Quotes from my interview
"The house I was born in is still occupied by my brother and has been in our family for over 70 years."
"My parents bought the house in 1936 for $1700.00."
"No dishwasher, we were the dishwashers."
The themes that emerged from my interviews so far was mainly what it was like growing up in the 40's and 50's. Another was when technology was first introduced and how that grew with her to present day.
I like how Eva started opened in the beginning of her story with the conversation between her and her father about the lasting marriage between her parents. That leads the story to the times when her mother would bring her to the library, and about her fascination with books. I love the descriptions she uses throughout to show her love for books that takes her away from the reality of her life to something different. I really admire that about her, and wish I had the same love for reading growing up. Though I struggled with comprehension in school, so I did not enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. She says, "The more words I have, the more distinct, precise my preceptions become--and such lucidity is a form of joy."
After reading Hard Times by Studs Terkel, I couldn't imagine going through the things that he had gone through. I found this very interesting to read, and I like how the story is being told. He discusses in his personal memoir that after completing his interviews, the people have deepened his opinion of this time that may have been forgotten. He states, “The great many were wounded, in one manner or another. It left upon them an “invisible scar,” as Caroline Bird put it.” That really shows how much of an effect the depression had on each person in different ways. After reading his oral history of the great depression I felt that I could not imagine growing up within those times, and what these people went through.
When I first began the twitterive assignment, using twitter was very helpful with gathering my thoughts and helping me to begin thinking more like a writer. Learning how to use Twitter was not that bad since I was currently using Facebook, and there were some similarities between the two. I like that I am able to have the application right on my Iphone that is simple to use and tweet in the moment. By tweeting my observations and thoughts, it allowed me to pay closer attention to details and things that I wouldn't necessarily look at. Though Weebly on the other hand was not as easy. I enjoyed creating and using the site, but experienced some difficulties trying to post certain things. I am guessing that it could have been at the time they were making changes to the site. Within that process I had lost some of my work that I had typed into a text box on the website itself. So, from now on I always type everything onto Microsoft word to keep another copy saved. Though with all technology there are the positive and negatives Overall, I like using Weebly and will continue to keep my website up.
My tweeting started out with my observations at the park, but then evolved to include my thoughts. I believe that the tweets were mindful as I was paying more attention to details. At some times I found it easier to just write things down, and then I realized I was not tweeting as much as I was writing. For the assignment, I am currently still working on focusing it onto one theme, and having more of a connection to the place.
"Where ever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine" Anthony J D'Angelo
Lying awake gazing out the window
On a hot summer evening
Airless, thick
The wind gusts and whistles
Sweeps the drapes from the ground
They settle, then lift again
The luminous glow of the moon lights up the night’s sky
Trees whip, leaves rustle
Peaceful sounds of crickets… En d i n g
Dark clouds eclipse the moon
The wind begins to race
Swirling, raging
Rain begins pounding
Rhythmic sounds of pressure on the rooftop
Rumbling, thunderous
But never lasting
Stars begin to peek through the clouds
The air is fragrant with musk
A gentle breeze sooths the skin
The rain slows to a trickle
Quiet, tranquil
And slowly, I drift into a dream
When reading Micro Fiction, I really liked how it was a combination of different short stories put together within a book. Until now, I had never read anything similar to that. Even though each story was not very long, I found that the details that were selected was good amount to make it right to the point, and give the reader the overall idea of the story. That was inspirational to me because I tend to put some unnecessary details within my work, and that is something I am trying to improve on. That reminded me of something I read in Steven Kings memoir where he says, "When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story... when rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not story." The one that I liked the most was "Waiting" by Peggy McNally because the effect she uses to create the feeling of waiting for the reader. It's almost as if it is her thoughts in a stream only separated with commas, and with that it allows the reader to get more emotion from the character.
In the reading, "Dubliners" by James Joyce, I found it hard for me to get into and follow along with the story. In the beginning I liked where he says, "But when the restraining influence of the school was at a distance I began to hunger again for wild sensations, for the escape which those chronicles of disorder alone seemed to offer me." He seeks the adventure and escape, but towards the end I believe he began to realize that everything is not as you expect it to be.
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