Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Multi-Genre Essays
I enjoyed these essay because reading the different types of writings added different elements to the essay. Some things added more details, and some added more emotions. After everything was added in, it just kind of made clear pictures of the topis. In the one about working in the cosmetic area, it made it feel almost like you knew what it was like to work behind the counters. It also kind of painted a picture of whats going on there. The other essay shows a vivid picture of the woman's pain. She's was very unhappy and it showed everything that lead up to a divorce. Both of these essays use different genres to tell different angles of the story. The results are strong and compelling.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Crashing into Karma
There is no other way to describe that night other than karma. I knew what I was doing. I knew why it was wrong. I planned to do it anyway. What was one more little lie on the millions I had told my parents over the years? All I was going to do was a get a little high and all I had to do to get there was lie to my parents. What would it hurt? I’d never done anything like that before and one of my best friends, Marc invited me to join him.
I had to work that night. I had to work until 11:00pm. That was the longest night ever but after all was said and done I was ready to go. I told my parents I was going to stay over at Marc’s house. That was close to true. There was just one little thing that was off. I wasn’t going to Marc’s house. I was going about 15 miles farther. I wasn’t going to be in the same town as his house. What my parents didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. I drove along down the dark country roads.
My music was cranked. I had already blown past my friend’s tiny town and was well on my way to being a teenage stoner stereotype. I was pumped. After a while the music ceased to fit the mood of the drive. I was really excited, and the soothing sounds of piano keys along side of acoustic guitar and soft vocals weren’t cutting it. I had just pulled passed the stop sign that meant I was almost there. I looked down to skip the song on the CD. Something seemed wrong when I looked back up. I was going the right way; I was sure, but it felt like I was forgetting something. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until it was too late.
I slammed on the breaks but it was too late. I was propelling the car towards a forgotten bend in the road. There were two trees. Between them was what looked like just enough room to squeeze a car through. It was a long shot, but it seemed like my only hope. I aimed, and in the blink of an eye a nightmare was enacted. My aim was off, very off. The car slid sideways and then inches behind my very seat, right where the door met the body of the car, bark tore through the side of the body.
That wasn’t the end. I’m not entirely sure how it worked, but the car actually bounced off of the first tree, and the front of the car wrapped around the other tree. I could feel my body being thrown from side to side as the impact struck like fists against my sides. It was as though a giant had reached down from the skies, picked up the car, and shook it a couple of times. All of this happened in only milliseconds. One could have blinked and missed it, but as soon as you opened your eyes you would have found a twisted and totaled pile of wreckage.
I finally opened my eyes, and the scene was unreal. Everywhere I looked was covered in shards of glass. I could feel the icy breeze flowing through the shattered windows. The front of the car got caught when it wrapped around the second tree and the door next to me dangled from the hinges. The latch on the door had been obliterated. Freezing didn’t begin to describe the night’s conditions. The freezing winds continued to pierce through to my skin as I sifted through the glass to find my coat. While the front door of the car was busted open, the back was pinned shut. The front bumper stretched outwards dangling from the car. Out in the field, I could see more car parts. What had I just done?
When I left the pile of doomed auto parts, I walked up to the road. I could hear someone in the distance, though I couldn’t quite make out their words.
“Hello?” I shouted out at the top of my lungs. My voice was shaking as terror ran through my veins. I was still in a state of shock and disbelief.
I heard a voice call back in the distance. “I called the police.” I heard from afar. I was actually kind of relieved that they had done it for me. That was one less thing that I had to worry about.
The two trees that I hit were on the edge of a small field. Along a perpendicular side of the field, there was a white house. It was one of those houses that I always sort of mocked from afar. It was one of those hick houses with seven million lawn ornament strewn across the front yard, mixed in with plastic children’s ride on toys. It looked like no one was home. The windows were dark and the driveway was empty.
I was just so cold. That’s all that I could think when I got passed the terror. I was freezing and I didn’t know what to do. The empty house was the only place close by. The shouting voice had to have come from somewhere, but I had no idea where. The only place I could see was that empty redneck shack, and besides the empty appearance, the voice sounded as though it came from too far away to be right there. I was cold and alone, and I had no idea for how long.
I had to call my parents. I was pretty sure totaling their car fell under information that they needed to know. I paced back and forth across the road, waiting as I listened to the dial tone.
Every ring made my heart pound. I was so nervous to hear their disappointment. I was already near tears when my mom finally answered. I didn’t want to tell them the bad news, but I had to.
“Hello?” I heard my mom ask.
“Mom… I don’t know how to tell you this. I’m okay, but I just ran off the road, and I’m pretty sure the car is totaled.”
I can’t exactly remember what my mom had to say to that, but I do know it wasn’t anything joyful. My parents were on their way. I told them that I got lost, and told them where I was now.
It was another lie to cover up a lie, but I had a hard time caring. I knew eventually they’d figure it out, and I’d be in horrible trouble, but I didn’t want to fuel their anger anymore than I had already.
Next I called Marc. It was a short conversation, but I had to tell him what was going on.
“Marc. I’m not going to make it tonight. I was just in a car accident, and it was bad. I’m waiting on my parents and then I’m going to have to go home.”
“Are you okay?” Marc inquired.
“I will be… I’m in shock, but I think I’m fine. I need to go,” my jaw quivered as I spoke to him.
Click. I hung up the phone. I just didn’t feel like talking, and he understood. I was left alone again.
I was still petrified and near tears, and even more importantly, I was still freezing. Someone came to my rescue. A black car pulled in with the cool winds and rolled down his window and turned on the light.
“Hi. I live down the road. Believe it or not this happens all the time. Get in the car. You have to be freezing,” said the man.
The situation seemed so shady. It made me think of when you’re a child and people tell you not to take candy from strangers, but I didn’t care. I was just too cold to care. I got into the car with the stranger and took a seat. Warmth enveloped my body and I almost instantly felt so much better. The man kept trying to comfort me. He told me that it wasn’t so bad. He reminded me that it was good that I was okay. I didn’t feel lucky to be okay. To be honest, I almost wished that I had been hurt in the crash. If I would have been hurt, maybe it would have distracted my parents from being upset with me. That’s what I kept thinking.
Next to arrive on the scene was the ambulance. It pulled in with its lights flashing like it was rushing in to save my life. I found it irritating more than anything else. I didn’t need an ambulance. I needed a time machine to prevent this incident from ever happening. Ambulances should carry around one of those in the back instead of a gurney. They’d save a lot more people that way. Basically all the ambulance accomplished was supplying me a new spot of warmth to wait in. He asked if I was okay. He told me it looked like it was a miracle that nothing was wrong with me. He asked me to tell him what happened. I think he just wanted a story to pass his time while we waited for the police to arrive. I humored his attempt at conversation despite that weight of the agony that came from telling the story.
Around the time I finished up the story, the cop pulled in. I got out and walked over to speak with him. He asked for my license and registration. It felt like I was being pulled over for speeding. I went along with the formalities and went back to the car to go find the registration.
He also needed insurance information, but I didn’t know where that was. First I walked over to the passenger side because that’s where the glove box was. That’s when I learned that the impact had pinned that door shut. I walked back around to the limp driver door and leaned across the shattered glass to get my documents. I carried it all back to the officer, as he waited in the heat of his cruiser. He rolled down the window and told me to hop in the front seat. That seemed odd, but yet again I wasn’t going to argue. The heat was appreciated.
“You’re lucky, kid. I can’t believe you just walked away without a scratch,” said the officer. That was the third person on the scene, and the third person to tell me I was lucky. I didn’t feel lucky at all. I felt like I was living a nightmare. I was alive though.
That I walked out of my car unscratched was the miracle of the night, because looking at the car and the wreckage from the vehicle and the trees, it seemed so impossible to be okay. I wish the fact that I was lucky to be alive was the lesson of the night. The real lesson started to kick in when I remembered something. My parents thought I was on my way to Marc’s. I was well passed that destination. They were going to have to learn all about my lie. They were going to lose faith in me. They were going to be furious. They were going to surprise me.
They arrived on the scene after awhile. The ambulance had already come and gone, as had the police. All that was left was for my parents to show up, and when they did, my mother was crying. She was so happy. She looked at me and looked at what I had done and tears flowed from her face because she was so thankful I was fine. And that’s who I lied to. It took my doing something so horrible to realize how awful I had been. I learned a lesson and it’s all because my actions caught up with me. That’s karma for you.
After that, all that happened was the tow truck coming. They had to bungee the door shut and put the bumper in the back seat. My dad helped the tow truck people collect car parts. I guess one of my mirrors shot about 30 feet beyond the trees, out into the field. The hub caps rolled away in various directions. They also had a lot of trouble unwrapping the car from the tree.
My parents really were good to me that night. I wasn’t in any trouble. They were upset about losing the car, but they felt as though they’d rather lose it than me. All that I did that night was so selfish. The more I look back on this memory, the more I feel like I deserved what came to me. While I can’t say I never lied to my parents again, I can say I told them a lot more truths. It was a lesson I needed to learn, and I guess that’s what it took to learn it.
I chose to publish this memoir piece because I feel as though it carries a message that others can relate to. I think I did a good job of using sensationalism to tell my story in a way that others can learn from my mistakes. Besides, why write something if no one elses can read it?
I had to work that night. I had to work until 11:00pm. That was the longest night ever but after all was said and done I was ready to go. I told my parents I was going to stay over at Marc’s house. That was close to true. There was just one little thing that was off. I wasn’t going to Marc’s house. I was going about 15 miles farther. I wasn’t going to be in the same town as his house. What my parents didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. I drove along down the dark country roads.
My music was cranked. I had already blown past my friend’s tiny town and was well on my way to being a teenage stoner stereotype. I was pumped. After a while the music ceased to fit the mood of the drive. I was really excited, and the soothing sounds of piano keys along side of acoustic guitar and soft vocals weren’t cutting it. I had just pulled passed the stop sign that meant I was almost there. I looked down to skip the song on the CD. Something seemed wrong when I looked back up. I was going the right way; I was sure, but it felt like I was forgetting something. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until it was too late.
I slammed on the breaks but it was too late. I was propelling the car towards a forgotten bend in the road. There were two trees. Between them was what looked like just enough room to squeeze a car through. It was a long shot, but it seemed like my only hope. I aimed, and in the blink of an eye a nightmare was enacted. My aim was off, very off. The car slid sideways and then inches behind my very seat, right where the door met the body of the car, bark tore through the side of the body.
That wasn’t the end. I’m not entirely sure how it worked, but the car actually bounced off of the first tree, and the front of the car wrapped around the other tree. I could feel my body being thrown from side to side as the impact struck like fists against my sides. It was as though a giant had reached down from the skies, picked up the car, and shook it a couple of times. All of this happened in only milliseconds. One could have blinked and missed it, but as soon as you opened your eyes you would have found a twisted and totaled pile of wreckage.
I finally opened my eyes, and the scene was unreal. Everywhere I looked was covered in shards of glass. I could feel the icy breeze flowing through the shattered windows. The front of the car got caught when it wrapped around the second tree and the door next to me dangled from the hinges. The latch on the door had been obliterated. Freezing didn’t begin to describe the night’s conditions. The freezing winds continued to pierce through to my skin as I sifted through the glass to find my coat. While the front door of the car was busted open, the back was pinned shut. The front bumper stretched outwards dangling from the car. Out in the field, I could see more car parts. What had I just done?
When I left the pile of doomed auto parts, I walked up to the road. I could hear someone in the distance, though I couldn’t quite make out their words.
“Hello?” I shouted out at the top of my lungs. My voice was shaking as terror ran through my veins. I was still in a state of shock and disbelief.
I heard a voice call back in the distance. “I called the police.” I heard from afar. I was actually kind of relieved that they had done it for me. That was one less thing that I had to worry about.
The two trees that I hit were on the edge of a small field. Along a perpendicular side of the field, there was a white house. It was one of those houses that I always sort of mocked from afar. It was one of those hick houses with seven million lawn ornament strewn across the front yard, mixed in with plastic children’s ride on toys. It looked like no one was home. The windows were dark and the driveway was empty.
I was just so cold. That’s all that I could think when I got passed the terror. I was freezing and I didn’t know what to do. The empty house was the only place close by. The shouting voice had to have come from somewhere, but I had no idea where. The only place I could see was that empty redneck shack, and besides the empty appearance, the voice sounded as though it came from too far away to be right there. I was cold and alone, and I had no idea for how long.
I had to call my parents. I was pretty sure totaling their car fell under information that they needed to know. I paced back and forth across the road, waiting as I listened to the dial tone.
Every ring made my heart pound. I was so nervous to hear their disappointment. I was already near tears when my mom finally answered. I didn’t want to tell them the bad news, but I had to.
“Hello?” I heard my mom ask.
“Mom… I don’t know how to tell you this. I’m okay, but I just ran off the road, and I’m pretty sure the car is totaled.”
I can’t exactly remember what my mom had to say to that, but I do know it wasn’t anything joyful. My parents were on their way. I told them that I got lost, and told them where I was now.
It was another lie to cover up a lie, but I had a hard time caring. I knew eventually they’d figure it out, and I’d be in horrible trouble, but I didn’t want to fuel their anger anymore than I had already.
Next I called Marc. It was a short conversation, but I had to tell him what was going on.
“Marc. I’m not going to make it tonight. I was just in a car accident, and it was bad. I’m waiting on my parents and then I’m going to have to go home.”
“Are you okay?” Marc inquired.
“I will be… I’m in shock, but I think I’m fine. I need to go,” my jaw quivered as I spoke to him.
Click. I hung up the phone. I just didn’t feel like talking, and he understood. I was left alone again.
I was still petrified and near tears, and even more importantly, I was still freezing. Someone came to my rescue. A black car pulled in with the cool winds and rolled down his window and turned on the light.
“Hi. I live down the road. Believe it or not this happens all the time. Get in the car. You have to be freezing,” said the man.
The situation seemed so shady. It made me think of when you’re a child and people tell you not to take candy from strangers, but I didn’t care. I was just too cold to care. I got into the car with the stranger and took a seat. Warmth enveloped my body and I almost instantly felt so much better. The man kept trying to comfort me. He told me that it wasn’t so bad. He reminded me that it was good that I was okay. I didn’t feel lucky to be okay. To be honest, I almost wished that I had been hurt in the crash. If I would have been hurt, maybe it would have distracted my parents from being upset with me. That’s what I kept thinking.
Next to arrive on the scene was the ambulance. It pulled in with its lights flashing like it was rushing in to save my life. I found it irritating more than anything else. I didn’t need an ambulance. I needed a time machine to prevent this incident from ever happening. Ambulances should carry around one of those in the back instead of a gurney. They’d save a lot more people that way. Basically all the ambulance accomplished was supplying me a new spot of warmth to wait in. He asked if I was okay. He told me it looked like it was a miracle that nothing was wrong with me. He asked me to tell him what happened. I think he just wanted a story to pass his time while we waited for the police to arrive. I humored his attempt at conversation despite that weight of the agony that came from telling the story.
Around the time I finished up the story, the cop pulled in. I got out and walked over to speak with him. He asked for my license and registration. It felt like I was being pulled over for speeding. I went along with the formalities and went back to the car to go find the registration.
He also needed insurance information, but I didn’t know where that was. First I walked over to the passenger side because that’s where the glove box was. That’s when I learned that the impact had pinned that door shut. I walked back around to the limp driver door and leaned across the shattered glass to get my documents. I carried it all back to the officer, as he waited in the heat of his cruiser. He rolled down the window and told me to hop in the front seat. That seemed odd, but yet again I wasn’t going to argue. The heat was appreciated.
“You’re lucky, kid. I can’t believe you just walked away without a scratch,” said the officer. That was the third person on the scene, and the third person to tell me I was lucky. I didn’t feel lucky at all. I felt like I was living a nightmare. I was alive though.
That I walked out of my car unscratched was the miracle of the night, because looking at the car and the wreckage from the vehicle and the trees, it seemed so impossible to be okay. I wish the fact that I was lucky to be alive was the lesson of the night. The real lesson started to kick in when I remembered something. My parents thought I was on my way to Marc’s. I was well passed that destination. They were going to have to learn all about my lie. They were going to lose faith in me. They were going to be furious. They were going to surprise me.
They arrived on the scene after awhile. The ambulance had already come and gone, as had the police. All that was left was for my parents to show up, and when they did, my mother was crying. She was so happy. She looked at me and looked at what I had done and tears flowed from her face because she was so thankful I was fine. And that’s who I lied to. It took my doing something so horrible to realize how awful I had been. I learned a lesson and it’s all because my actions caught up with me. That’s karma for you.
After that, all that happened was the tow truck coming. They had to bungee the door shut and put the bumper in the back seat. My dad helped the tow truck people collect car parts. I guess one of my mirrors shot about 30 feet beyond the trees, out into the field. The hub caps rolled away in various directions. They also had a lot of trouble unwrapping the car from the tree.
My parents really were good to me that night. I wasn’t in any trouble. They were upset about losing the car, but they felt as though they’d rather lose it than me. All that I did that night was so selfish. The more I look back on this memory, the more I feel like I deserved what came to me. While I can’t say I never lied to my parents again, I can say I told them a lot more truths. It was a lesson I needed to learn, and I guess that’s what it took to learn it.
I chose to publish this memoir piece because I feel as though it carries a message that others can relate to. I think I did a good job of using sensationalism to tell my story in a way that others can learn from my mistakes. Besides, why write something if no one elses can read it?
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
My life as a babya bulemic
This really wasn't what I expected when I read the title, but the title does a great job of reflecting the content. What he did as a baby affected his entire life. His health was forever changed by an eating disorder that was really developed in infancy. That's really sad to me.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Reactions to Memoirs
An American Childhood
I really liked the perspective of the girl. I really didn’t expect her reaction to the situation. She enjoyed being chased by the man and appreciated that he went through with it and persisted until he caught them. She described the event in a way that made it almost seem elegant, but the elegance was ended with the man saying “You stupid kids.” Him saying that ended the almost fictional excitement and drew her back into a far less exciting reality. I think that way of looking at it makes it a lot more interesting than the obvious of her just getting chased and getting caught.
Salvation
I think that it’s really sad how the church basically broke his faith as a child all because he couldn’t see the lord while everyone prayed. I believe in god, but I don’t believe that Jesus can magically appear in your mind and then you can be saved like what was happening in this church. In a way, I feel like he was the only honest child and because of that he looked bad. The second to last boy even told him that he was just leaving to be saved. I feel like that’s probably how the majority felt, and because Langston was honest, he was left sitting alone and looking like a horrible sinner.
I really liked the perspective of the girl. I really didn’t expect her reaction to the situation. She enjoyed being chased by the man and appreciated that he went through with it and persisted until he caught them. She described the event in a way that made it almost seem elegant, but the elegance was ended with the man saying “You stupid kids.” Him saying that ended the almost fictional excitement and drew her back into a far less exciting reality. I think that way of looking at it makes it a lot more interesting than the obvious of her just getting chased and getting caught.
Salvation
I think that it’s really sad how the church basically broke his faith as a child all because he couldn’t see the lord while everyone prayed. I believe in god, but I don’t believe that Jesus can magically appear in your mind and then you can be saved like what was happening in this church. In a way, I feel like he was the only honest child and because of that he looked bad. The second to last boy even told him that he was just leaving to be saved. I feel like that’s probably how the majority felt, and because Langston was honest, he was left sitting alone and looking like a horrible sinner.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Test Post
So this is a test post to make sure that everything is working the way that it's supposed to. So this is my first post. Merry Christmas!
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