Answers to: "Lydia's Story"

1)      I think that Jan Brideau’s main point is that “keeping your head” in emergency situations is key to whether you survive or not.  In the second-to-last paragraph of the story it says, “As Lydia was telling us her story, I heard strength and resolve in her voice.  She was proud that she had “kept her head,” which had saved her life.” 

 

2)      The point of view in this story is “third person.” The impact that this point of view has on me is that I can “see” the water rising.  I can “feel” Lydia’s terror. My point is that I think that this point of view allows me to experience the events of the story as if I am there watching it happen.

 

3)      Jan Brideau had many different methods of making the story come alive.  For example: in the beginning of the story, we are introduced to the VFW hall. “…we were struck by the chemical odor of a cleaning solution so strong that it seemed toxic.”  With this analogy, we can imagine how uncomfortable it must be for those who live in the hall. A different example is:  “The table was bulky and heavy; normally, it took three men to move it.” This sentence gave background on the table so that we may feel Lydia’s astonishment and shock as the table started to float.

 

4)      The first publication of “Lydia’s Story” was in a journal called Health Affairs. My guess is that the audience of this story is made up of people who is watching their health, is currently suffering from an illness, or people who just wants to know more about the world around them.  Words like: “homeless,” “hurricane,” “destroyed,” “drown,” and “terrified” set a tone full of danger and fear which can help readers sympathize with the survivors.  On the other hand, words like: “proud,” “survived,” “new journey,” “determination,” and “hope”  encourages a tone that can uplift readers and give them confidence that, they too, can endure their struggles.

Responses to "Is Everyone An Author?" & Genres (Collaboration)

Jacob agrees that everyone is an author while Amy disagrees.

Noah incorporated in his blog post that musicians, theater, etc… are also authors.

Emily states that everyone has the potential to be a writer, but not everyone can be an author.

  Writer:                                                                    Authors:

Anyone can be a writer	Not everyone can be an author
Informal	Formal
Write for fun	Write for a living
Might be published	Are published
Expresses themselves	Writes literary work I.E. novels

Type of writing:                                                       Why I like/dislike it:

Timed essays	Dislike: It feels too rushed and stressful.
Poems	Like: Easy, fun way to express yourself
Short Story (Fictional)	Like: I like being able to write about whatever I want and to create my own world.
Research Paper	Dislike: I have a short attention span. I also find it difficult to find credible sources and to know how to cite them.
Personal Journal	Dislike: I never know what to say and I always forget to write in it.

Scenario: Ask someone to help get supplies for a party.

Genre: Limerick

There will be a celebration,

Please send out the invitations.

Don’t forget the cake,

Come help clean and decorate.

So this’ll exceed all expectation.

"Is Everyone An Author?"

Is everyone an author? I believe that the answer to this question is a matter of personal opinion.  I read the introduction to the textbook Everyone’s An Author and searched the modern definition of the word “author.”  According to Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary there are two main definitions of “author.”

1) A person who has written something; especially : a person who has written a book or who writes many books

2) A person who starts or creates something (such as a plan or idea)

                Due to advances in the arts and technology, there are many ways to create things and express yourself. You could write stories, poems, songs, reports, articles and blogs. You could create animations and films, music and various other styles of art.  By this definition, yes, everyone is an author.

                On the other hand, this might not be the case. Some people may still define an author the way people did back in the 18^th century.  “And while anyone could potentially be a writer, an author was someone whose work had been published.”  (Lunsford) This definition narrows it down to writer’s who have created a published book, article, or song.

                I personally tend to lean towards the 18^th century definition.  While I firmly belive that everyone is a writer, not everyone is an author.

Citation

Lunsford, Andrea A., Lisa Ede, Beverly Moss, Carole Clark Papper, and Keith Walters.

Everyone's an Author. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.

Collaborative Writing: "Writing"

Emily likes to write personal pieces, poems and fictional short stories.

Jacob enjoys to write fictional stories and research papers.

Amy takes delight in writing papers that are in the first person as well as persuasive essays.

Noah revels in writing first person essays.

     Tones and formality alter depending on the audience which whom we write to. For instance, if it was a political audience we would switch our tone to be more serious. Children books, we have to make the tone be more understandable with youth. It also relies on the genre of your story, for example, in horror stories you want your tone to be slightly aggressive/dark. In contrast, a romance novel has a tone that is more seductive. Your writing persona changes depends on many things, whether it being your audience, genre, time period.