel that I have really come to understand the essence of narrative writing. Through reading the passages of "Champion of the World" and Fish Cheeks" I saw the details that were provided to make the main idea more relateable and powerful. Angelou conveyed her message powerfully through the use of sensory details as did Tan. However, their methods of connecting the reader were different. They served as a great segue into the styles of narrative writing. "A Crime of Compassion" was also relateable for me, and used great detail to depict Mac dying. Overall I believe that in order to get the point across effectively, you must have details/imagery, an engaging tone, and a powerful ending to tie the idea together.
ReplyDeleteNada
Champion of the World and Fish Cheeks, Crime of Compassion, and Indian Education are each unique pieces that do a great job of connecting to their readers both by absorbing them and describing situations that relate to us. I found that in each piece a central message is being presented and reinforced to us. I enjoyed Indian Education the most in part because the form of which it is presented. By dividing the piece into grades of which the student progressed through in school the reader could see the true raw situation in which this person was put in. In the end he became the Valedictorian of the new school he attended. It was an engaging and Raw piece that connected to me with it vivid description.
ReplyDelete(Ali Marmal)