"Veil of Fears" Analytic Snapshot

Genre: “Veil of Fears” is a persuasive or argumentative story

Purpose: The purpose is to persuade us to believe that the best way to go about changing a belief or way of life in a culture is through gradual change, from within the framework of a custom.

Central Message: The central message of this story is that there are other cultures in the world and they do have different belief and ways of life.   Sometimes we get caught up in thinking everyone should live the way we do, or that our way of life is the right way.  In reality, people like being different and given a choice would choose to be unique.  Who are we to tell someone else how to live?

World View and Assumptions:  I think in this piece of writing one of the world views the author used was that women as individuals have certain wants and desires to be equal to men.  She also used the thought that there are cultures all across the world and each one is unique to the others.  Many people believe the way they live is the right way.

Use of Tools and Evidence:  The author used previous examples of war and how that has worked before in the past to change something in a culture.  He also explained the culture of the Muslim people and their strong belief in the importance and strength of family tribes, and how as a cultural tradition or long standing belief, that would be very hard to change.  Another tool used the author used his research as an evidence, explaining the history of modern Islamic fundamentalism and where it derived from.  His research is strong.

nExt bLog…

Writing a personal narrative actually turned out to be a pretty helpful assignment for improving my writing.  My story was about an experience I had while I was living with a host family in Mexico.  As I was writing my story, a lot more changed then I expected between my first and final drafts.  I honestly thought I was a really good writer until I read my personal narrative out loud…ha! Forget being good at that!  There were so many places that were awk.  And run ons, and wordy sentences, and ideas that didn’t fit together and just on and on.  It amazes me how much different the story seems when you read it out loud.  Something about hearing yourself speaking helps you realize what does and doesn’t work.  I definitely had a little trouble with the grammar part of things, so I guess I should learn a little more about that.  But I feel like at least one of my classes every year re-teaches grammar so my brain customized and every time I learn it I just forget it again ha.  Pretty pathetic but it’s the truth.  Something that really helped me a lot was after writing my first complete rough draft I didn’t read my paper again for a couple days and then when I came back to it, it was like I was reading a different story ha I seriously noticed so many things I needed to change.  Over all, I feel like I learned quite a bit about the process of writing, writing itself and also about me personally as a writer.    

Blog Post #3

So…my paper is coming along great.  Although I haven’t written much, at all ha I have some great ideas in mind.  Sometimes I am more successful with my papers if I just think about my story for a few days.  It’s sort of like when you think through what you’re going to say to a cute guy…don’t deny you haven’t done it too.  Guys included.  I like to think over my topic and what I want to say about it, ya know sort of let the ideas and thoughts mull around in my head.  It’s sort of ends up being like a movie that I play over and over in my head.  Of course, each time I watch it, something changes in the story,but that’s part of the process of editing and rewriting the story for me.  Then, usually by the time I sit down and start writing I have a good idea of what I want to write and it just comes.  That’s the best feeling ever when the words just keep coming and it’s a constant flow.  I love that, when you don’t have to stop and all you hear is the sound of the keys on your keyboard clicking at a rapid pace.  So, that’s about where I’m at in the whole process of things.  I know what story line I want to follow and I’m just waiting until my heart tells me it’s time to start typing.  I’m sure it will let me know sometime before eleven o’clock on Friday haha. 

Personal Narrative Response...

So I read the “Caregiver” and the narrative is about a young girl that has to complete certain tasks for her Grandmother that she can’t do herself.  This story forced me to think about what it will be like when I’m old and can’t physically take care of my body any more.  I’m sure it will be a trial for me.  The hardest thing would be to feel helpless, and not be able to help myself.  Knowing mentally what to do, but not being physically capable would steal all dignity from any human being.  In the story the granddaughter notices how her grandmother finds the greatest pride in being able to do even the smallest of tasks for herself.  She can brush her own teeth, wash her own face, and even comb a good portion of her hair.  However, when it comes time for the granddaughter to help with the harder things, such as changing her grandmother’s underwear, the author places both characters in an uncomfortable setting.  In this moment we realize the Grandmother feels as though she has been stripped of all dignity.  The narrative being very effective pulled me in, allowing me to actually feel the tension and awkwardness of the situation.  It was also successful at drawing in its audience because the events in the story are real-life events.  These things that the writer describes are real-life situations, and knowing that makes it easy to form a mental image.   I feel like this narrative was easy to relate to because someday, many of us will experience the same feelings.

reSpoNse papeR #1

            I can definitely relate to Jessie Hawkes personal narrative, My Father’s Sketchbook, where she says, "The possibility that my father was not invincible shocked and softened me."  I experienced the exact same thing, discovering that my own father feels the same things I feel; excitement, fear, sadness, stress, joy, and pain.  My father has gone through many trials and as a member of his family, they have affected me more times than not.  I guess my first instinct is to think about the short end of a stick that I receive and not even give two seconds thought to the nub that my father comes out with.  I definitely agree with the author in the way that many of us don’t see our parents in a realistic way.  If your mom cooks, and cleans and helps you with your homework over the phone all at once, you should know what I mean.  Or if your dad knows the answer to anything and everything and is the constant hero in your life in every aspect, you should know even better what I mean.  My parents are heroes in my eyes and so every now and then I guess I forget they are human too.  Maybe part of it is because my father is a man that is content with whatever cards he is dealt in life.  But is he really?  Maybe that’s just the lighting I see him in.  Maybe I just expect my Dad to be able to take on whatever load he’s given in life and do it with a smile on his face, because that is what he does so much of the time…     

ME In 100 Words!

I LOVE laughing more than anything.  The temple. Traveling. Black people and Mexican people.  My last name. The smell of anything that’s used to get high (gas, white board markers, paint, nail polish…) The sound of smacking.  Sunsets.  I appreciate people that listen with their full attention.  My inheritance, my parents support.  I am HORRIBLE at being on time, remembering anything, singing alto and letting my nails grow long. I hate clutter and messiness, serious and uptight people.  In the summer I crave a lake and boat. . .the rest of the year, smiles from strangers.