In The Life of a Slave Girl, a slave is being hidden in a cramped space above a shed. She describes her very first Christmas. Even with a small space to maneuver in, she still managed to sew new clothes for her children. She did not have the privilege of seeing their joy when they opened their presents however, she was able to see them pass by with their new clothes through the only small hole in which light can penetrate. We see from this that even as a cramped poor slave hiding for her life she still managed to instill hope in herself by giving presents and seeing the joy on the faces of her children.
Tag Archives: group A post
I Had to Fight to Read- Narrative Post
http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=12201
In any essay, the title doesn’t always predict what the author has in store. In the narrative, I Had to Fight to Read, the author is not literally talking about fighting and reading, or any other possible manifestations. More of an experience with reading, the author uses the title to set up the theme. Borrowing many books-from the library-to read, the author runs into an obstacle- the librarian.
The librarian limits the author’s dreams of the “world of words.” Restricting her from taking out books the author truly faced a barrier. Overcoming this barrier, however, the author is able to explore, dream and discover texts, insights and make connections. With so many observations and conclusions the author is swayed and captivated by awe and wonder.
When such inspiration happens, the reflection imagines. The narrative, I Had to Fight, allowed me to once again, reflect on myself. It constantly reminds me of when I used to loath the idea of reading books, poems, classic literature and pretty much anything at all. Eventually, I left my comfort zone, in the sense of reading, and was able to face this challenge and make the most of it. Once I took the time to overcome this obstacle of “dyslexia,” is when, and where, the magic happens.
Grandmother- Narrative Post
Link to Narrative Essay – http://biographicalessays.blogspot.com/2011/01/alma.html
The writer wants us to understand her great grandmother. She repeatedly talks about the troubles her great grandmother went through, and does this in a chronological manner. One thing she seems to do is repeatedly mention the words great grandmother, and this sort of emphasizes her age and how she’s from a completely different era than our current one. The writer mentions at the end how she percieves the current world to be materialistic and commerical, and how her great grandmother’s world was different.
The piece definitely got me thinking – were things really that different back then? The writer doesn’t really focus on details, and the piece of writing is much more about getting to know the grandmother and her background.
Thoreau
Thoreau seems to be arguing that private property and expansion of civilization is harming nature in the Walking, which in turn is also hurting humanity’s ability to enjoy nature. I thought that it was interesting how Thoreau spent the first couple of pages talking about how he enjoys walking and why he enjoys it – not really touching upon the danger that nature faces until later. He speaks almost entirely positively for the first two pages, except in the first paragraph – where he is describing what his essay would consist of. I believe that this was an effective way to begin his essay (as it certainly made me more sympathetic to Thoreau), as starting off with positivity makes a person more likely to take criticism on their way of life better (which is essentially what Thoreau was doing by criticizing civilization). He also reminds people of how beautiful forests and landscapes look, before going into how forests are being torn down, and how land is being bought up and privatized, which will lead to people not being able to enjoy these sights anymore.
Walking in the City
At first when I read this excerpt, I didn’t really understand a thing. I would read and understand three lines and not the next five. However, after class I began to really think about what de Certeau is trying to convey. He’s describing that the city’s blueprint is created by the few however, they just provide the basis and the rest is up to the people. The people’s lives and stories are what make up the city. Their movement is unpredictable and that’s what gives the city life. Today, when walking to lunch, I was paying attention to the masses walking on the street doing everyday activities that for them is routine but for the city it is its life.