Helpful readings for drafting

From today's readings I would say the most helpful to me in constructing my draft would be the sections on character and voice. In writing this profile essay I think the greatest challenge will be presenting the character of someone in the style of my voice. These sections were great because they discussed the element of character, and how to put the reader in their mind. Doing this in my own voice will be a challenge in itself because I want the reader to be able to connect with the person (character) I am writing about but writing about them in my voice, my words, and from my point of view while trying to stay true to who they are. I believe these two sections are the most helpful for me and I think that after this reading I have a better idea of how I want to draft my essay.

Book club reading expectations

For book club I will be reading Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Normally this would not be a book that I would select, but I am keeping an open mind about this. I have not began reading the book yet, but based on description, I am expecting that this book will be interesting as it talks about the soldiers life as a child and a teenager and how his life led him to be in the army. I am assuming that he will overcome the obstacle of drifting on the raft and will find himself to safety based on the tittle of the book. Overall I think the book will be about his survival to safety floating on the raft while he thinks about the past and his life until that point.

Zepp's Last Stand

Zepp's Last Stand is a profile piece discussing Edward Zepp, an 83 year old man. This article written by Madeleine Blais uses vivid language to describe Zepp in a way that the reader can make a description of the man; she describes Zepp with his physical appearance using a chronological structure to tell his story. "Zepp is bald. He wears fragile glasses. The shoulders are rounded. His pace is stooped and slow." Blais writes about an experience Zepp has had. She uses a letter he had written to his mother and his personal experience to write the story. She uses direct quotes from Zepp to make the story more personal and believable.When she writes "can you picture the man" you can actually make a guess as to what this man has looked like because her language is descriptive and figurative. I believe the language makes a story because it adds a personal element that brings the story to life and make it real to imagine to events, even if they had occurred in the past.

Mrs. Kelly's Monster

Jon Franklin's article was interesting to read. The language he used to write the story kept my interest all the way through. The "terrifying journey through the tunnels of the brain" cam alive with his words. Mrs. Kelly's monster turned out to be a malformation of vessels in her brain that she has lived with for 57 years. The article talks about her surgery procedure of having the 'monster' removed. The way Franklin described it, you can feel Mrs. Kelly's pain as she lived with this monster while raising her children and living her everyday life, and you could feel her fear throughout the surgery. She had to make a difficult decision either to live with the monster or have it removed... Within the article there are bolded quotes that really help them stick out to you as a reader that allows you to related and sympathizes with Mrs. Kelly to feel her emotions. One is "I'm scared to death... but there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not in pain, and I'm tired of it. I can't bear the pain. I wouldn't want to live this like much longer." This quote allows the reader to fear with her, and if you have ever known someone who has gone through a surgery or have gone through one yourself, you will have an easier time reflecting her emotions with yours. By having this quotes stand out, it makes it easier for the reader to fully grasp the full emotion of the story with a quick glance of the page.

Journalistic Essay: Profiling

I had a hard time trying to figure out who I wanted to interview for this assignment. 

Today in class after we shared I think I have finally found someone. Although I am very much in the air about who to select.

My three options are someone I knew from high school who is now a corrections officer, a BSU professor of the English department, Professor Anderson, I like her teaching style, and I believe that she is an interesting person. My sisters roommate Lauren who is a choreographer and dancer. My last option is a friend of my sisters, Alison. She went to school in New York and holds a degree in Journalism. I believe it would be interesting to sit down with her and talk to her in an interview as she is familiar with the interviewing process. She has also been involved with the Miss America pageant.