New 110 Students

Dear New English 110 Student,

Welcome to OSU, I’m sure you will enjoy your first quarter/semester as I did (if you’re a freshman).  You might be apprehensive about a college level writing course, or you might feel like it will be overwhelming. For many times, I became overwhelmed, but I assure you, It is easily avoidable. Yes, there is a lot of work to do, but if you take a little bit each day, it shouldn’t be a problem. I had English at 7:30 every morning,  and without fail, I would turn my assignments in during the wee hours of that same morning. Don’t fall into that trap, give yourself time to create a good piece of writing

            Immediately, let go of the five-paragraph form that has held your hand throughout your high school years. It had it’s purposes and is a great learning tool, but you need to branch off. You might be wondering how to structure a paper without it, and it’s actually quite simple. Your writings should know be a progression of though coming to the thesis and conclusion closer to the end of the paper, don’t spoil the ending in the first five sentences! It’s improved my writing dramatically.

            Do not be scared of the length that the papers have to be. Unlike high school writing, when you can write three pages about something as broad as the history of America, college writing requires a very narrow focus on a specific theme or topic and analyze  every single word or lack of words. If you can focus in on specific word choices, length should never be a problem.

            One last thing, take the time to pick a work of literature you actually enjoy reading, it makes 8 pages go by much faster.

            Sincerely,

            Evan Murphy

P.S. I enjoyed “Love For $17.50” because it is so different and strange, I could not wrap my brain around what the author was trying to say, so I took the challenge to really dive in and think about it.

My Raptor

The sonnet, “My Raptor” has a message best described as questioning whether or not the baby and woman are separate or together both physically and mentally. The artist use metaphors to get her ideas a cross. The speaker describes herself as a raptor. I had the image of a raptor hunting, and when it sees prey move, the raptor immediately freezes and makes sure that it saw the motion correctly, while planning on what the next course of movement should be. I think the intended audience members are woman with child, who can relate to the feeling of having a child move within. S a male, I will never really know what the experience is like, and the poem will not strike home as hard as it probably would for the intended audience members.  I do not find this particular sonnet persuasive, because I do not feel as if I can relate. The subject matter is something foreign to me. I am not married either, so I am not with a spouse who might be going through a similar situation that could describe to me the feeling. If I were o research for this paper, I would definitely look into the psychology of pregnant woman, and what their general perception to how mentally in-sync they are with the children. I would also talk to people I know with children and ask them what it is like to have another human inside you who is physically dependent, but you have no control over the mind of the child.

Day 9

In “drag,” written by Lusia Straus , I found the lines “God, I’m scared  I can’t stop/ it’s an effect” particularly intriguing. The first thought that came to my mind when I read the word “God,” was one of irony. Earlier in the poem, the speaker mentioned the day her Mother saw her smoke a cigarette, was the day she said she did not even believe in God. Her use of the word “God,” is  telling to her personality. She does not fully think through everything she is saying. If she were true to her beliefs that there is no god, then she probably would have taken the extra effort to avoid using the name.  Her use of an inappropriate, according o her own beliefs, is similar to her thinking the effect of smoking outweighs the health problems. She must not be completely aware of her surroundings, and information available to her to realize that smoking is hazardous and not worth any effect it may give off. She seems to not be too concerned in being aware of ideas and impressions people will probably get from her. She must be scared of lung cancer, or some other disease, but since she seems a little oblivious, looking cool or edgy is much more important. I do not know what sort of particular effect she is looking to send, and that makes the reader question what is more important than her very own well-being. She sends a direct address towards a being she does not even believe exists; she needs to be more aware of what she is saying, ad if the effect is really worth the health risk.

Day-5

“Discipline” by Donald Ray Pollack uses a basic storyline that has been used in many works of literature and cinema. Ever since Luther lost the bodybuilding contests of his youth, he forces his son to compete and hopes for his son to capture what he himself could never quite grasp ahold of. Luther even goes so far as to pump his 18 year old son with steroids. In reading “Discipline,” I was never really intrigued until the last paragraph.  Luther says “A light exploded, and my body shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.” For me, this line really caught my attention, so I began to focus my attention on it. Initially, I thought Luther died from hypothermia. I immediately that that the light referenced was similar to the light at the end of the tunnel.  Then, I thought how could he have written the story in first-person and die at the same time. I believe Luther had a complete emotional breakdown or revelation that working out is not the only important thing in his life. His  realization comes a little bit too late. Another word choice I found significant is Luther referring to the flakes of his body as “grey snow.” In today’s modern world, white is universally viewed as pure.  So, by using ‘grey,’ it is inferred that his soul is not completely pure, he has guilt, and has obviously made some substantial mistakes in his life. Since I do not believe Luther physically dies, I have come to the conclusion that his grey, and ultimately worthless meaning of life he has created is completely dead. Luther’s meaning of life died with his son.

Day-4

“Heat Lightning in a Time of Drought” by Andre Hudgins is a poem that reminds me of all the times I linger on the edge of sleep, letting my wind wonder from many past experiences. I believe the speaker is on the edge of sleep.  I think the most significant part, or at least the most important to me, is the repeated reference to lightning in the poem.  Starting with the title, lightning is a recurring theme.  In the literal since, the speaker is yearning for lightning because rain usually comes with lighting , and the drought needs to be broken. I also think the lightning is significant in that his mind flashes from one thought to another, and that thought s gone as quickly as a flash of lightning.  Then, the speakers mind drifts from topic to topic, and his thoughts become stranger and stranger. Then the lightning brings his wandering mind back and directs him towards his initial purpose: sleeping.  When I read the poem, I was immediately attracted to the use of lightning.  I spent time to really dig in and think what point Hudgins was trying to make to the reader. The lightning is definitely a Segway from one memory to another, but when I looked at the  title,  “Heat Lightning in a Time of Drought,” I knew there was something that Hudgins really was trying to get across. Lightning in a drought might  be  representative of false hope. Most of the time, where there is lightning, there is rain also. In this case, there is plenty of lightning, but no rain. The reader also has hope that he will fall asleep, but if the lightning is indicative of anything, he doesn’t stand much of a chance. 

Day 1 writing assignment

Before coming to Ohio State University, I attended a college prep school in New Orleans, which prides itself on a strong English program. I have had substantial experience in writing analysis of poems and short stories. I was also required to write a research paper and a few persuasive essays.  My compositions were graded very harshly; the essays were required to follow a strict format with grammar being a major emphasis. The teachers would only give the papers that followed the exact format a decent grade. It was not overly time consuming; however, I felt my creativity was more or less being strangled.

Public writing is not something I have participated in or would enjoy participating in. Besides very infrequent Facebook posts, which are usually happenings I think my friends will find very funny, I usually do not put my thoughts in writing, I do not feel comfortable in doing so. If I feel I have something important to express, I turn to music as my vehicle. I have created many audio recordings. I feel intimidated in public writing. I guess I’m not comfortable enough, or haven’t spent enough time practicing. I feel I might be judge because the reader might not understand what I’m really trying to convey. I have had no problem in performing in front of hundreds of people. In those situations, I have spent enough time with my craft I can convey exactly what I want, and I do not care if people judge me then. I do not want to be misunderstood. Writing for a public audience is different from academic writing because only the teacher is reading the compositions written for school.     

As a reader, I do not gravitate towards any specific writer. I do, however, love to read any sort of novel written by an author who truly knows how to use suspense. The suspense keeps me reading on and on. I love when I can pick up a book and not want to put it down for hours on end. I also enjoy books that encompass a deeper meaning that makes me take a step back and think about my own life. The high school I attended actually did a fantastic job in assigning us novels that we would enjoy and want to read. The main focus of this course, the body, is honestly something that I have never paid much attention to in literature. I know that every living person has a body, so I can see how it would come up in literature quite often, it’s just not something I’ve taken a particular notice to. I am also unsure how I will apply the body to my own interest, because to be completely honest, I do not know what we will cover about the body in class. However, I know for sure I will be able to give a more definite answer at the end of the quarter.

Day-2

'Unmemorable', written by Craig Lucas is a crude short drama that revolves around Enoch reviewing a play in which Roz, Theo, Earl and Lois all have parts. I will not lie, I had a difficult time understanding this particular dram. I gave it five full readings, but I am still not completely sure what is happening.  But, I do have some speculations. I think that Earl and Lois are cast in a play, and Enoch reviews the play. Theo comes into the bathroom and reads the review to Roz. This is where I get lost, I do not understand the relationship between the characters.  Obviously Earl and Theo know each other, and Enoch’s review is a driving point behind the storyline. I think Enoch left the performance before intermission because the play was so disappointing. The one thing that really caught is a couple of times the characters ask the question why. Why do we give them so much power? I thought of two antecedents of the word ‘they.’ I think the actors might ask themselves why they give the critics so much power. The critics get to decide and tell the public what they think is good writing. ‘They’ might also refer to playwrights. The playwright is said to have left his wife for a man, and is a generally frustrated person. The actors might be frustrated that they are the ones in public who are getting scrutinized even if their parts are executed perfectly. If the writing is poorly done, then the performance will not be enjoyable.  However, I think ‘they’ refers to the former. Enoch even goes as far as to make absolute judgments about people’s physical characteristics. Enoch comments on the appearance of Lois’s breasts. He says they are asymmetrical, but Earl thinks they are beautiful.  I think the main focus of this short drama is bringing attention that judgments from anyone are not absolute, only opinions.