In order to become the writer I aspired to be post-undergrad, I knew I needed to change some of my static habits. One of these conventions was consuming the same type of literature year after year and not allowing myself enough time to write. So I began taking recommendations from peers I respected and read works from writers I had met. Raymond Carver, Junot Díaz, Colum McCann, Anne Lamott, Sherman Alexi, Dorothea Brande, George Saunders and Lance Olsen are a handful of the writers I discovered. All have affected my own writing, but after reading many works from Carver, McCann and Díaz, I mostly saw the valued change they provided for my craft. After reading Carver 's collection of short stories, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, I was very intrigued. Mostly because the uniqueness of Carver 's writing was so immediate. It is simplified, but the ideas and meanings are complex. I became influenced by these implied messages and his work drove me to question literature and what it’s meant to do. Stories have themes and certain arguments, but who says they need to make sense all of the time? Who says simplicity can’t breed complexity? Meanwhile, writers like McCann and Díaz oppose Carver and have also influenced my writing with their persistent styles and themes. Unlike Carver 's short and simple sentence structure, their works feature long, beautiful prose that describes people, feelings, places and things in new ways. Although
Stephanie Coontz is a teacher, historian, author and a scholar activist. She has also very indulged in the world of public debate on families, this mostly due possible because of her extensive skills to study modern families as well as historical patterns. In her book The Way We Never Were, Coontz presents a historical look at the family and how it has changed over time. Her interest in the subject comes for her need to understand how families functioned in the past and present, and what lead to notion and definition of family nowadays.
The idea of universal love is one that is prevalent in the media. With the news filled with grim stories and horror many people are calling to the idea of loving everyone. Tensions are high concerning race relations, gender discrimination, and sexual orientation. Many in the general public are calling for humanity to embrace humanity. Many in the general public are asking “why we can’t just love one another”? Stephen T. Asma tackles this idea of love in his article published in the New York Times. Asma discusses two different ideas about universal love before offering his own take on the subject. Just as Asma states, universal love is a myth and closer personal relationships should be favored.
From writing thoughtful poems to research papers, I have experienced composing a diverse portfolio of literary analysis and criticisms throughout the school year. I started out the year writing minimally. By the end of the year, I noticed I was able to express my ideas and thoughts in a more clear and concise way on paper. Ultimately, each composition allowed me to widen my horizons as a writer and see how I could improve as a writer.
The short story “The Love Of My Life” by T.C. Boyle's examines two couples who are imagined to be inseparable and how no love comes closer to theirs. The story follows young high school couples who are in the merge of a bright future. They are always together “wearing each other like a pair socks”. They idolized the love they share is something far from real and it is true love. While Jeremy is set to attend Brown and on the other hand China were in Binghamton things took wrong turn. Over the summer before their going to college they mistakenly conceived a baby while they are at a camping trip. The story was pleasant and everything was green and China and Jeremy went to a trip together and had sex. The couples were so keen to avoid this from
Ever since the invention of language, humans have been obsessed and intrigued with the aspect of storytelling. Each story, whether written or spoken, holds an important theme within its creative words and exciting plot. While each story is special and unique, over the course of history, different periods of literature have formed where authors tend to focus on similar themes and messages. One of which was the American Romantic era, where authors used their stories to challenge the boundaries of society, and delve deeper into what makes people inherently human, both the flaws and perfections. Some of America’s greatest works of literature were born in this period, like those of Poe, and Hawthorne. A very common literary theme during the romantic period was that of good versus evil, in both individual characters and society as a whole; this theme is especially evident in works such as The Tell Tale Heart, The Raven, and Young Goodman Brown.
Though this work is like many of Carver’s other works with dialog, average hippi, working class people only this one illustrates his own new forsight in how to write. Yet this work still leaves you hanging in the moment as with all his literature
This self-evaluation helps the characters overcome their crisis of communication, which progressively transforms them throughout the story. Minimalism simultaneously affects the different forms of communication in Carvers writing.
Carver applies a minimalist style to his unique writing by taking away any and all unnecessary words. When read by the naked eye, Carver’s word selection appears simple, direct, and limited; however, this type of diction is effective for his writing purpose. The story describes a young couple starting out in life. The phrase “things change” is used to make the reader make inferences and draw conclusions. The boy explains, “Things change, he says.
The short story is written in a colloquial tone and reads similarly to an unfocused train of thought, conveying simplicity and realism within the piece. The narrator frequently drifts from a complete statement to an aside throughout the narrative; for example, while discussing the poem his wife composed about her friend Robert he offhandedly recalls, “...I didn’t think much of the poem. Of course, I didn’t tell her that. Maybe I just don’t understand poetry,” (Carver 356). This passage, and others similar to it, cause the flow of the plot to meander, rather than adhere to a strict linear format. Additionally, while the abrupt and nonchalant remarks hold little substance to the narrator, they give the reader a window to the substantial disconnect between the narrator and his peers.
In the book Life is so Good, George Dawson and Richard Glaubman give a very rare representation of life in the early 1900s. George Dawson, a poor and illiterate black man tells life as it is through his experiences. These many life experiences are portrayed in new stories told chapter by chapter intrigue the reader of the book. This paper will review Dawson’s many stories and his perspective on life at the time, as well as the way his views and mindset compares to the philosophy of African Americans at this time.
1.) Reading all of these pieces I felt I had to go back through and re-read, at least once. Carver’s pieces all carry really strong messages, and make you think although they all have a very monotonous tone. I find this to be especially evident in his poetry. The two poems we read are both things that personally affected him throughout his life(his father and class). In both there is no noticeable emotion, they carry messages without being personal. I’m conflicted if I like this or not. In almost all literature there is tangible emotion. Even in fictional pieces you can find that. It’s something I take for granted; it really draws a reader in and makes them feel connected or empathetic to the story. Reading Carver’s work, it lacks this. This
To a reader unfamiliar with his work, Raymond Carver's short story, "Little Things" may seem devoid of all literary devices owning to good writing. Fortunately, these people are mistaken. With his minimalistic style, it is what Carver doesn't write that makes his work so effective. Most of Carver's short stories describe situations that many people could find themselves in and that is why his work is so appealing to readers. They are not restricted to harsh explicative details or over-dramatized language, but are allowed to create their own rationale for the actions of the characters and the consequent results.
Finding the Love of Your Life was written by Neil Clark Warren, PH.D., and in this book he explains his ten basic principles of finding the right mate to spend your life with. He teaches people how to understand the two different types of love: passionate love and companionate love. He states that many do not get past the passionate love portion which is why many people go from relationship to relationship when the passion wears off.
Moreover, it’s crucial that I understand and make use of the particular conventions of each of these genres of writing. In my quest to reach those goals and be a more successful writer, I know I need to practice time-management, honing my writing skills, collaboration; in terms of the review and revision process, as well as focusing on the best strategies to properly convey the desired affect on the work’s audience.
Writing has always been something I dread. It’s weird because I love talking and telling stories, but the moment I have to write it all down on paper, I become frantic. It’s almost as if a horse race just begun in my mind, with hundreds of horses, or words, running through my mind, unable to place them in chronological order. Because I struggle to form satisfying sentence structure, it takes me hours, sometimes even days, to write one paper. It’s not that I think I’m a “bad writer,” I just get discouraged easily. Needless to say, I don’t think highly of my writing skills. When I was little I loved to both read and write. I read just about any book I could get my hands on, and my journal was my go to for my daily adventures. Although it’s