Monthly Archives: May 2024

During this semester, I’ve made significant progress in English literature, particularly in my writing, reading, and understanding of literary terms and aspects. The work I feel was most successful was my essay on “the handsome drowned man.” I believe it was successful because I received positive improvements and interest on my analysis and writing in the fiel of literature. I think I could have done better on poems, I struggled with interpreting some poems and expressing my thoughts clearly. In this class i have developed many skills that are relevant to real world experiences, my writing has become more coherent and structured which is essential for effective communication in any field, my reading skills have improved, allowing me to understand and analyze complex texts more efficiently. I have also learned to provide constructive comments on others’ work a valuable skill for teamwork and collaboration. There is always room for growth, generally speaking, I need to continue developing my reading and writing skills to improve my overall understanding and expression in English literature.

The work that I think was most successful was the flyer I made. I think making that flyer was very easy for me to understand as well as execute it well. I also think I was very successful in being consistent with the discussion board, I feel as this would be hard for me to do because I would get really busy and would not find the time to do them but here we are. The work that I could have done better in was the most recent essay, I should have done better and I know I could have done better but I choose the easy way out and got lazy while writing the essay. Some specific skills that I learned that might be relevant event to real world is reading peoples expressions and knowing what they mean. Overall the stories we have read in this class were actually more interesting than I thought they would be. I want to thank you professor for having such a good taste in stories and made my time in the class enjoyable.

I believe the work that was most successful for me was the flyer. The flyer was very fun to do, having myself pick a great poem to type about was interesting. I enjoyed reading different poems in order to find the right one. I got a pretty good grade, I forget some couple of things but overall it was easy, creative and fun work. I feel like I could’ve done better is the discussion board and the quizzes. The discussion boards were somewhat difficult for me to understand which stopped me from completing some discussion boards. For the quizzes, I also had difficult times trying to get a good grade on it, when doing the quiz I always felt like I am going to get a good grade but at the end it ends up being a bad grade on it. A specific skills that I learned in this class was definitely rereading a story or poem and going over every sentence or paragraph. It made this class easy for me to understand these stories that had difficult wordings. I am going to use this in the future because in the future I do want to become a teacher and it is really important to reread and understand papers that are given to me.

Some things that I have learned from this class were that skills can be valuable in various aspects of life like work, relationships with stories, and personal growth as a student. Also for example my critical thinking would involve researching different topics. This helps me think to better find what’s going on for something. This class helped me become a better reader and create things in my mind tp know what is really going on in a story.

My most successful work during this semester was when we were doing the poetry portion of this class. I was honestly very surprised with how well I did on the essay since I got a 95 on it, which was the first time in my life I ever got a good grade in something to do with poetry. Something I could’ve done much better on was putting more time and focus into the discussion boards, since many times even though I may have given an answer, I wouldn’t go into depth and use a lot of details for my answer. A skill I learned taking this class was specifically in poetry, when it was reading beyond just the words. Poetry isn’t a straightforward type of reading, as not everything is meant to be taken literal, and the message may not always be understood by the reader unless they almost put themselves in the poem themselves and really compare their life to the poetry they are reading. In real life, many times like poetry not everything is just black and white, and sometimes you have to put yourself completely in someone else’s to understand the decisions they may choose to make regardless of how illogical that is, and that is a skill I learned in this class during the poetry portion.

Hello professor, I can say that I feel that the work that was most successful was the in class readings and also the in class discussions that were taking place. By all of us reading the works together, it made it easier to understand the INTENDED meaning. The discussions also helped with this. I found that discussing the readings in class made the lessons more remember-able. What I feel like I could have done better was within my essays. I find that free hand writing is more my specialty then writing an essay that has to address specific things in an order. I find that by free hand writing my stories they have a seamless flow making my writings more accessible and understandable. Unfortunately my writings had to suffer from this however, it does not take away from my understanding of literature and the importance of those points that need to be addressed while writing any story or essay In order for it to meet the proper criteria. Specific skills that I have learned that will apply to my everyday world is the ability to find the meaning of everything by analyzing detail and exploring different perspectives. Not everything is as it seems and what ive also learned is that beauty comes in so many different ways; in objects and matters you could’ve never imagined and so much more. You just have to look deeper. I thank you so much for this wonderful, remember-able class and lessons that I will forever cherish and utilize for the rest of my life. <3

I feel like my most successful work was when I made the poem flyer on “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. When working on this poem, I was really into it—so much that I read the poem over ten times, and each time, I found something different. I have a deep love for poetry, so this assignment really gave me a chance to explore Frost’s work. The process of diving into the poem’s themes, imagery, and repetition deepened my understanding and passion.  I could’ve done better on the essay about “The Most Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Garcia Márquez. I didn’t feel like I used enough supporting evidence, and my analysis could’ve been stronger. While I enjoyed reading the story and found its themes and magical realism captivating, I struggled to translate my thoughts into a cohesive and persuasive essay. I realized I could have went  deeper into the text to uncover more insights and provided more concrete examples to back up my points. Additionally, I definitely think spending more time researching critical interpretations of Márquez’s work could have helped my understanding and strengthened my analysis.

The ability to fully comprehend the stories/poems we read was, in my opinion, the most successful part of this English 201 course. I believe that reading it in class via Zoom made it more engaging because I was able to hear it through multiple voices. I believe I could have done better on the essay. My writing has always been quite strong since high school, and I even had an achievement certificate in writing; however, in this English course, I noticed several flaws in my writing that could have been improved, so I was unhappy. Some abilities I learned in this class that could be useful in the real world are research and presentation skills. I believe having strong and confident speech/vocabulary can be really useful in real world experiences.

The work that I feel was more successful was essay 2 because I got an A-, idk how I got that grade when I usually do my work at the last minute which I need to stop doing. Another work that I feel was successful was essay 1 because it started off good for the first essay. The work I feel like I could have done better was essay 4 because I didn’t do good on that essay and I should’ve revised the essay when I had the chance. Another work I feel that I could’ve done better was on the midterm, although I passed it I feel like I could’ve done better if I actually studied for the quiz. A specific skill that I developed in this class that might be relevant to real-world experience is trying to understand other stories even though it might be difficult, you might be able to understand it now.

The work that I feel was most successful was the discussion boards. I believe that they helped me situate myself when I needed to write essays.  The discussion boards helped me learn more because I was reading other classmates’ opinions and stories. With that said, I think I did really well on my essays because of the development of the discussion boards. The work I feel I could have done better was my final essay. I feel like I could have done better in my transitioning from paragraphs. The skills I developed in class that I can use in real life are how to properly reply to others’ inputs. I also learned how to dissect poems, texts, and novels. I learned how to properly input quotes into my writing and how to introduce them to readers. I learned that I need to question every paragraph in the readings in order to understand them.

To begin I want to start off by saying that I have truly enjoyed my time in this class. And really enjoyed  the different genres of literature we got to explore: from short stories, to navels, to poetry, I feel my reading horizon has really  expanded. Throughout my time in this class I’ve learned that patience and reading more than once is necessary to grasp an understanding of any literature. And that is a skill I can continue using throughout my journey of becoming more of a reader. Also since I am studying psychology I’ve realized that it is necessary to take things slow and not to quickly jump to conclusions. Also I’ve learned that dissecting a piece of literature bit by bit; paragraph by paragraph can give me a better overall understanding of what I am reading. Honestly I feel like I could have done better on all of my work in this class, I definitely was slacking, and I believe I could have done a lot better if I had put in more work. I’m not proud of how my essays turned out but I will use this experience to further develop my skills as a writer and reader and to do better in my next literature class. But something I can I was successful at was engaging with my classmates, that had really helped me when a reading was though, it give me new perspectives. And I hope to continue engaging more with people when I read any work of literature because I believe the more minds come together, the better our understanding will be.

Assess your progress during the semester. During this semester I feel that I was able to get in touch with some skills I haven’t used in a while so it was helpful to take notice of them again. I don’t think I considered any of my work successful because it was a constant period of learning for me. however, I feel that I could have done better on my essays just because it’s something I haven’t done in a while and I didn’t notice how my writing didn’t correspond with certain topics. I think a skill I picked up was sitting with my thoughts a bit more and dissecting what I’m reading is trying to convey.    

So, the most successful work of the semester is to understand dramas. In the beginning, I was not good at that but as the semester I started reading them, and now I can understand them better. And the thing that I think I can do more good in that is essays. Because I was always good at writing essays and suddenly what happen to me I don’t know. So, I think I could have done more good on the essays. And the other thing is understanding of story “Oedipus the King” As I rate my understanding in that story 5/10 if there are secondary sources of this story I would be able to understand this story more.This class has honed my analytical thinking, research skills, and written communication. I’ve developed attention to detail by adhering to guidelines and precision in my work. Balancing assignments and meeting deadlines has significantly enhanced my time management skills.

My most successful work in this class was the poem flyer. I loved that you gave us the change to choose between an essay or the flyer. I believe that is a great option for the students that are not that good at writing essays. It also lets me show my creativity because I love designing on my computer. Something that I could definitely work on is on my essays, specially in their structure, and the MLA format lol. Something that I learned with this class was to cite sources in my papers that I know I would be doing it as long as I continue to be a student 

So to be completely transparent, I feel in the beginning to the middle of the semester my progress was okay. I struggled a little with quizzes mostly due to rushing because as a single mother of two under seven I never have a clear full alone time to do work(there is always a need to be be fulfilled that my children feel as if its dire). With all of that aside I still feel like I was getting things done. I started to slip off when my youngest child got sick and then my mother got very ill behind her so everything went haywire. I feel my progress in the class reflects that which I can not be angry with because things happens. I am a 80% procrastinator and a person who doesn’t like to ask for help when needed, so I always wait til the last 1-2 days to finish assignments before their due or if I don’t fully understand something I won’t ask for clarification. So I feel like I could have done better with my papers if I would have given myself enough time and ask for help when I did not understand something about an assignment. I feel like I was the most successful when it came to my discussion post because I was able to articulate what I sometimes can not put into words. One thing that I feel like I can take to the real world with me from the class is giving my point of view about things more easily. I feel like these discussion board post help with that for me.

The vignette that stood out to me the most was “Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark”. In this vignette by author Sandra Cisneros, she talks about her papa and how he tells her that her grandpa has passed away. While her father is telling her this, this is the first time that she sees her father having a moment of sadness. Although her father having this sad moment, he still has to get up before everyone to go to work I assume. I relate to this vignette because I’ve had a moment similar to this one before. My father who also gets up every day at 2:30 am while its still dark out, feeling tired and sleepy, also makes it to work no matter what. During the covid-19 pandemic, I remember my father calling me from work to tell me that my great grandmother had passed away. From the phone call alone I was able to hear the sadness from my dads tone. When he came home that afternoon, I just remember the sad, gloomy look on his face. I never seen my dad like that before, it also made me think about what would I do If I lost him.

I feel that during this semester I was able to flex my writing skills. Even though my formatting for these essays were not perfect, the content was fun to evaluate and write about. My current job has only allowed me to write emails or notes about clients, so writing about characters and fairy tales have been a real highlight of this class. Unfortunately, my quizzes were not done very well. Moving forward, I need to have a better study system for understanding literary terms. The skills I developed in this class that could be applied to real world experience would be evaluating stories or other works. Instead of shying away from a story or poem out of fear that I won’t understand it, I’ll be able to tackle it head on.

My work this semester what I really felt I did successful was communicating to my professor via email when I needed information on something . I also felt like I’ve interacted with people a little bit .I also did good on Essay 3 . What I could’ve really done better is making it to class more no matter the situation .Something I feel like I could’ve done better was  writing essay 1 2 and 4 . I could’ve went to the writing center to get some help with my pieces or I could’ve asked someone I know that’s good at writing essays to peer edit and proof read my essays before I turned it in just to make sure everything was right . Also I should’ve did better with probably making the deadline with it . One last thing I could’ve done was getting deeper into my responses with the discussion boards instead of being so vague at times.

The feeling of fear when reading “Where Are You Going, “Where Have You Been?” is different from watching a scary movie. When reading, the fear comes from imagining the scenes in your mind, which can feel more personal and intense. In contrast, watching a movie provides a visual experience that can be more immediate and intense because you see everything happening. So, while both can be scary, the way fear is felt is different; in reading, it’s in your mind, and in watching, it’s through what you see on the screen. I personally DO NOT like horror movies at all!! They have always given me horrible nightmares. Plus, I don’t find it at all interesting. Everyone, in my family loves to watch these horror movies and movies which have lots of killing and blood etc. I don’t like to watch to many movies like this. I like true stories; trues stories always make me feel engaged and interested.

What work do you feel was most successful and why? The work that was most successful to me was “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.” I feel this story was my first essay experience after many years of not being in school.  I loved the short story, and I learned a lot being able to revise it a few times. Also, being able to analyze the story and take notice of what is really going on in the story. I learned how to take the story apart. I feel that skill is very valuable piece that I learned. On what work do you feel you could have done better? The work I feel I could have done better on was my Essay #3 “The Intricate Process of Decoding Poetry”.  I find it a bit challenging to piece the essay all together.  But as I have found out, practice does make perfect.  Each time I feel more confident in my writing abilities. What specific skills developed in this class that might be relevant to real world experiences? The skill that I feel I developed in this class was the way to look at a reading and analyze it. How to take the story apart, t0 uncover what is really going on in the story.  I learned the different writing styles of the authors and how to interpret what they are trying to say. This really helps when you’re getting ready to write your essay.  

The most successful aspect of this class for me has been learning to analyze the rhetorical devices used in literary works through reading. For instance, in “The Most Handsome Drown Man,” the repeated use of people’s fantasies to outline a future world helped me understand that I can employ various methods to enhance my writing and elevate the level of my compositions. Simultaneously, I feel I could improve my understanding of poetry, as English is not my first language. Many times, after reading a poem, I may not fully grasp its meaning and need to reread it repeatedly to slowly comprehend its significance, understanding the meaning behind its rhymes. In real life, this class has immensely helped me in understanding the meaning of others’ conversations, aiding me in improving my literary skills by using more eloquent expressions. For example, when writing speeches, I believe what I’ve learned and comprehended in this class will constantly assist me.

Growing up, I faced some similar situations like the ones in “The House on Mango Street.” There was this one time when my family moved to a new neighborhood, and I felt like I didn’t quite fit in. I longed for a sense of belonging and struggled to find my place. It’s tough when you feel disconnected from your surroundings, but it’s also an opportunity to discover your own unique voice and identity. Esperanza’s journey mirrors the experiences of many individuals who have felt marginalized or different in their own communities. It explores the complexities of identity, gender, and cultural heritage. Through her storytelling, Esperanza seeks to find her voice and create a sense of belonging, ultimately empowering herself and others. The book beautifully captures the universal struggle of finding one’s place in the world, and it resonates with readers who have experienced similar feelings of longing, displacement, and the search for identity.

The vignette that stood out to me was, “My Name.” This vignette stood out to me because one of my last names is Alonzo and that comes from my father. I have 2 last names, but this one has such a negative connotation because my father was an alcoholic, he was a drug addict, he physically and verbally abused my mother, and he abused me and my brother and sister. Knowing that my last name is what connects me to my father growing up made me carry such a heavy weight with me and it frustrates me that even now that he is older he is still the same person he was when I was a child growing up. I have been thinking for a while now to change my last name and remove it and leave the last name from my mother’s side which has a way better history and does not have negative weight for me to carry.

One specific personal experience that stuck with me from the house on Mango Street specifically was “Hairs”.I feel this way because while reading with my group we eventually came to an agreement that somehow the hair was tied to their personalities and who they were. Coming to this decision resonated with me a lot because not only is hair a big part of my identity because I’m a girl but also because I come from a certain culture that depends on hair to tell others who you are. Reading this specific vignette held a lot of personal experience for me and also reminded me how big of a deal hair is in my life. This Vignette reminds me of how differently I see myself and others because my hair looks a certain way.

One personal experience of mine that echoed while reading “In the house of mango”  was definitely the struggles and living environment that Esperanza has. This is because now that I am an adult, I don’t live nearly as poor as when I was a kid. However growing up, I was very poor due to many personal problems after my parents had split, to the point that up until I was 11 years old I had to sleep on a couch in a living room and put all my school books and personal belongings underneath the couch since there was 7 people living in a one bedroom apartment, in a very small apartment. This made many simple things difficult, whether it be trying to sleep, waiting to use the bathroom, having no sort of privacy whatsoever, and always comparing my living situation to my more fortunate friends, especially when they had nicer things whether it be shoes, clothes, you name it, and living in a better safer neighborhood than I did.    

Hello, One specific personal experience that has echoed in “The House on Mango Street”  for me is “Hairs”. I believe this resonates with me because I come from a family of Puerto Ricans. One of the many things I love about us is that we come in all different colors and textures. From pin straight to kinky to curly to wavy, you name it… my family has it. A big bonus with this for me is that I get to learn how to do a bunch of different hair types with different designs. doing hair has always been a passion of mine. I was born with curly blonde hair as was my mother and now my daughter has the exact same hair color. My son was born with darker hair that has curls so tight your brush gets lost in it! In our family we embrace all these different types of beautiful hair types.

In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the author uses simple sentences to convey the narrative. For example, he writes, “This blind man, an old friend of my wife’s, he was on his way to spend the night.” Carver’s writing is direct and doesn’t include detailed words or lengthy descriptions. Instead, he displays the characters’ personalities and emotions through their dialogues. The narrator, for instance, shows the relationship between his wife and the blind man by showing their interactions. In the short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, the author uses simple language to describe the exact details of Madame Loisel’s situation. When Madame Loisel receives an invitation to a ball, de Maupassant writes: “She was upset by how poor her home looked, with its plain walls, old chairs, and ugly curtains.” This detailed description of Madame Loisel’s surroundings helps the reader understand how she feels about her societal place. Both Carver and de Maupassant engage in simple writing styles, yet they each emphasize different aspects. Carver places a great deal of emphasis on how individuals interact and express themselves through their speech, while de Maupassant employs detailed descriptions to illustrate societal incidents.

An idea I have for my research paper is children’s development in fairytales. The fairytale I will be using is Hercules, now this story is very special to me because I relate to it a lot and I picked up a few behaviors and thought processes because of this fairy tale. In Hercules you would learn to always be true to yourself, which is something I understood from watching this at a young age, and to me, it just seems so fascinating, and I wanted to be just like that. I also learned how much Hercules kept pushing and pushing to become what he wanted, a hero and to be recognized by the gods and find his place and he never gave up he truly put in the work to become what he wanted and that is who I wanted to be as a kid, be my own Hercules. At the moment I have not found an article on the BMCC library database, but I am on the lookout!

One personal experience that is echoed in “The House on Mango Street” was that my dad keeps talking about moving and getting a better house if we some day win the lottery. The parents in the story are telling their kids that some day they will move into a good home like the ones they see on the T.V. The name of the first vignette was “The House on Mango Street”, when they keep wanting a better house in which they can live for the rest of their lives instead of keep moving. The same personal experience I have but in a different type of way since we have never moved from this apartment but we did apply for other ones to see if they will reach out to us but it hasn’t happened. My dad was planning on getting a better house if we somehow win the lottery, but still no luck in that.

One specific personal experience that is echoed in The House on Mango Street is my living situation with my family is very similar to her past homes everyone shared rooms and shares one bathroom which just sucks when you’re already late for work/school. There is never any space in the apartment to do anything like run around throw a ball or anything. Ive always longed for a home in which I can have the space to do what I want when I want to. Since there was no space in the apartment me and my brothers would get on the walls and climb the walls since the walls were very narrow in the hallway. While reading the first vignette The House on Mango Street nearly at the end when Experanza was speaking to the nun and the nun asked you live there? That question had me rethink my living situation because I don’t live in a good place just like Experanza.

The vignette that surprised me was “Geraldo, No Last Name”. It stood out to me since this man was clearly murdered in an accident, and this was very jarring in comparison to the previous vignettes. The vignette that intrigued me the most was the one my group read for class “Cathy Queen of Cats”. There was so much going on in this vignette. Cathy, Esperanza’s new friend was introduced. It was clear that Cathy was detailing the cast of characters in the neighborhood, but the explanations came across as gossip instead of a quick rundown. It also turned the story back around on Cathy, and we were able to decipher that she lived in a home with many cats and a family that fills her head with delusions of wealthy family members in France. The vignette that puzzled me the most was “Four Skinny Trees”. Reading it over again, I was unsure if she was speaking about actual trees or real people. She personified the trees, detailing them with humanistic features such as elbows, or being too skinny, or her being able to hear them.

What work do you feel was most successful and why? My most successful work this semester was Essay 2. Having to develop a thesis centering around a literary quote forced me to discuss one of my favourite literary stories from an entirely different angle. I usually defaulted to discussing the literary device of irony in “The Necklace,” but the instructions galvanized me to develop ideas and theories surrounding the protagonist and analyze her from a physiological standpoint. It was probably the hardest essay for me to develop, but exploring new ideas while making a concise piece was surprisingly fun! On what work do you feel you could have done better? I definitely could have done more on Essay 1. I had a lot of difficulty writing this essay because it was the first essay I’ve done focusing on a secondary source to write a thesis. To get a better handle on it, I asked a friend to go over the Overview with me and confirm if I identified the correct ideas to build upon for the essay. In the end, I realized I simply overthought the requirements of the essay and as a result, I felt rushed completing it. What specific skills developed in this class might be relevant to real-world experience? Conversational skills! Despite not fully participating in the discussion boards, the times I did required me to read the descriptions of other participants and develop genuine response points to receive full points. While it does seem daunting, being able to think of responses can easily translate to real-world interactions of small talk- making networking easier!

One personal experience of mine echoed in The House on Mango Street is texturism and how hair can be used as an identifier for an individual. In “Hairs,” readers learn about the personalities of Esperanza’s family by the way she describes their hair. Growing up, my mom used to call my hair “nappy.” This was usually followed by a statement that if my hair texture was “soft” like hers I could have grown it out. So when I think about it, I didn’t have a “personality” growing up because I was not allowed to express myself via physical appearances such as my hair. The vignette itself reveals a lot about Esperanza’s family through their hair, and that in itself is a beautiful thing!  “Hairs” is my favorite vignette that we read so far because it speaks on the appreciation of different hair textures within one family, which I think is a beautiful thing!

Raymond Carter’s writing style can easily be described as plain. Most notably, the way he conveys his story is simple. For example, in “Cathedral” his first-person narrative uses plain talk, using little metaphors or literary elements to convey the message. That doesn’t mean the story is without charm, his writing style communicates the awkward interactions and underlying emotions humans display. In contrast, writers such as Guy de Maupassant utilize situational irony and humor as literary devices to develop a sense of individuality. For example, in The Necklace, he utilized situational irony to emphasize the karmic results of deceit and manipulation- especially in cases of selfishness and narcissism.

One personal experience that is reflected on Hairs, one of the vignettes from The House on Mango Street, is the variation of personalities that exists inside of a family. I like that the author used something so varied as hairs that because of textures, colors, and length is so different from one person’s hair to another. I personally identified myself with how the author explained the texture of the mother´s hairs as a reflection of her sweet and kind personality. I liked that description because that is exactly how I would explain my mom’s personality as well. Someone warm, caring and sweet. I also enjoyed how every member of the family is described just by specifying their type of hair. The main character described her hair saying that ¨never obeys¨ which made me laugh because that is exactly how her personality is. 

A personal experience of mine that relates to the vignette “My Name” is usually throughout my whole life people would say like you don’t look like a Caitlin or you have a caucasian name . That all leads back to you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover . Just because I’m African American doesn’t mean my name should be crazy . Also people usually always get the spelling of my name wrong . It’s spelled “Caitlin” people usually spell it Caitlyn , Kaitlyn , Kaitlin because they are used to seeing the name start with the letter K. But to me I’m actually fine with my name it comes from an Irish origin & it means pure . Another reason why I love my name is because my grandmother who I love so much named me & she also named my twin brother whose name is Cyle . So when people in school use to make fun of my name it never really phased me I just went about my day holding my head high in strong confidence.

My attitude about fairytales has not changed much from the readings. As I grew, I began to understand that fairytales can be jam-packed with multiple meanings. When it comes to fairytales, I believe the audience chooses different bits and pieces of a story and will make that into the meaning until they re-read it at another date and will realize that there is more to the story. For example, in Snow White, you would see the Queen aging and her beauty deteriorating and because Snow White is the opposite of that she was treated unfairly. My mom experienced something like this personally, she would be overworked and treated unfairly by her family members just for being herself and now that she has her own daughter she did not continue the cycle she let my sister always shine and took care of her just like a mother should.

An idea that I was able to understand in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” that I would have missed if I had not read the article by the author is the growth of a character overtime for example I saw the grandmother as someone that’s self-centered and extremely snarky for example, “In my time,” said the grandmother, folding her thin veined fingers, “children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else. People did right then. Oh, look at the cute little pickaninny!” When I read this, it seems as if she was throwing shade at the kids, and the attitude before this quote she would dress up nicely and show off. Then towards the end of the reading when she was shot, she changed and started to see the Misfit as one of her children. From reading that article I would not be able to understand why she switched in an instant, she began from being selfish at the beginning to attempting to care at the end.

I would rate my ability to read and understand Oedipus the King from a scale of 1 – 10 a 3 because I am not comfortable in reading plays. I find it difficult to switch between characters, especially the chorus. To me jumping from one character to the other is not a smooth and easy transition, I prefer reading traditional books and stories, and this led to me being confused the entire time while reading this play. I did not enjoy reading this play, I was completely lost, it was not my cup of tea, but even though I did not enjoy the play, if I were to pick a character for me to play it would be Creon, because he wanted stability of Thebes!

I do have one personal experience that is echoed in the house on Mango Street, but not one of the vignettes.  My personal experience is remembering how many times we moved! Each time we moved the places got a bit better. I remember how I hated to move. Till one day, my dad had bought some scratch off lottery tickets, and he asked my little sister to scratch it off. As my little sister was scratching off the lottery ticket my father started to scream, we have a winner here!!! We all had to go into the city to collect the prize, it was so exciting.  I had to be 10 years old at that time and my brother and sister were 2 and 6 years old.  Now that my parents won the NYC Lottery, they finally got to buy a real house with stairs inside and bedrooms for all of us. We even had a big back yard and a garage to keep the car. My parents had to add their personal touches to the house, but it was so nice and big.  We didn’t have to worry about how much noise we made, or if we would have enough water to take a shower.  Nobody was banging on the ceiling with a broom stick to tell us to lower our voices or tv.  We finally had that house of ours dreams and we never moved again.

A personal experience of mine that is echoed in the vignette titled “My Name” is my struggle with my last name. As I shared in class, I have four siblings, and I’m the only one with a different last name. This came about because my dad was in jail when I was born. To be honest, I was bothered by it but not as bothered by the legacy of my last name on my mother’s side. My mother, her mother, her sister, her brother, and so on, were all in foster care and eventually turned to drugs. I hated that it seemed like history was repeating itself when I entered care. I felt as if I would just be another Butler on drugs; I thought I would be alone. The fear of becoming just another Butler swallowed me whole. The loneliness of my struggle weighed heavily on my shoulders, especially because I was the only one with a different last name among my siblings. In a world where your name is supposed to define you or open doors for you, mine felt like a sentence or a one-way ticket to a fate. I felt as if the weight of my last name was not just a label but a looming shadow.

Through the class reading of the vignette “My Name” from *The House on Mango Street*, I shared the same troubles as the protagonist, Esperanza. I remember when I first moved from a rural village in China to New York for middle school, I couldn’t read a single word in English on my first day. When people asked for my name, I instinctively told them the Chinese pronunciation, and almost no one could say it correctly. Therefore, like other Asian kids, I ended up adopting an easy-to-pronounce English nickname, “Tom,” which I still use. However, like Esperanza, we both prefer that others accurately pronounce our names, rather than altering them just to make it easier for others to remember.

In “The House on Mango Street,” the vignette “Hairs” resonated with me because it reminded me of a time when I struggled with accepting my natural appearance. Just like Esperanza, who feels embarrassed about her unruly, curly hair and wishes it were different, I also went through a phase where I disliked certain aspects of my physical appearance. I wanted to fit in with what I perceived as the “norm,” which often meant conforming to beauty standards that didn’t embrace diversity. Reading about Esperanza’s journey to accepting her hair helped me realize the importance of self-love and embracing the uniqueness of who I am. It taught me that true beauty comes from accepting and loving ourselves just the way we are.  

Through the vignettes in The House on Mango street we’ve read in class one I feel I have a personal experience I can relate to is “My Name”.  In “My Name” The narrator Esperanza talks about how she doesn’t like her name, but for me it isn’t so much that I hate my first name Daverne, it’s more a feeling of identity. As his first son my dad named me after him. Growing up I didn’t mind the name but after sometime I started not liking the name so much. I felt like I was another extension of my father which isn’t bad, but I thought of other first sons who their fathers chose to give them a name other then their first names and I wished I could have that, a name that is my own. I think that is why I prefer using my middle name Fils as my official name. Fils is French for son, so instead of naming me Daverne junior, my dad named me Daverne Fils. If you really think about it since Fils mean junior I’m still technically an extinction of my father’s name but I do think the name’s pretty original so I like it. Whenever people ask me for my name I always say Fils, only at school and work do people call me by first name. Funny thing is at home I go by another name. In my entirety of me living my Family has never called me by my government name not even my father. They all call me Carvens. And if I’m being honest, Carvens feels like more like my name than Daverne and Fils ever did. Daverne would come a close second though since that is what people would always call me. Lately I have been feeling like […]

When I started high school after coming to the United States it was tough with my name Josue because is a rare name in the United States. On the first day the teachers said it, saying “Jo-sue?” And all various pronunciations I corrected then It’s Josue, but it didn’t bothered me, “Josue”with the accent on the middle syllable Ho-su-e. But the teachers couldn’t get it right no matter how many times I repeated it. I gave up and let them call me called me how they wanted because it didn’t bothered me at all, it turned funny in the good way at the point some professors said my name wrong knowing how to pronounced it. Even in where I come from there are two ways to pronounce it. After all I take it in the good and funny way, gives something special or different from other common names or probably is the context that I got it from. Some times I give my middle name “Alexander” when they want to called me but in a easier way.  

In “The House on Mango Street,” there’s a vignette titled “My Name” this title resonates with my name also. My name is Harsneh and everyone pronounced it as harshneh, harsneha. During my childhood, I frequently faced situations where my name was mispronounced, sometimes unintentionally but occasionally persistently even after I corrected it. This experience was disheartening and made me feel disconnected, as though my true identity was being ignored or dismissed. Given how strongly names relate to our identities, hearing people pronounce my name incorrectly makes me feel both frustrated and disappointed. It could seem like a lack of care or attention. However, I accept that mistakes are inevitable and handle them patiently.. In my primary school, everyone pronounces my name wrongly even the teachers. That time I used to ask my family I wanted to change my name I didn’t want this name but then my family told me the meaning of the name, that my name meant to love god. Since that time I always love my name.

The vignette “My Name” from the House on Mango Street struck out to me. This felt relatable since, I struggled with my name. When I first came to the United States, I was in second grade. I didn’t know how to speak correct English and was really shy at the time, since I was also very young. I recall telling the teacher my name was Falaq, and she never pronounced it correctly; after four tries, I gave up and stuck with the mispronounced name she said, which was Faliq. From second to sixth grade, I was known as Faliq. Even today people still pronounce my name wrong, it is very rare for me to hear someone pronounce my name correctly.

The vignette that stood out to me was, “My Name.” This vignette stood out to me because I have always struggled with liking my last name. My last name is from my Dad, who I have never had a great relationship with. Unfortunately, I have always longed for the name of the family I am always around. Sometimes I feel left out because I am the only person with this last name. It is hard to resonate with my name because of this. When it was brought out that she was bullied or people would say it incorrectly, I went through the same thing at school. Many people would purposely say my name incorrectly to spite me and it was very upsetting because I already didn’t have a great relationship with my name. I have learned from my mom that I should embrace my name no matter what and that’s why this vignette stood out to me.

Instead of a pit in your stomach from auditory cues such as high-tempo music or deafening silence, reading horror creates a sense of uneasiness from the written description of what’s happening in the story, With movies in the theater you tend to watch it straight through without interruptions or pauses, but reading horror stories allow you to pace yourself, making the build up that much more unbearable. Another thing to note is that with films you usually see the horrors visually, with little room for interpretation, and with horror stories, it more so falls on ones imagination to think up what exactly the protagonist encounters, and oftentimes the way horror stories are presented, they lead more into character building and details, creating an even more impactful build up for all the twists, turns, and jumpscares. A perfect example being Connie describing Arnold’s eyes as chips of broken glass, emphasizing his dangerous demeanor.

When reading Raymond Carvar stories, I noticed right away how different this story is then the ones we have read this past semester. Raymond Carvar style of writing in more smoother and easy to understand right away. Usually reading stories or articles it takes me twice to read to fully process what is happening. His method of writing is very specific where you can picture the story, and very straightforward. When reading the other stories such as “Oedipus the King”, it is more advice writing that lots of metaphors is being used to describe a problem. “Many, my children, are the tears I’ve wept, and threaded many a maze of weary thought” ( Oedipus). This is expressing the feeling of grief. Reading Oedipus the king, I had to read back many times and search up many words for their meaning, I did have several troubles understand the story when I read it once but when I read it twice and understand each problem of each line it got more easier.

Compare/contrast the pared down writing style of Raymond Carver to the style of another writer whose work we have read this semester. Provide examples from both stories to support your ideas. When reading this question I immediately thought of “Salavation” written by Langston Hughes because I feel as if both tones were raw and direct. In “Salvation,” Hughes recounts a moment from his youth when he grappled with the concept of salvation and the expectations of his community. “I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved. It happened like this.”(Hughes, Line 1). Similarly Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” uses a raw tone, reflecting the characters’ struggle to connect emotionally. For instance, the narrator describes his wife’s past interactions with Robert, saying, “They talked of things that had happened to them—to them!—these past ten years.”(Carver,218)  

I would say the author Raymond Carver’s writing style exercises simplicity while also targeting the key points of literature. Some of these key points I am referring to is the attention to detail to make the reader imagine what is being talked about but he does it in a way that you can understand it. ” October. Here in this dank, unfamiliar kitchen I study my father’s embarrassed young man’s face. Sheepish grin, he holds in one hand a string of spiny yellow perch, in the other a bottle of Carlsbad Beer” (Carver). Most of the time when I’m am reading a story, i would have to read it once or twice in order for me to understand what the context of the story is or to help myself grasp the emotional scene. With the writing of Raymond Carver, I find myself only having to read his work once. This reminds me of the story “The Handsomest Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Marquez used detail that was easy to understand but also gave you enough to receive the emotion of every character in this story. Marquez’s explanation of expression on the women’s faces when they found the drowned man let us know how they were all feeling when they saw him. The body language of the husbands told us of the annoyance they had with their wives being so infatuated with this dead man, as the husbands referred to him as.

In the Story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, the terror that the readers feel is so much more intense and more interesting then when watching a terrifying movie, in my opinion. When an author is writing a story with the objective of the story being  to scare or intimidate the audience,  He or she can do it in many ways and be done in the story.  One of these ways is that he or she can use explicit detail with imagery. They can also do this with the scenery. With the scary story, you wont miss a beat. every detail that the author wants you to notice , will be clear for you to see and feel. On the other hand, win regards to the movies, some times you have to watch the movie a couple times to understand it or even did yourself seeing  different things in the movie that you did not the first time. Don’t get me wrong, this is sometimes fun to do when you see a video on a video or something and you go back to analyze the movie but with a book you get it all in one shot. also with a book you can kind of place yourself there because you are creating the scenery in your imagination as the author gives you the layout.

during class when we read Raymond Carver’s work I noticed that his style of writing is simple and to the the point. the way he tells his stories makes it easy for whoever is reading because he writes casually almost as if he is speaking and telling his story out loud. This writer doesn’t describe his stories using words that have a sense of imagination or mystery to them when reading his story Cathedral you can see his simple and casual way of going through the story. looking through his work I’ve noticed that what he writes about has a sense of realism to it. comparing his work with the poet Robert Frost this poet’s work contains a sense of mystery and imagination especially when you look at his poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Although this poem is shorter than Raymond carvers work it still requires thought. This is because of his use of descriptive language in a way where he’s saying something without saying too much.

Raymond Carver’s minimalist writing style is starkly different from Flannery O’Connor’s rich, descriptive approach. In Carver’s “Cathedral,” the language is spare, with simple sentences that convey the complexities of the characters’ lives through dialogue and subtext. For example, when the narrator tries to describe a cathedral to a blind man, the lack of elaborate description emphasizes the communication gap between them. Contrast this with O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” where the narrative is laden with detailed descriptions and a strong sense of place, such as the way she paints the setting: “The trees were full of silver-white sunlight and the meanest of them sparkled.” O’Connor uses these details to foreshadow and build tension, leading to the story’s climactic moment.

Raymond Carver’s and Joyce Carol Oates writing takes on different styles several ways. Carver takes a pared-down style in “Cathedral,” focusing on minimalism and plain communication. He uses basic language to express a feeling of reality, focusing on everyday occurrences and allowing readers to draw deeper meanings from the interactions between people. For example, Carver’s descriptions are limited, but the deeper meaning is full with passion, such as when the blind guy and the narrator bond while painting a church. In comparison, Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” uses a more thorough and richly descriptive approach. Her writing is full of rich imagery, which adds tension and creates an exciting setting. The first scene, in which she explains Connie’s duality is an excellent example of her careful style, “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home.” Oates use of rich descriptions draws readers into the characters inner and outside worlds, resulting in a deeper narrative setting. As a result, while Carver’s method is more specific , Oates approach is broader and more diverse.

The writing style of Raymond Carver in “Cathedral” is clear and simple compared to other writers whose work we have read this semester. In Carver’s stories you didn’t really have to do much to understand it because Carver makes it simple for the reader to understand the story unlike other stories in which you had to read it multiple times before you understand the story. Gabriel Garcia’s story ““The Most Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” on the other hand is more complex and requires you to imagine how things are happening in the story. You might also read over the story again in order to better understand the message that the writer is trying to show. Carver’s story don’t require much understanding as he makes it easier to understand, the only thing that was confusing was the ending of the story. At the end of the day, everybody has their own writing style.

Analyzing the writing of Raymond Carver and comparing it to another writer we’ve got studied this semester, we can examine distinct differences. Carver’s minimalist approach is clear in his story “Cathedral,” wherein he makes use of easy language and sparse descriptions to carry deep feelings and complicated subject matters. Raymond doesn’t leave readers to discover it on their own except for the ending in which he ends it abruptly, he holds their hand throughout the read. The mood in this story didn’t feel dark. Unlike The Handsomest Drowned Man the story we read at the start of the semester, this story has a lot of details and you need to have multiple reads in order to find the complete meaning of the story, it took me multiple read to find all of the details that I missed. This story was kind of gloomy especially when you read the beginning where the village seems like a deserted wasteland.

Raymond Carver’s writing style in “Cathedral” features simple tones yet deep character portrayals. He demonstrates a high level of skill in his dialogues, making them appear very natural and realistic. Through dialogue, he conveys information while also leaving gaps, allowing readers to infer the unspoken emotions and intentions between characters. His meticulous descriptions of dialogue and actions reveal the psychological states and emotional depths of the characters. This contrasts with Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s style in “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” where he uses the villagers’ fantasies to enrich the narrative with multiple layers of reality. Carver focuses on concise, direct, and realistic depictions, while Marquez creates a world filled with magical and symbolic significance.

The writing style by Raymond Carver in “Cathedral” the author uses a very simple conversational and colloquial tone. Raymond Carver uses a conversational tone and diction to show the narrators character. The dialogue from the character is very vague, simple, mocking. Also that the wording of the conversation being very blunt and straightforward. In “My Daughter and Apple Pie” just by the title its very straightforward with not much meaning or leaving the reader to interpret anything else. In the first few lines “She serves me a piece of it a few minutes out the oven. A little steam rises from the slits on top. Even in the authors works of poetry he tells the reader exactly what’s happening. In contrast to author Gabriel Garica Marquez’s writing style in stories like “The Most Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” the author uses vibrant, descriptive, imaginative story telling. Garica uses imagery and magical realism describing the body and face of the drowned man and how his presence affected the villagers.

Raymond Carver and Gabriel Garcia Marquez have very different writing styles.  In “Cathedral” written by Raymond Carver is simple and concise.  He uses short sentences and not many words to show how the main character feels and how people interact.  For example, “She wanted to talk. They talked. He asked her to send him a tape and tell him about her life. She did this. This shows how simple, short, and concise his sentences are. In ‘The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez his writing style is very magical. His style blends elements of fantasy or myth. He has a rich, imaginative style, drawing the reader into surreal and enchanting places. For example, “The first children who saw the dark and slinky bulge approaching through the sea let themselves think it was an enemy ship. Then they saw it had no fags or masts and they thought it was a whale. But when it washed up on the beach, they removed the clumps of seaweed, the jellyfish tentacles, and the remains of fish and flotsam, and only then did they see that it was a drowned man. This writing style evokes a sense of wonder and anticipation as the villagers discover the mysterious figure washed up ashore. Marquez uses descriptive language and imagery.

Raymond Carver is style in “Cathedral” I experienced simplicity, minimalism style and story telling. In very concise wording such as “We ate everything there was to eat on the table.” He explores ordinary moments and emotions with a every day language making it more natural. In contrast Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s style in stories like “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” is more poetic, imaginative, and metaphorical, Garcia  uses a imagery and magical realism in his story, describing the drowned man’s body as the most handsome thing the villagers have ever seeing, different and beautiful. Both writers effectively explore their profound inspiration  about the human experience through their pieces. When reading the stories a have noticed that every author has their own identity when writing, every one has the unique wording, story telling, topics and ideas that are placed in their pieces as we can explore them.

Raymond Carver employs a concise writing style in “Cathedral,” focusing on everyday details that carry profound emotional weight. In the story, the narrator’s initial feelings about Robert’s visit are depicted with straightforward language: “I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me.” This direct approach allows readers to grasp the narrator’s underlying discomfort and prejudice without extensive explanation. In contrast, James Joyce’s “Araby” features a more elaborate style with vivid imagery and introspective narration. For instance, the protagonist’s description of Mangan’s sister is filled with sensory details: “Her dress swung as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side.” Joyce’s use of rich language and detailed observations immerses readers in the protagonist’s infatuation and inner world. Joyce’s lyrical style and reflection allow a deeper exploration of human experiences and emotions, whereas Carver’s succinctness and understatement effectively portray feelings.

To me Raymond Carver style of writing is very detailed orientated to detail  He did not leave his readers or listeners guessing about the setting and/or scenery. He told you exactly what his surroundings were or what was happening in relation to his topics with no room for self interpretation. For example in the his poem “My daughter and Apple Pie,” he said, “She serves me a piece of it a few minutes out of the oven. A little steam rises from the slits on top. Sugar and spice -cinnamon – burned into the crust. But she’s wearing these dark glasses in the kitchen at ten o’clock in the morning.” In these first 7 lines he describes his setting and what is currently going on at that moment in the poem to his listeners. This is a very different style of writing than the poet Gwendolyn Brooks in her poem, “We real cool.” To me she left her listeners guessing about the setting and was not very detailed orientated.

The writing style of Raymond Carver is very simple and blunt. He says exactly what is going on and you do not have to wonder. In the very first few sentences, he explains that a blind man was “on his way to spend the night. His wife died. So he was visiting the dead wife’s relatives in Connecticut.” As shown here, he leaves no detail out. However in “Araby” by James Joyce, he sets the scenery and leaves the suspense for his readers. He is very descriptive in his imagery as he explains the “uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbors in a square ground.” James’ attention to detail is a huge contrast to Raymond’s style of writing. Until James explained the character had “never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.” The readers weren’t completely sure if he knew this woman he seemed to be so fond of. Unlike Raymond, who told us from the beginning what the mood between of characters and tone was.

After reading “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, I noticed that his style of writing is simple. To me, he writes in a way that is not complicated for the reader to get his ideas. When I was reading the story (Cathedral) I found it very easy for me to keep up with the flow of his writing. However, I don’t understand the ending lol. I had to read the ending a few times to try to understand it. In “Photograph of my Father” he also writes in a very simple way to be a poem. “In jeans and denim shirt, he leans against the front fender of a 1934 Ford”. In contrast we read poems from authors like Robert Browning who write “My Last Duchess’ ‘using a deeper style of writing. In my opinion, his poem is way harder to read because of the language that he used. For example “The depth and passion of its earnest glance, But to myself they turned” This quote from “My Last Duchess” is an example of how his style of writing is way different from Carver’s style.