Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Blog 10

I’m still not convinced about the whole nature-writing concept. Hopefully what I’m writing makes sense and gets the point across. I gave a little non-descriptive info in the beginning to help you guys understand it better then I will add my descriptions. Thanks….
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Everyday with my brother was a new adventure. We’d wake up at 7:00 in the morning on the weekends. We would be so angry that we had to wait for my mother to get up in order to start our day. My mother usually got up around 8:00 and even though we’d only be waiting an hour it seemed like it was Christmas morning and we couldn’t wait to open our gifts, but everyday and we just couldn’t wait to go outside.

Behind our house there was a clearing in the thick brush. We used to leave salt licks and apples out for the deer to feast. As we walked through the trees our feet crinkled the leaves and sticks beneath our feet. My brother always led the way through the woods and I would follow. My brother Louis was always protective of me back then. He would help me past whatever we needed to get to his favorite spots. We trampled down a rocky steep hill until we finally reached the creek. The creek was small and barely had any water in it but it was exciting to us. We would observe everything we could even down to the earthworms we would dig up and release.

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My mom finally let us explore further. My brother and I rode our bikes to a nearby street with a dead end. My brother got off his bike and explained he’s been here before. My brother was never one to follow rules. At the dead end there was a narrow path between the maple trees. My brother heads off the path and I follow him. The brush is thick and there is an old abandoned car ahead. It is red and covered in multicolored leaves and spider webs. My brother wants to go closer, but I encourage him to keep walking. After he throws a couple of rocks that crash into the car he is ready to keep walking.

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We head down a hill that is even steeper then the one in our backyard. My brother tells me to hold on to the saplings as I walk slowly down the hill. Once we reach the bottom there is a huge stream. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My brother gave out a laugh and ran into the water. I quickly followed him and started picking up the smooth rocks. The water was constantly moving so the rocks were almost as smooth as sea glass. My brother picked up a weird looking that that almost looked like a lobster. He told me it was a crayfish and he threw it into our bucket. It was a light transparent orange and it kept wiggling around. My brother threw another one into the bucket and kept heading down the stream stepping on rocks.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Blog 9 Nature Writing

Racoon



Two beety little eyes peer out into the darkness. Nothing else is seen except for these eyes. The animal movies closer until it is under the porch light. It’s a raccoon. At first, I jump back. Then I realize that this little guy doesn’t want to hurt me. It’d be another thing if it was during the day and it could be rabbit, but even then the raccoon could just be gathering food. I stand still as I continue to observe the creature. It’s actually pretty cute once you get by the rabies, trash stealing, and annoyance factor.

Their pointy little ears stick straight up like they are always aware. The head is shaped like a horizontal oval covered in fur. Although his eyes are small there is black tint to his hair that borders them in large circles. His nose is small and resembles a little black marble stuck onto his face. His body is plump and he has a long elaborate stripped tail.




Honeysuckle



As I begin to walk trough the leafy trees I notice a honeysuckle. I begin to think of my childhood. I can remember picking honeysuckles and sucking on their nectar with my friends. When I think about it now it sounds kind of gross, but back then our innocence led us to suck honeysuckles. Their bright yellow coloring pops in the sea of green leaves. The honeysuckle has white and yellow petals that spread out in unpredictable ways. Even though the honeysuckles may help asthma, they are most known for children getting a quick sweet taste.




Fawn



Big goofy ears peek through the bushes. A small head and wide eyes reveal what the animal is. It's a baby deer or fawn. The fawn is covered in white spots and will loose them when it matures. Their legs are skinny and their body looks frail. The fawn may look meek but, in the first twenty minutes of being born a fawn will achieve their first steps. The fawn stays hidden in the grass for a week until it is strong enough to keep up with the mother. After gaining stregnth the fawn will stay with their mother for a year and then go off to experiance their own life. Before that accures the fawn stays alert and skittish.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Blog 8 Nature Writing Ideas

Nature writing is definitely not my strong point, but I have a few ideas.







1- I walked outside of my apartment and I sat on my front steps. When I was looking out into the grass I noticed a lonely Dandelion. Even though this actually happened a long time ago I can remember this Dandelion in detail.



*The common green of the outdoors surrounds a bright yellow burst. This dandelion is all alone in a sea of grass. When the dandelion matures it will turn into a clock. This white cotton like material will be carried by the wind and distribute seeds throughout the blanket of grass. The lonely Dandelion waits for a gust of wind to distribute its seeds in a hope to gain some company.





2- Another idea came when my friend and I got locked outside of the apartment. We were startled by a raccoon and ran away screaming. I guess raccoons always kind of fascinated me…



*In the darkness only their eyes can be seen. The raccoon preys on uncovered garbage and leftover meals from other animals. Raccoons keep to themselves, unless they are cornered. If this happened the raccoon leaps into an attack. This animal sneaks out at night but will become aggressive if it is pressured to.





I know I don’t really have a lot right now but it is really hard so me to get into nature writing. I would love it if you guys could help me out with that! Thanks!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Blog 7 LOOKING FOR "TRUTH"

I believe that both my memoir and my personal essay relfect the story as it should be told in a short form essay. The details I selected in both are true to the focus. If I couldn't remember any of the facts I did not include them. The facts were menial so it did not harm the story. I really feel that since the two events that I talked about effected me so much as the person that I am today it was hard to lie about them. I haven't made any changed in setting or time. My sequence remained the same the only thing was that since the essays were segmented it jumped in time but i do not believe that is changing details. I did not use dialog only qoutes that I distinctly remember. I wrote from experiance in both of my essays. I don't believe I play a type in eather one of my essays. I think that I wrote from my heart and that's what makes the best writing. I don't think that I left out any relevent details. I think that I included everything that I can remember about the events. I'm not on the defense either I'm the type of person that whatever I do I am not ashamed of. I wouldn't hide what I did I live my life with no regrets. I think that my writing does show that I am more experianced and thoughtful now. I think that's what helps it have more of an impact because I can reflect on my feelings. When selecting my details I used all the ones that I could remember. I did pick out certain events that helped support my focus. I think that my tone in both of my stories is serious and gets the point across that I want to. The tone is very important because it makes the reader feel what you are feeling. I think that I was true to the charectors of the people I interacted with in my essays. I don't think that I made them fit into any roles. I feel like what I have written is the truth to the best of what I can remember. I haven't left out anything that I would need to add to my essay to make it more truthful.

Blog 6.5 Creative Non-fiction

I think that what Frey did is uncalled for. I can't say that I've read any of his books, but reading the article made me angry. I know that I wouldn't want to be misrepresented in the way that he did that to the people in his book. I also think that it is crazy that he tried to at first sell it as a fiction novel and then got away with saying it was nonfiction. The sad part is that Frey is making so much money off of his books but no one knows what is actually true. I think that saying you spent three months instead of the reality of only a few hours should not be allowed in nonfiction. Hours in jail is completely differant from months. I don't think that the charectors in the book reacted to the falsehoods like I would. Honestly I don't think they reacted strongly enough. If it was me I would probably try to write a book exposing Frey and make millions off of him.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Blog 6- Memoir

I don't know about this idea. Let me know what you guys think. It was the only thing that I could think to write about. Let me know if it is too confusing and if my intention is clear. I also changed a couple of names so I don't upset anyone. Thanks!!!

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I started to breathe faster and faster while, tears poured down my face. How could he do this to me? I had just hung up the phone with my boyfriend, Danny. He just got back from vacationing in the Dominican Republic and this was his first phone call to let me know he was home okay. When I picked up the phone I was nervous and I don’t know why. I was with him for two years and for some reason I was nervous to talk to him. We had the most awkward conversation that I ever experienced. I decided to tell him about a dream that I had the night before we talked. I told him that I had a dream that he kissed another girl. He told me that the dream was true. He didn’t even stutter he told me just kind of like, “Oh by the way that really did happen”. He seemed like he thought everything was just going to be okay. Danny then explained that it was the girl that his family went on vacation with who is a family friend. Of course before the trip Danny assured me that he had no feelings for her and that she was just a family friend. Danny explained to me that he never loved me. He fell in love with her in a week! Just a week! I screamed so loud into the phone. My neighbors even came over to check on me.
I glared outside into the woods with the phone held up to my ear. Danny isn’t crying, scared, nervous, or angry. All of those emotions are pouring out of me right now. Danny is calm and he has the nerve to say that he wants to be my friend. He wants to go to clubs with me to pick up guys. I must have hung up on Danny about twenty times that night but he kept calling back. That night I found out that he cheated on me with four girls. That night my world came crashing down. I kept breathing faster and faster while, tears poured down my face. How could he do this to me? How did we get to this point?








Everyday in English class I’d stare at him. It wasn’t too obvious because I sat behind him but I’m sure that every once in a while he’d catch me looking. We were friends but not as close as I wanted us to be. I’d lean my head on my hand and just day dream about what it would be like if I was his girlfriend. His body was long and lean with large biceps. He was a boxer and his body reflected that. His skin was milky white and his hair was jet black and curly. His hair shined from the gel he slopped in it every morning. His eyes were soft brown and his lips were full. His style, taste in music, and sense of humor all matched mine.
We became closer and closer as friends. I would drive him to school and drop him off at home after our usual Dunkin’ Doughnuts trip everyday. My feelings grew stronger and stronger and I finally got up enough courage to tell him that I had feelings for him. When I told him he said he didn’t want to ruin our friendship and we should remain friends. This was our junior year of high school. He was absent from school most of the second half of his junior year. I was really worried about him because he wasn’t picking up his phone. Until he finally came back to school acting like everything was okay.







I sat at my kitchen table after work. Every time that I was going through something tough I actually liked going to work. Work keeps my mind off of everything so I never really call out. I placed my head on the table as the tears kept coming. My mom came over because she was worried. She actually drove up all the way from down the shore just to make sure I was okay. I was supposed to go to my best friend Anna’s house later that night. The phone rang; it was Danny’s brother. I looked at my mom, took a deep breath and swallowed. Danny’s brother told me that Danny was in the hospital. I didn’t make it to my friend’s house that night. When I called her she knew that I wasn’t going to be able to drive over to her house so she came over my apartment. I don’t think Anna really knew how much I was going to need her that night until she got there.






When Danny finally came back to school we didn’t really talk. Then out of the blue over the summer Danny said that he wanted to go get coffee with me. I rushed over to pick him up. Danny didn’t look the same. He put on weight and his eyes were dazed. Over coffee Danny explained to me what happened to him. Danny has bipolar disorder and was committed to a hospital to get help. I told him that I was worried about him but I’d always be his friend.
We saw each other a good amount that summer. Senior year rolled around and we were inseparable. We were always together and always joking around. Danny kept throwing me hints that he liked me and I was getting more and more attached. This was driving me crazy. When I was driving him to blockbuster one day I got really annoyed. He did his usually sneaky flirty comment and smiles and then changed the subject. I quickly pulled the car over and looked at him. I demanded that Danny tell me what was going on with us. That’s when he said it, “I , I think that we should be more than friends”. I hit the steering wheel with my palms and said “no!” His eyes were fixed on the floor and he said that now he knew how I felt last year and that no one ever rejected him before.
Our eyes met, and he smiled. I never could resist that smile. He leaned over the center console and we kissed. I couldn’t believe we actually kissed. I drove him home and I couldn’t wait to go home and tell all of my friends what happened! When I walked in the door I quickly called Anna.







The doorbell rang, and I quickly got the door. It was Anna; she never really saw me cry until that night even though we’ve been friends since we were about five. My mom, Anna and I all sat at my kitchen table. We talked for about an hour and then the doorbell rang again. I told my mom that I didn’t feel like seeing anyone and if she could tell him or her to go away I’d appreciate it. Anna and I went in my bedroom so that whoever was at the door wouldn’t know I was home. My mom came to my bedroom door and her face was pale. I looked at her confused. As she pulled the door open a little bit more there he was. Danny was standing at my door out of breath. He looked at me and said hello then fell to the middle of my bedroom floor. He still had the IV in his arm and he had no shirt on. I live pretty close to the hospital but it’s pretty out of the ordinary to run from the hospital either way.
As he was lying on my floor the doorbell rang again. My mother went to get it and it was the police and Danny’s parents. They all came into my bedroom and I was hutched over Danny’s body on my floor. He had his eyes closed and the police ordered him to leave. Danny screamed at them and told them to shot him because he wasn’t going back to the hospital. Danny’s mom asked him what would make him go back to the hospital. He didn’t answer. I took a deep breath gave him a hug and whispered in his ear, “please go back Danny”. He looked at me and said, “Only if you come with me you’re the only one that I trust.” I looked over at Danny’s mom and she nodded with approval.
As we walked out of my apartment Danny swayed from the drugs. He refused to get into a car so he walked with me. I remember demanding that he admit that he loved me. He would not or could not tell me. I still don’t know which one it is. We arrived in the hospital room and he was passing and walking down all the hallways. He wouldn’t stay in the room. The doctor finally arrived and Danny lied in the hospital bed. Danny had to sign papers to be admitted and he asked me if I thought that he should. I told him that he should get the help that he needs. He signed the papers and passed out in the hospital bed holding my hand and listening to music.






I remember the next day at school everyone was talking about how Danny and me are dating. I went to his house after school and he said that we needed to talk. He told me that we weren’t official. He didn’t understand why I was telling people that we were. This was when I knew that I had to break it off with him. We sat on his front steps with about a foot of space between us. I told him that if he couldn’t only be with me then I didn’t want to be with him at all. I did not want to let myself get hurt. Danny turned to me and said, “ Gina, do you know how many girls want me right now?” I looked at him and said some comment with attitude and stormed off. I left his house crying. My phone started to ring. Danny told me no matter how many girls he is talking to right now, I’m more important. I gave in.





Derek pulled his headphones off of one ear and asked me where Kristen was. I walked away from the bed at stared at the wall. That’s her name, Kristen. That’s who he loves and I’m standing here in the hospital holding his hand. I tried to hold in the tears but it showed. Danny’s mother asked me what was wrong. I told her what had happened and I looked at her square in the eye. I told her that I loved her son. I never got along with Danny’s mom until that night. Danny and I never got back together. I visited him in the hospital every time I was aloud to and I sent him things everyday. When he was released we were friends but that became to hard and we had to let go.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Analysis of Personal Essay- Blog 5

I think that my personal essay turned out honest. I was hard to tap into those feeling but I think that I accomplished what I was going for. I think that my essay helps people to understand what I've gone through and maybe what other people in their lives have gone through. My focus was that you will get over things when you least expect it and when you get over it you aren't truly over it. I hope this makes sense. When you loose someone you can deal with the emotion but the pain may still linger. I will always wish that my father was still around.
I really don't know what I'm not happy with. I probably will know when more poeple read it and give me feedback. I hope that every sees my paper the way that I want it to be percieved. I hope that with this essay no one feels bad for me, thats the worst. Yeah I lost my dad when I was 17 but everyone goes through something tragic so I don't think that I am any differant. I need help with my confidence in my writing. I always think that I did something horribly wrong and that everyone thinks that my apaper doen't meet the standards. I am overall really happy with how it turned out and can't wait to see how my paper can grow.