Many people often wonder, “How is ballet dancing and writing similar?” The only good answer to that commonly asked question is that both require alone time to hone individual skills and time with peers to get feedback. If one were to look at Dancers in the Foyer by Edgar Degas, they would see multiple ballerinas stretching in an otherwise empty room. The image of the ballerinas stretching on their own reflects how writers often write freely without restrictions to release their mind and flex their writing muscles. While most writers generally start and finish works on their own, unlike ballerinas who usually perform together and are judged together, both receive constructive criticism from others either during their preparation or after their…
Kate Peterson’s lyrical essay To All Those Who Say Write What You Know, is a two page nonfiction memoir of her life in London. The title of Kate’s lyrical essay is significant because she is addressing an audience who demands that one should write of things they have knowledge or firsthand experiences. This is may sound simple and inspiring at first for writers, but attempting to write on what you know can be a challenging request because memories can be distorted. This was evident in Kate’s lyrical essay examining each paragraph. The arrangement of her paragraphs suggests that Petersen is authentic in her narrative voice because she is not restricted in her essay.…
Annie Dillard uses many different forms of humor and idioms in her essay, “It’s not talent; it’s just work.” These techniques not only help grab the reader’s attention, but they also help develop the central idea in the piece. Dillard uses several idioms in her essay. One example is ‘off the hook’. She uses this to help explain that humans like to call others talented instead of hard working so there is no excuse for them to not be able to do tasks.…
In Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street”, in the vignette “Born Bad”, Aunt Lupe encourages Esperanza to continue to write because writing will “keep you free”. Writing can be an avenue of freedom in so many ways. Writing has the power to make a person feel as if they are escaping a prison in their mind full of words and phrases that they do not know what to do with. The second they write down those words and phrases they are free of themselves and their thoughts. Another way writing can be an avenue to freedom is by using writing as a way to communicate your feelings and viewpoints.…
Tweedy, Clarence W., III. " The Anointed: Countering Dystopia with Faith in Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of Talents. " Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture (1900-Present) 13.1 (2014) Web.…
For the article “Shitty First Drafts” we read this week, it remained me something about writing. This is a essay written by Anne Lamott, who is the author of six novels, the food reviewer for the magazine, a book reviewer for Mademoiselle, and a regular contributor to Salon.’s .“Mothers Who Think..” She’s busy because of several occupation at the same time, but there's still a question that what made her writing attracted? In this essay we read, there may be the answer.…
In “Seeing” by Annie Dillard, she wants to tell everyone that we should notice the small things in life. Many people go through their lives going from point A to point B, but they fail to realize all of the wonders that the world has to offer. Many people often succeed in seeing the “natural obvious”, which is seeing what one expects to see, but they fail to see the “artificial obvious”, which is seeing what one does not expect. Seeing more closely and noticing the unexpected, the “artificial obvious”, will lead to further happiness. People need to break away from their assumptions and begin to become aware of the small things that life has to offer.…
Sometimes, writing is like talking to a stranger who’s exactly like yourself in every possible way, only to realize that this stranger is boring as shit. In better moments, writing is the opposite of difficult…” (C. Klosterman…
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg is an instructional and explanatory novel that 's main goal is to, as it states, free the writer within. Goldberg strives to have each reader achieve the level of utmost appreciation and recognition of writing that she has also. She looks at writing as a way to escape life, but also to dive deeper into it, both at the same time. Right at the beginning when talking about the purpose of the novel, she directly states, " It is also about using writing as your practice, as a way to help you penetrate your life and become sane.…
This essay stands out in my mind because of its relatable topic; pretty much everyone at some point or another has struggled with writing, whether they care to admit it or not. Lamott realizes this, which spurred her on to trying to help audiences to realize that no one writes perfectly at first, and that brainstorming by write without caring inevitably breeds perfection. First drafts, as Lamott reveals, are “The child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that not one is going to see it and that you can shape it later” (222). For instance, whenever a person starts a new writing, thousands of thoughts and words are echoing through their heads. Not knowing where to begin or what to first write down.…
Dillard displays this by giving examples of how writing consumes every moment of her life, “(I have two hands, don’t I? And all this energy, for as long as I can remember. I’ll do it in the evenings, after skiing, or on the way home from the bank, or after the children are asleep…)”…
Jamie – 582 WORDS Composition has changed my thinking in more ways than one. Writing is no longer a burden, but an opportunity to expand my thinking. Although I am not great at writing and I have more to learn, I now enjoy exploring ideas and putting pen to paper. I have been challenged almost to the brink of insanity and pushed to the edge but I have grown not only in my studies, but as a writer. My writing process in the beginning of this course was total chaos.…
The excerpt from Ann Dillard’s “An American Childhood” demonstrates the love, awe, and appreciation Dillard has for her mother through colorful anecdotes. It is through this small collection of stories that we, the audience, can see the bigger picture. Dillard lightheartedly describes her mother’s vibrant personality in the excerpt, it showcases her mother’s playful humor to her often mischievous nature. It paints a clear picture of the vivacious spirit within her as well as its impact on Dillard’s childhood and character. With Ann’s writing style, it is not difficult to connect with the story in a personal sense and, ultimately, admire Ann’s mother nearly as much as Ann does.…
Throughout her stories in “Teaching a Stone to Talk,” Dillard uses juxtapositions, analogies and imagery to demonstrate the raw beauty of the natural world and humans’ lack of awareness of it. Nature, as explained by the author, refers to the natural, physical world, and life that is lived by necessity rather than choice. The word nature itself is derived from the Latin form, natura, which means "essential qualities and innate disposition." A general concept is that all things, biotic or abiotic, are a part of nature, yet Dillard defines the natural world as all, that which is unaltered by human interference. Dillard acknowledges humans as members of the natural world, but makes a clear effort to differentiate actual nature from the artificialness…
In the autobiography “An American Childhood” written by Annie Dillard, Dillard wrote about one of her unforgettable memories that left her disillusioned because of her misconception about an adult’s view of life. On the other hand, Saira Shah, in her article, “Longing to Belong”, she wrote about how her dreams of being part of her “original culture” crashed by a single incident that make her realize that the reality is not the same as what she expected. Therefore, it is clear that both of the writers in these two essays together experienced and portrays disappointment in their essays. To be specific, both of them felt disappointed after what they want the most in their life is not like what they think it should be. In other words, they learnt…