Skunk Dreams by Louise Erdrich was wonderfully written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The essay started with a detailed story from the author's childhood about a bold skunk who decided to sleep next to her. I really enjoyed that Erdrich kept returning to that story throughout the essay and relating it to what she was talking about.
A common theme in the essay is dreams and the impact they can have on one's life. I liked the amount of detail that Erdrich used and how she described her life via the dreams she had.
I thought it quite interesting how Erdrich had a dream about a place she would visit in her future. It makes the reader reflect on their own dreams and if they've ever been that significant. This is definitely an essay that makes you think and reflect and I particularly liked the quote, "I had dreamed of this place in St. Thomas, or it had dreamed me." I thought it was a really interesting quote due to the fact that dreams can be really fascinating and that we don't know much about them and the reasons we have them.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
"Talk of the Town" Reflection
I enjoyed reading both of the 'Talk of the Town" essays mainly because they were so different from each other in both writing styles and opinions. I thought both authors, Updike and Sontag, had some really good things to say, and supported their arguements by using detailed and thorough explainations.
Updike's essay really struck me because he actually witnessed the events of September 11th from a Brooklyn apartment. His article definitely had many emotional aspects to it, which made it very appealing to read. He was also an excellent storyteller and I loved the quote, "It seemed at that first glance, more curious than horrendous: smoke speckled with bits of paper curled into the cloudless sky, and strange inky rivulets ran down the giant structure's vertically corrugated surface." This quote brings such a vivid image to my mind, and it made me feel as if I was witnessing it as well. His essay had a very hopeful tone and he seemed fairly optimistic about both New York and overall America's future. Even after witnessing the awful events of 9/11, he still believed in the glory of New York, which was quite inspiring.
Sontag's essay took on a much more pessimistic tone, but was nevertheless interesting to read. Although I thought Susan could be a little extreme in some of her opinions, I could definitely see where she was from on several of them. I could understand her frustration regarding politicians and other figureheads telling the public that everything was going to be O.K. Clearly everything was not O.K. and even today, a decade later, that remains to be untrue. To an extent, I can also concur with Sontag that the government was focused more on consoling the public than acting as a democracy.
Updike's essay really struck me because he actually witnessed the events of September 11th from a Brooklyn apartment. His article definitely had many emotional aspects to it, which made it very appealing to read. He was also an excellent storyteller and I loved the quote, "It seemed at that first glance, more curious than horrendous: smoke speckled with bits of paper curled into the cloudless sky, and strange inky rivulets ran down the giant structure's vertically corrugated surface." This quote brings such a vivid image to my mind, and it made me feel as if I was witnessing it as well. His essay had a very hopeful tone and he seemed fairly optimistic about both New York and overall America's future. Even after witnessing the awful events of 9/11, he still believed in the glory of New York, which was quite inspiring.
Sontag's essay took on a much more pessimistic tone, but was nevertheless interesting to read. Although I thought Susan could be a little extreme in some of her opinions, I could definitely see where she was from on several of them. I could understand her frustration regarding politicians and other figureheads telling the public that everything was going to be O.K. Clearly everything was not O.K. and even today, a decade later, that remains to be untrue. To an extent, I can also concur with Sontag that the government was focused more on consoling the public than acting as a democracy.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
A little bit about me.
I'm Rachael and I'll be a senior next year. I'm looking forward to AP Composition because I would really like to improve both my writing and reading skills. I'm an avid reader so I would definitely like to improve in that area. I especially love to read the Harry Potter series, but I have favorites from every genre.
Watching movies is one of my favorite activities and Howl's Moving Castle is probably my all time favorite. However, I'm a huge fan of every movie Hayao Miyazaki has directed and I think everything he does is brilliant and immensely creative. Some of my other favorite movies include Charlie Bartlett, Into the Wild, and every movie/show Matthew Gray Gubler has been a part of.
I listen to a lot of music and try to sample every genre. I'm a huge fan of the Beatles, David Bowie, Say Anything, Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, and loads more. I enjoy going to concerts and try to get to as many as I can.
I'm also a huge animal lover and have been a vegetarian for roughly a year. I've always had pets growing up and I currently have one dog named Phoebe.
Watching movies is one of my favorite activities and Howl's Moving Castle is probably my all time favorite. However, I'm a huge fan of every movie Hayao Miyazaki has directed and I think everything he does is brilliant and immensely creative. Some of my other favorite movies include Charlie Bartlett, Into the Wild, and every movie/show Matthew Gray Gubler has been a part of.
I listen to a lot of music and try to sample every genre. I'm a huge fan of the Beatles, David Bowie, Say Anything, Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, and loads more. I enjoy going to concerts and try to get to as many as I can.
I'm also a huge animal lover and have been a vegetarian for roughly a year. I've always had pets growing up and I currently have one dog named Phoebe.
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