Just a note: I tend to be overly verbose when I find something that fascinates me. In my haste to get my ideas out into open air, I tend to talk... and talk... but my ideas sometimes lack the clarity my mind provides, because unnecessary words clutter up my clear thinking. When put down on paper, this makes essays a chore to get through, especially when I'm passionate about what I have to say. We can summarize this by saying that I rarely get the comment "Please elaborate!" when papers are returned.
But on to my thought process during the essay. I found the evidence plan surprisingly helpful in organizing my thoughts so I wouldn't get overwhelmed. In middle school, I was generally able to construct essays without too much effort on my part, so I was concerned this would just be an unnecessary step that took up effort and wasted time. However, I found it so useful and noticed a dramatic difference in my writing quality. Once I had a clear idea of what I wanted my 'big idea' to be, it was easier to craft the paragraphs to fit that purpose rather than try to great a great essay from the beginning without knowing what I wanted at the end. In that way, I was able to 'edit' in my mind as I wrote things down, saving me time and sanity.
Writing this essay really made me appreciate the tragic and beautiful story presented in this book. When I was forced to analyze the language and subtleties Hosseini weaves into his memoir, it helped me to really understand the characters as more dynamics were introduced. Because I am fascinated by acting and writing (which are occasionally meant to go hand in hand) I have a love for the subtle layers in expressing what makes up a person. Being forced to draw my own conclusions and elaborate on them in an essay gave me a lot of ideas on how to improve my own skills. My 'real-life focus' kept me motivated and encouraged me to see the beauty in silence, in pauses, and in characters. I can honestly say this story connected with me in a way I'd love to experience again, and getting a chance to put my thoughts down clearly on paper was truly a learning experience.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Blogging Around with the lovely Lauren and terrific Taylor
Lauren's Blog: Endings and Ambiguity
In Lauren's blog, she explored the idea of closure in books and how our need for closure might affect the truth of a story. She wanted to see the other side of the story, the side where Amir never gets the peace he desires and the side that the West doesn't want to see.
My response:
Wow. I find that really interesting as well, because I'm comforted by closure. I think when we have a story where there's no doubt about how everything works out, the thinking stops and it's easy to just turn off your light and go to bed. That's nice for a school night when you're tired and the first thing you're looking forward to is sleep. But on the other hand, if there's nowhere to let your mind wander after the last page, how good can it be? Shouldn't every story have that one idea that you can still work out after the assignment's done?
I personally think the best kind of endings are when there's a story closure but not an idea closure. The story always must have an overlying theme that relates to our world, and that can never be cut off. The specific problem in a book might be resolved, but the author gives you room to formulate your own ideas about how else the problem could have been solved.
Basically, if there's a major plot line error that is never addressed in the end, I have a problem. For example: A major villain in the beginning simply falls off the pages of the book? Major issue. Simply ignoring something doesn't give a story a mysterious edge, it just frustrates and doesn't accomplish anything. But a cliffhanger strikes a nice balance because it acknowledges the problem and then pulls back, smirking, saying "Well, I don't think I'm going to tell you that just yet."
Personally, I think Hosseini tied up the ending nicely, but the idea of redemption and atonement still remained. He doesn't claim to have the answers to how everyone's sins are dealt with, so the ideas you can chew on are still there. I feel that Amir's closure made up for Baba's ambiguity, which Hosseini gives us to explore if we so chose.
Taylor's Blog: Begging for Redemption
Taylor explores the idea of the author-character struggle that is present in the story, and how it enriches Amir's development as a person. She talks about the importance of Hosseini wanting to FORCE Amir to redeem himself.
My Response:
Because the idea of the struggle you explore is very similar to what I wrote about in my essay, I have to say that I agree with you completely. I thought that the connection between Hosseini and Amir was incredible, and liked that you brought up that the "Hosseini gave Amir plenty of chances to atone for his sins". That the auther is actually giving the character redeeming power is very cool, because it provides development of Amir's character as he refuses a chance for peace each time. It's aggravating and encouraging at the same time, because we want Amir to make the right choice but know he needs to come to terms a bit more first. The fact that the author-character struggle is palpable just demonstrates Hosseini's talent in delivering the story. It allows you to fully immerse yourself in the story, because you have to decide what the author wants versus what he is making the character want, which makes you think. Altogether, the story is made richer as the tension increases.
In Lauren's blog, she explored the idea of closure in books and how our need for closure might affect the truth of a story. She wanted to see the other side of the story, the side where Amir never gets the peace he desires and the side that the West doesn't want to see.
My response:
Wow. I find that really interesting as well, because I'm comforted by closure. I think when we have a story where there's no doubt about how everything works out, the thinking stops and it's easy to just turn off your light and go to bed. That's nice for a school night when you're tired and the first thing you're looking forward to is sleep. But on the other hand, if there's nowhere to let your mind wander after the last page, how good can it be? Shouldn't every story have that one idea that you can still work out after the assignment's done?
I personally think the best kind of endings are when there's a story closure but not an idea closure. The story always must have an overlying theme that relates to our world, and that can never be cut off. The specific problem in a book might be resolved, but the author gives you room to formulate your own ideas about how else the problem could have been solved.
Basically, if there's a major plot line error that is never addressed in the end, I have a problem. For example: A major villain in the beginning simply falls off the pages of the book? Major issue. Simply ignoring something doesn't give a story a mysterious edge, it just frustrates and doesn't accomplish anything. But a cliffhanger strikes a nice balance because it acknowledges the problem and then pulls back, smirking, saying "Well, I don't think I'm going to tell you that just yet."
Personally, I think Hosseini tied up the ending nicely, but the idea of redemption and atonement still remained. He doesn't claim to have the answers to how everyone's sins are dealt with, so the ideas you can chew on are still there. I feel that Amir's closure made up for Baba's ambiguity, which Hosseini gives us to explore if we so chose.
Taylor's Blog: Begging for Redemption
Taylor explores the idea of the author-character struggle that is present in the story, and how it enriches Amir's development as a person. She talks about the importance of Hosseini wanting to FORCE Amir to redeem himself.
My Response:
Because the idea of the struggle you explore is very similar to what I wrote about in my essay, I have to say that I agree with you completely. I thought that the connection between Hosseini and Amir was incredible, and liked that you brought up that the "Hosseini gave Amir plenty of chances to atone for his sins". That the auther is actually giving the character redeeming power is very cool, because it provides development of Amir's character as he refuses a chance for peace each time. It's aggravating and encouraging at the same time, because we want Amir to make the right choice but know he needs to come to terms a bit more first. The fact that the author-character struggle is palpable just demonstrates Hosseini's talent in delivering the story. It allows you to fully immerse yourself in the story, because you have to decide what the author wants versus what he is making the character want, which makes you think. Altogether, the story is made richer as the tension increases.
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