the Death of the Moth by Woolf

                                                             The Death of the Moth

       

1.                  The “Death of the Moth”, makes comparisons about the life and struggles of a delicate insignificant moth to the similar struggles faced by the human life. She utilizes rhetorical devices such as tone, fragmentation within the narration, and metaphors to convey this message and invoke the feeling to pity in her reader. Woolf’s choice to use a narration style for this effective as it makes it more personal. The appeal to pathos is strong and maintained throughout the piece as the reader can almost sit in the speaker’s place and visualize the moth’s activities for themselves, which work in correspondence with the in creating a feeling of pity. As the tone shifts throughout the piece, Woolf’s metaphors and stylic choices strengthen and drive home the idea that death is the one fight that cannot be won.

2.                  She depicts her indifference through such intense phrases as “I laid the pencil down”, “The horses stood still”, and “The struggle was over”. These latter examples link in with the narration’s effect of the world’s indifference and simple acceptance of the individual’s personal battles. “We are all helpless against a power of such magnitude”. This implies that death is inevitable.

Last Rites for Indian Dead By Suzan Shown Harjo

Last Rites for Indian Dead by Suzan Shown Harjo

1.      Harjo’s position in her discussion is that she illustrates the injustice in the United States regarding the burial rights to remains of ancestral American Indians based on their historic value. She also emphasizes her position on the issue that there exist too many laws that define American Indian remains as archaeological property of the United States, while too few exist in disapproval to “such insults”. Harjo is more precisely protecting the remains for proper burial. She states her viewpoint in the second sentence of paragraph two. Rhetoric questions were utilized in her essay and facts and opinion were also balanced wisely.

2.      She created her argument by clarifying the details of American Indian decapitations that took place in the name of research, and based on undecided specified intentions regarding the government’s role in it. She also included excerpts from an officer’s journal accounts about the nature of the observations recorded, such as weight and measurement of Indian skulls. In addition, she used various methods of rhetoric and persuasion to solidify her side of the argument. She stances various situations in which all readers can find themselves imagining. Lastly, she employs a strong call to action in the last part of her essay to gain the approval of her audience of readers.

                        

"On Keeping a Notebook"

                           

1.                  The story “on Keeping a Notebook”, to me, has a persuasive style of writing. Persuasive in the sense that it encourages its reader to consider writing that his or her thoughts, as the writer thoroughly described how she became a writer by just simply writing down his thoughts which began with his first notebook (five tablet), given to her by her mother.  He said “I have no idea what turn a five-year Old’s mind could have prompted so insistently “ironic” and exotic a story, but it does reveal a certain predilection for the extreme which has dogged me into adult life”. This particular passage, impressed me the most because she utilized a gift that was given to her, and turned it into an opportunity to express her thoughts and feelings.

2.                 The section of the passage that contributed the best emotional connection for me is the paragraph where the writer talked about her purpose of keeping a notebook. She stated that she had never had the thoughts of keeping a notebook, but eventually, it became a part of her that she is yet to understand how it came about. I feel connected to this passage because I am a firm believer that some of the strength we have are the ones we never thought we had, and they yield us the most benefits of life.

3.                 The unanswered questions asked by Didion strengthened her work as it made it more intriguing for her readers. I feel with those questions, it made her work unique and unconventional.

Only Daughter

       

1.  At the beginning of the story, Cisneros described her father as a sexist as he always placed her brothers before her. He viewed her commitment to education as unnecessary, and was only for her to go and find a husband. He didn’t care about what she majored in, and he was concerned about was for her to find a husband in college. Cisneros obviously was not happy with her father’s perception of her. Fortunately, this changed at the later part of the story. Her father became more supportive of her dreams after one of her stories was published in Mexico. After reading her story, he requested to have more copies of the story for the extended family. Cisneros was thrilled by this decision as she delightfully expressed “Of all the wonderful things that happened to me last year, that was the most wonderful”.

2.      “Of all the wonderful things that happened to me last year, that was the most wonderful”. Cisneros concluded by making this heartfelt, and exciting declaration, to prove that she is pleased with how her father has come to appreciate her as not only her daughter, but also as a professional educator. This has always been her desire, and to attain that, proves that Cisneros is happy with her father.

3.      Cisneros expressed that everything she had ever written, was for her father. It seemed that she had always sought for his approval. Her father represents the public majority, who are uninterested in reading, and yet one who she was also writing about and for, and privately trying to woo. Her efforts had always been to prove a point to her father, the value of a daughter. 

                                      

The Chinatown Idea

                                            

1.                  Liu’s narration was very profound and easy to comprehend. He carefully narrated his experience as he visited Chinatown. He was very honest with his story. He spoke about the negatives, and the positive things that he encountered. What seemed very significant was how he detailed every action taken by him during his visit. His statement “I strained to make sense of the chopped-off twangs of Cantonese coming from every direction, but there were more tones than I Knew: my ear was inadequate; nothing was intelligible” further affirms his actual emotions when it comes to his experience. After reading his narration, I felt connected to his story.

2.                  Liu’s use of intense sensory impressions was an effective strategy that he used with the intent to connect with his readers on a more personal level. These impressions made it easier for his readers to understand his emotions on each aspect of the story.

3.                  Liu’s choice of word Incongruous i.e. absurd, explains how strange things became as he entered into the side streets of Chinatown.  When he used the word Emporium i.e. business establishment, he explained in details of all the different vendors that the town had. When he used the word fortified which means strengthened, he basically expressed how he felt after his visit to Chinatown.  These words all tied together to further give meaning to Liu’s experience as he visited Chinatown. 

 

                                                                                

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Once More to the Lake E.B. White

1.      White’s story was a strong narrative essay because he relayed the story of some of his life experiences that had so much effect on him while growing up as a child as well as an adult. For instance, his quote “We returned summer after summer……. I have since become a salt-water man”, corroborates that the events were so wonderful that they looked forward to it year after year. Another interesting thing about his story is how it is told in a first-person tone, which makes it appear sincere and personal.  Not only does this make his story appear genuine, it also makes it easier for readers to connect with it. The story is told in a memorable and reflective ways. White compared the present state of the Lake to the past and found out that not much had changed over the years – only the sound of outboard motors which was not the case when he used to visit with his father. When he could not resist the urge, he took his son to the same lake just as his father used to do.

2.      The element of the narration mode that work the most effectively in this story is the signal that White used to tell his personal experience and memory of his childhood. The elements of first-person narrative were effectively used by White in Once More to the Lake. He is the narrator as well as the main character in the story. He passed to the readers the feelings and thought he had as a result of his visits to the lake. He is the one whose action, judgement and opinion were expressed in the story. What the readers know about the Lake in Maine depends only on White’s point of view and experiences at the Lake.

3.      “I took along my son…. On the journey over to the lake I began to wonder… I wondered how time would have… I was sure that the tarred…. I guess I remembered…” In the second paragraph as well as other paragraphs, he repeated use of “I” strongly shows that the essay is a first-person narrative. “One afternoon while we were there at the lake a thunderstorm came up. It was like the revival of an old melodrama that I had seen long ago with childish awe”. Though other campers were there, only how White felt about the thunderstorm was described. The opinions of others were not sought.  Readers are only able to understand the context of the essay based on the extent it was describe it.

The Art of Eating Spaghetti

1.                  Baker’s choice of audience was mainly his high school teacher, Mr. Fleagle. His teacher was a significant influence in his life, especially in motivating him to pursue his dream of becoming a writer. At the beginning of the essay, Baker expressed his desire to write, but was discouraged by Mr. Fleagle style of teaching. Nevertheless, this discouragement became something positive as Mr. Fleagle later influenced him to write an excellent essay. His teacher was impressed with his performance on the essay, and Baker was ultimately pleased with his teacher.

2.                  “The notion of becoming a writer had flickered off and on in my head since the Belleville days, but it wasn’t until third year in high school that the possibility took hold”. This statement is the highlight and summary of the essay. It explains the foundation of his vision to become a writer, and also when that vision became manifest in his life.

3.                  Baker started the essay by introducing himself with a brief synopsis of his desire to write. He humbly shared his challenges, which explains that though he had the desire to become a writer, it was not an easy journey to proclaim that. It took him being enrolled in Mr. Fleagle’s class, before he could get the opportunity to actually experience a glimpse of his dream and aspiration. Based on these facts, I firmly infer that Baker’s overall purpose in this essay is to use his autobiography as a way to inform, and encourage his readers. His transparency and willingness to share his challenges prove that one does not become somebody in a day. Essentially, it takes determination, perseverance, and hard work for one to achieve his or her dreams and aspirations.

4.                  Baker’s tone aligns and affirms his purpose. He was more informal in his tone. His statement “the idea of prim Mr. Fleagle plucking his nipple from boneless gums was too much for the class” is rather informal than formal. It seemed more for an entertainment, than for educational or other formal purposes.