Blog 5 What is the main concept/ideas; what is the point?!

My choices for the readings were Terry Tempest WIlliams, "the Clan of the ONe Breasted Women, (I chose this because I am a breast cancer survivor-whatever that may mean at a given time), and Dorothy Allison, "Two  or Three things I know for sure"!  In both cases there was a short basic narrative, and then all the things we block out finallly erupt in our mind.  There were reasons for the dreams and scary feelings we get, but we can't give in to them.  We want to get angry, but not angry enough to actually do something about what happened to us because doing that might make us feel worse.  Then everyone would know our tragedy.  So we sit still for as long as we can and hope it will go away until the day we realize that it is not.  We finally decide to bring it to the surface, but we do this at different levels, and sometiimes accomplish a minor victory.  Then we look at where we are in life and make a decision to either go on thw way we have beacuse it is not so bad anymore, even with the lurking tragedy hanging around.  The big deal is being able to let it go and wonder only about the good things that are left.  This one's tough!

The structure of theses essays build their drama from the center of their thought to right before the anti-climatic end where they realize they CAN go on and in some way, they have made their peace.

Blog 5

Blog 4 Relationships between Meaning and Form

OUr discussion of September 22 regarding the senses and associations is something I enjoy doing with my own 8th grade students a few times a year.  I usually always relate it to early memories, but today I realized that it is more than that.  When we talked about certain smells like ones that occur anually in the change of season, I felt a little queasy inside because of my anxiety about school.  The associations attached are both negative and positive.  The smells and sensations about them do not just relate to "things" but also to nature, and evoking of time and space.  Something I didn't share in class was the fact that very shortly after my father passed away, I was certain he had moved in with me for a while.  It was nothing I saw or heard, but it was definitely his scent like in a breeze passing by me now and then, only when I was at home.  I never thought about whether I believed in such things or not, but when it happened, it made me feel safe instead of scared.  We were so close we could finish each other's sentences, yet when he was dying of cancer, I couldn't bare to stay in the room with him for very long.  I just wasn't dealing, and I know he was really disappointed by that.  Then why would he come hang out  with me later?!  I don't  know if it was something I imagined because I felt guilty that I had sort of bailed on him, but it lasted for about 10 weeks and then it was gone.  Buut while he was there, it was great.  I like to think that he was there checking to make sure I was okay!

Lowry, Vowell and Bellow Essays (Blog 2)

Some of the ideas that the Lowry, Vowell and Bellow essays add to my original ideas about creative nonfiction were a bit of a surprise.  Nonfiction, in and of itself, indicates reality and truth, but the truth in nonfiction is obviously weighted and determined by the writer, at least to some degree.  Included in the kaleidoscope of details are the trustworthiness of the author, as well as thoughts developed by perception, conscience, values, beliefs, and sometimes political preferences.  In Secret Ceremonies of Love and Death, Lowry speaks about non deliberate occurences brought on by happen stance, or in his words "whatever way the breeze is blowing" at a particular time.  Vowell speaks cynically, in a sort of opposite action-reaction.  He staes that when Lincoln made particular speeches or comments his real thoughts were probably quite different than what he said, because he hed to meld his real feelings in with what the political result of his comments would be.  Therefore, his raw reaction was smoothed over to meet his goal s of continued success.  I especially liked what Bellow had to say, since this is certainly one of my personal pet peeves.  I even have some of my students do their research paper on the effects of bias in the media, as both photographers and reporters go.

The "I" and the "Eye" are both parts of each of thee essays and probably could not be effectively separated without losing the points of the writing.