Lawrence Orech

Kayla Williams enlisted in the army for several reasons. To me, her main reason was a desire to show people that doubted her, especially her boyfriends, that she could make it in a male dominated field.  See Kayla was involved in several relationships where roles of men and women in society were always put into question and she wasn’t one to keep her voice silent.  Her main relationship with Tariq aka Rick seemed perfect at first, but little bits of sexism sparked up every now and then. She loved him but those little bits, no matter how unitentional they were, slowly added up and to a point where she began to question if she  really wanted to be in a relationship with him. Enlisting in an army provided her with a scape goat while  at the same time showed Tariq that she was more than just a “woman”(As portrayed through an Islamic lens). She also dated Douglas, an arrogant guy, who always yelled at her which made her feel weak and vulnerable. He physically abused her too and said even stated that she’d never be able to survive in the army because she was weak. Joining the army was a perfect way to get over that horrible experience and to hit back at him as well.

1. Reflect on your own writing and decide which myth (under “myths about writing,” 4-5, apply to you? Use 3-4 sentences.

The myth that applies to me most is the five paragraph essay. I always find myself drawn to using this method because it simplifies the process and is something I’m used to. I think it works well for many different types of essays like informative and persuasive essays, but I’m open to exploring other methods of writing such essays.

2. What does college-level research require, as opposed to high school-level research? What skills do you need to acquire to do good research? Use 3-4 sentences.

College requires much more in depth research than High School.  College students need to dedicate a lot more time to looking up information in libraries and online databases- resources that aren’t used as much in High School.

3. Define “argument”– what does it mean to argue in a college-level essay? What comparison does the author use? Use 3-4 sentences

An argument in a college-level essay is a collection of supporting details carefully and systematically put together to support a view point. The author uses the courtroom analogy to explain what an argument is. In this case the writer would be a lawyer attempting to defend his client (viewpoint in the essay) by using different types of supporting evidence.

4. What are the three kinds of academic writing assignments you might receive in college? Briefly define each kind. Use 4-5 sentences.

The three types of writing are Closed Writing Assignment, Semi-Open Writing Assignment, and Open Writing Assignment.

Closed Writing Assignments have a prompt that requires a writer to pick a side between two claims- similar to yes or no questions. Once the writer picks a side, the writer must provide details to support his or her side.

Semi-Open Writing Assignments give writers a topic but allow them to make their own claims about the topic.

Open Writing Assignments allow writers to pick their topic and make a claim about it. The writers then provide supporting details for the claim.

5. What are the three characteristics of effective writing, according to the research on professor expectations conducted by George Mason University? Use 3-4 sentences

Effective writing should have clear evidence which demonstrates proper preparation and research. It should also demonstrate reason over emotion, as all claims should be facts not opinions and  finally the writing should be able to spark a reasoned response from a rational reader, reading for information.

6. Give two examples of when the author feels first person is more appropriate in a particular context. Use 3-4 sentences.

The writer feels it is appropriate to use first person in  closed writing assignments because they ask a writer to pick a side in an argument and provide details on why the he or she supports that side. Similarly, an open writing assignment allows writers to select their own topic and provide details to support their claims. in such a piece, the writer can use first person to make the piece more personal and persuasive (if necessary).

7. When is it clearly a bad idea to use “I”? Use 3-4 sentences.

Its not a good idea to use I when writing a piece that requires objectivity, such as in a scientific report. The “I” can cause distrust as the reader may feel the evidence presented is an opinion rather than a fact.

How would you describe the war through the eyes of a school girl, and what does the author mean when she states, “memory says want to do it right? Don’t count on me.”

a) To the girl, the war is a very confusing and  bizzare topic. It’s nothing like anything she’s seen  or read about before. The fact that she’s Jewish and sees fellow Jews going through a genocide makes it even harder to comprehend. She reads alot of books to try and “grasp the world”- but these barely provide an explanation for the things she’s seeing.

b) When the author Rich says “Memory says: Want to do it right? Don’t count on me,” I think her message is that we shouldn’t look to the past for inspiration on how society should function. She points to several ills in society like war, genocide, prostitution and poverty to show that the world isn’t perfect. She lists several places around the world like Mississippi and Berlin to show that such problems are a global epidemic. Her statement “I’ve dreamed of Zion.. I have dreamed my children could live at last like others” shows that she has hope that in the future these problems will be solved.

How does the way the father narrates the story effect the way certain elements of the story are told? For example how he speaks in a very conversational manner does it feel more real?

I think Valdek Speigelman’s  narration allows readers to get a more organic/ natural take on the holocaust from  a real survivor. The conversational style makes the story easy to follow and makes the story much more emotional than it would be if it were told in a different manner (third person). Readers can easily put themselves in his shoes, see his struggles, feel the pain he felt, and understand why he did what he did. His English isn’t perfect, which adds a touch of authenticity to the story. Even the breaks between the narration help readers to get a sense of who Valdek is and how the war and death of his wife has changed him.

The author wrote Maus in an unconventional way of a graphic novel, using animal characters instead of human ones.Does this form effectively tell a Holocaust story? How does it differ from a conventional Holocaust story?

I like the approach Art Spiegelman took because it was a very unique way to talk about the Holocaust. The fact that he used cartoons made the story look a lot less gruesome and less serious than most recounts I’ve read before. Instead of focusing on the bigger picture, he told the story through a family lens, which made it much more personal and easier to resonate with. The fact that Speigelman portrayed the Jews as mice and the Nazis as pigs was strong symbolism that helped demonstrate how he viewed society during this time The drawings/depictions also help readers get a sense of what was going on, rather than having them create the whole story through imagination. I read Night by Eli Weisel and I think the two are pretty similar in terms of the way they recall the horrors of the Holocaust.

3. How does Wolfe’s personality add to her style of writing, and how does she use this persona to further her main ideas?

I think Virginia Woolf is a one of a kind writer which makes her writing unique and refreshing. I was honestly surprised by  her conversational style which was hard to follow at first but soon became easy to read. She ties together several anecdotes to keep readers interested while slowly but surely gets her point across. She begins this piece in the most ambiguous way possible; refusing to give herself a name, and stating that it’s completely up to the reader to decide what’s true and what’s not,  which allows readers to create their own views on the main ideas of the piece. This is something not many authors do, especially when they write about such “controversial” (because of the time period) topics. She also describes the details in her writing thoroughly such as the luncheon and library which paints a vivid picture and further enhances her main ideas.

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