Jamaica Kincaid's "On Seeing England for the First Time"

Of the four pieces we read in Writing and Place I thought that Jamaica Kincaid's "On Seeing England for the First Time" used thick description most effectively. Kincaid used thick description so well that after I finished reading her story I felt that there would be no need for me to take an English history class! The way she described England was so detailed and very patriotic, that it gave me the goosebumps after only reading the first paragraph. "This is England"-and she said it with authority, seriousness, and adoration, and we all sat up". She is telling us how great the old England was and how much everyone adored the country. She tells us how much history and tradition the country had, that it made me wish that i was apart of something so great.
Unfortunately, the thick description turns south after she visits for the second time. Now, all grown up she takes a good look at the "real" England and realizes that it's not at all what it use to be. Everything has changed for the worse and the way she desbribes England now makes you never want to go there. The people, the food, the culture, everything is groteske to her now."I said, my husband and I hate princes, my husband would never wear anything that had a prince's anything on it." He hatred towards England is so bad that she is very rude to everyone. The prince is a very well-respected man in England and her saying that she hates him is the icing on the cake telling the audience how badly she dislikes the country. Kincaid really took me for a loop while reading this story because at first she speaks so highly of England and by the end of it she is saying things like," It was not at that moment that I wished every sentence, everything I knew, that began with England would end with " and then it all died."

Why group work fails or succeeds- Roskelly

I think group work succeeds. I know many many people would love to disagree, but overall group work is a great method of bringing people and their ideas together. I agree with the statement two heads are better than one and this could not be a better time to use that sang. By bringing a small group of classmates together and letting them all express their opinions and thoughts is a great way to come out with one great result. Now of course there are the few straggler groups or stragglers in a good group, but nothings truly perfect. When Roskelly said all writers need to hear their own voices, and it is only possible to hear them through others voices, I was sold right then and there on why group work succeeds. I read that statement and then thought about my past group work experiences and remembered when I would say my opinion and right after someone else would say something, then another would express how they felt, and right then and there the group took off. It didn't matter if we all agreed what one had to say, it mattered that we were expressing our selves and overall working as a group.

Eng 111 Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird

After reading Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, I read the first few paragraphs and felt great about myself. The reason I felt so great was because right away I took a great deal to heart knowing that I was absolutely agreeing with her perspective on writing. In our first assignment we were asked, " How does one become a good writer"? Anne Lamott could not have explained it any better in her first paragraph when saying start with a shitty first draft. I feel like practice makes perfect. No matter if it's a sport, acting, teaching,working, and last but not least, writing. Writing is something that no one is truly good at on their first try and it is very frustrating because it takes so much hard work and effort. When Anne said in the first paragraph that no writers sit down and feel like a million bucks because they know that it is just not simply true. The are being real and knowing that this first draft that the whip out of no where and nothing but rambling and random thoughts is going to be simply shitty. The upside to this very shitty first draft is one, the writer knows that the second one is going to be better and two, they could come out with something that they never thought would come out thinking "rationally". Anne couldn't be more correct in my mind because she is being 100% honest and it seems like in this day and age one doesn't see much of that. I am very glad to have read this article because with the year just starting it is good to have a little reminder in your head that is saying, if you give it some time and effort it will all come together in the end.

Eng 111 Blog Responce

1) Good writing is something that is very easy and comfortable to read. Also, good writing flows very smoothly.

2) One becomes a good writer by lots and lots of practice. Like everything else, many difficult things take much practice, time, and effort and that includes writing for sure.

3) Why is writing so technical and difficult to master?

4) The two most difficult things for me as a writer are coming up with a dead on thesis and the second one is sometimes I go way off the topic or point I am trying to conclude. The easiest thing for me as a writer is being creative and being able to tell a personal story.