Reflection on Today's Writing Lab

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to review what we did today in Writing Lab. We were exploring the idea of writing as a conversation--with texts (or whatever you're writing about), with others, and perhaps most importantly, with yourself. In getting your ideas out on paper, you are externalizing the internal conversation you had with the text when you were reading, and you begin to hear your own responses more clearly as you put them into words. Later, when others join the conversation (either in a class discussion, or when you engage with others' ideas in a paper), you respond to their comments and your thinking evolves.

The exercise we did on the Blog was in three parts. First, you chose a quotation that provoked a powerful response in you; you posted that quotation, along with a brief comment explaining why you chose it, and what it meant to you. In the second phase, you left that conversation temporarily to read what others had posted about their quotations, and you responded with a comment of your own. In the third phase, you went back to your original posting and reflected on it by explaining how your ideas developed in response to one or more of the comments.

The 3-part process in this exercise is a model of the 3-part process that you use whenever your are writing an essay in college. First comes "brainstorming"--finding a topic you want to explore (many of you used them as the titles of your first posts), finding texts that relate to that topic, exploring your first thoughts, but without necessarily knowing where you want to go with them. Then comes "drafting"--your first attempt at formulating a statement, developing an argument. The drafting process often involves what you were doing in the second phase of the exercise, too, that is, putting your ideas into a larger conversation (with other texts, and/or other writers). Finally comes "revision"--the moment when you go back to what you wrote at first, with a clearer understanding of what you really want to say, and rewrite with an imaginary reader in mind--a reader you want to engage, excite, convince.

My hope is that thinking of writing as process and as conversation will help free you from the fear that sometimes sets in when you face a writing assignment, such as a paper--the fear that whatever comes out of you onto the screen has to be "it," the full-fledged argument, the final word, and that some invisible Teacher-Reader is hiding inside your head, overhearing everything, poised to jump in and correct you. The more you get used to approaching writing as your own process, the more you'll be able to shut out those negative voices, and the better you'll be able to hear your own.

I'd be really grateful to get YOUR feedback on this writing lab: was the approach new to you in any way? what did you like best about it? what might have worked better for you? do you have any concerns or questions about writing that you'd like us to work on this week? You can post your comments on the Blog, or if you'd prefer to write just to me, my email address is dunn@vassar.edu.

Thanks, Leslie

Response to Yudany

After reading Yudany's post, I realized that in the several times I've read the Gaines' piece, I never once thought about the boy's upbringing, who is parents were, and how they feel about their son's choice to have faith in his mind over his heart and over God. Since this boy seems to be well-educated, I wonder about his socioeconomic background, and whether or not his parents are also well-educated. All of these things contribute to a particular kind of freedom a person feels that they possess... perhaps his parents were more open with him, allowed him or encouraged him to rely more on his mind/logic than matters of the spirit. Or maybe he was a complete rebel. It's difficult to tell, but I do think that it is very important to think about the influences of each individual's background on his/her ways of thinking. Background is by no means the determining factor in how one thinks, but sometimes its influence can be profound.

reaction

as one person said that really made me think is that we should greatful that today we have more freedom compared to back then because there were certain rule they had to obey. Today we can go outside, laugh, and hang out with other colored people including white because certain white people were treated just like black because they were for black rights.

REFLECTION ON: where is the pain being felt?

i agree with the comments that the main problem that richard is having is understanding that his actions will always put him in a position where he will have to be punished one way or another and he must be able to see the REAL war and that it goes much further and is much deeper than simply throwing cyinders at white kids.

What came to mind after reading the comments

I have to say the power of the mind is rich n powerful. " Think with the head not the heart or the other way around." Yes people do forget to about the mind and emphize alot in the heart as well as untained said there has to be a lil of happiness. In deed, there have got to be a balance. But I insist that we should be more aware of the power of our mind. Is the mind the one that have feelings b/c is with it that one think about those emotions. Is our brain the one that control the hormones that cause different feeling not the heart. Is the mind that knows who is fear and anger as well as sadness and happiness. Heart is just an organ wich with imagination and fiction has become a personification given life by humans .

Reflection

Even though I do see the importance of taking action in order to see change, I also see how difficult it can sometimes to take action when there are things that hold you back and when you grew up with a mind set. I agree with Marquita about taking action and not living in fear, however people can easily become accustomed to living that way. It can take a lot to change a persons' entire perspective on life. Not everyone is born to take action and be a leader, however if a person is strong and finds a way to do so then they can change the world and make an impact on the lives other.

this is what i thinki

i agree with sami on my quote but it goes exactly with what im saying. u want the bread because u have thought about how satisfied u are with it. u have the choice to question others who are not satisfied with what they have. that is my perspective. if u dont get the opportunity to even think about how u want bread and others dont... then u are not really living the correct way. we should always question things.. ask y it doesnt change or ask y it should change... but we should always question things

Forced Adulthood- Reflection

What sami said at the end of her comment that the mothers coldness could be a metaphor for the coldness of the Jim Crow laws stuck to me. I guess in a way the mother was preparing him for the future but i think it coulod have been handled differently...theres always a way to get a message across without hurting or making others feel inferior...

Uncle Tom's Children. EZ

After reading the postings I think grass not growing on the yard was more of a symbol of the seperation of class differences between the white neighborhood and the black eighborhood. It probably was't about Richard's lazyness or unkindness. I changed my thought after reading what danielle and aurin had said. And really agreed with them.

Quote Reflection

I recieved some pretty good feedback on my post. John and Ez seemed to agree that Wright was definetly treated injustly. It made me think more into the situation and now I realized that Wright was mistreated not only by whites, but also by his own black peers in the sense that they all tried to shut him down. Whites shut him down out of anger, power, and ignorance. Blacks shut him down out of fear, and their personal need to conform to society. Everywhere he went, Wright faced harsh rejection and only learned of his blunders through harsh reality and brutal punishment.

Never loose your dignity no matter what

I'm going to stick to what initially said in my posting that the mother taught the child a poweful lesson while being at the store. I agree with cezar wen he says that its the right way to race a child during that time period but even now a days. Some people made have tought that the mother was rude to the lady when she was just trying to help them out but truly she was just standing up for herself and showing people that even though they are poor they can stand up for themselves even when being less fortunate than evryone else.

not believing what you're supposed to.....pt.2

I still fell the same about my post. the comments that people left on my post completely agree with what i was thinking when i was writing my explanation. I think that it is always good to be a leader and express how you might think different from other people. Like Aurin said those are the people that now in the present start their own non-prpofit organisations and make a change because they want to, and because they want to follow what they believe

REFLECTION ON THE LITTLE MAN

although the boy is trying hard to make his mother happy and wants to better his situation, i understand john's point in realizing that the boy alone cannot change th conditions around him. this story was more about difference and oppertunity and because the boy was so willing to change things and make his mother feel better, he will grow up to be one of the brave men who change what they CAN AND HAVE THE ABILTIY to change, hoping that the little changes will lead to bigger and better ones for society.

A LITTLE MAN

"I wonder what Mama's thinkiing. I hope she ain't mad at me. When summer com i'm go'n pick plenty cotton and get her a coat. I'm go'n get her a red one." (THE SKY IS GRAY)

-It is very wise and mature for a boy at age eight to think about his mother as often as this boy does. He is ablt to at a young age take her feelings into consideration and find ways to make his mother happy, knowing that she is working hard to support him. He wants to try and help support her too which is both admirable and surprising.

Where is the pain being felt?

"It was alright to throw cinders. The greates harm a cinder could do was leave a bruise. But broken bottles were dangerous; they left you cut, bleeding, and helpess." (The ethics of living jim crow)

-Was it truly alright to throw cinders? What makes it ok for one child to hurt another, even if it is only a bruise. It is not ok to bruise other children as a form of playing. However, to Richard throwing cinders was ok because HE was the one throwing them and the bottles were dangerous because HE was left "cut, bleeding, and helpless." In actuality none of the children should have been playing wasr, but little Richard was beat not really for fighting with the other kids, but for fighting with the white children in the neighborhood. He needed to be taght that in the time of Jim Crow it was not ok even at a young age to try to fight the whites, it was dangerous hazrdous and forbidden.

Uncle Tom's Children. EZ

"Nothing green ever grew in that yard."