Final

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Ferguson Reaction

By no means do I think that we've seen the end of racism in this world.  That doesn't necessarily mean that I believe Officer Wilson is racist but the situation probably would have been handled a lot differently if Michael Brown was white.  I don't blame the town of Ferguson for lashing out but I definitely don't agree with the riots and the looting.  There is no way that anyone can move on or find peace if they continue the fighting at such an extreme.  Last night, Officer Wilson resigned and I think it's for the best.  With my own personal feelings aside, I believe Wilson made the right choice because there was such a high risk for him to go out and do his job.  Nobody from Ferguson is going to forget his face and he would never be able to live it down.

The Working Poor

"If we have nothing, we have each other."  I absolutely love that chapter seven started out with this quote by a mother of three kids named Kara.  As important and necessary as money is in this world, it does not create happiness.  I think that is an important message not only throughout this book but in life.  Close to all of the stories I've read so far in this book have not exactly been on the happier side but in most cases, the subjects of the stories stay positive.  I thought it was very interesting reading the part about the family's check being paid for when they went out for dinner.  Instead of being excited and grateful like I had thought she would be, Kara got angry and seemed a little embarrassed.  Each chapter makes me feel more grateful for all of the opportunities I've had and will continue to have in my life.

Death of a Playmate

I was very intrigued reading this story.  Within the first few sentences, I was already hooked because I knew how Dorothy's life ended but not the events that lead up to it.  I found the story to be interesting because when I think of Playboy bunnies, I don't think of their lives and their stories or where they come from; I just think of them as Playboy bunnies.  I liked that we were given Dorothy's backstory because it put her life into perspective and humanized her.  I did have a hard time following the story at some points because of the way the pages were set up but it had nothing to do with the writing.  Teresa Carpenter did a very nice job writing about Dorothy.

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The Working Poor part 2

The more I read from Shipler's book, the more grateful I am for what I have in my life.  He wrote about a woman named Caroline that worked at Wal-Mart.  I definitely felt for Caroline because she worked hard to get to where she is now.  She earned her associate's degree and got her own house after being homeless with her daughter.  She was discriminated against at her work for the simple fact that she was older and she has no teeth.  A man was hired after her and was immediately paid more than her.  It's not fair that she is being treated any different for her appearance.  I am very lucky to have a job in a restaurant that pays me fairly.  I also feel lucky for my teeth.

In another chapter, I learned about a sewing factory that a man named Juan works at.  They are very sneaky in the way that they pay their employees.  Instead of paying minimum wage, the employer pays based on how much work was done.  Most of the employees only end up making $3 an hour.  If the minimum wage is raised, the required speed of production is also raised so that they don't have to give out any more money than they were before.

The Working Poor Reading

I was surprisingly intrigued by what I've read so far.  Unfortunately, I found myself being able to relate to a lot of topics that Shipler mentions.  Growing up the youngest of five, my parents definitely did not have a lot of money and have always lived paycheck to paycheck.  Some of the stories in the book are heartbreaking and some parts stood out more than others. On page 10, Shipler wrote about the way poor people define poverty.  A fifteen year old girl from New Hampshire used the word "hopelessness" to describe it.  A quote on the next page really put their situations into perspective.  It reads, "A run-down apartment can exacerbate a child's asthma, which leads to a call for an ambulance, which generates a medical bill that cannot be paid, which ruins a credit record, which hikes the interest rate on an auto loan, which forces the purchase of an unreliable used car, which jeopardizes a mother's punctuality at work, which limits her promotions and earning capacity, which confines her to poor housing."  That shows the true struggle that people suffering from poverty go through on a normal day.  It is nearly impossible to move past debts when one leads to another.  It is absolutely heartbreaking to read.  I've already learned some valuable pieces of information that could help me in my own future.  The book went into a lot of good detail about W2's and other tax forms.  I hope that the more I read, the more I will continue to learn about this issue and maybe even help my family and others.

Topics and Narrative

Degregory writes that one of the most important parts of writing about a topic is that you have to be at the scene.  It's not enough to just hear about it.  The other necessary condition is that you have to have access to the person's everyday life and have an insight.  I found the part about the transgendered girl eye opening because sometimes I'll focus on one topic for such a long time and realize I have nothing worth writing and I may give up.  For Degregory, it took ten months for her story to finally have a meaning but it seems that it was worth the time.

When reading the ten tips written by Kramer, I thought the most helpful tip was "pinpoint your subjects' emotional experience, not your own."  Most if not all of the writing that I've done has been based off of my own feelings toward the subject and I need to learn to think about not just my response but the character's response like Kramer said.  I also like the tip about using metaphors because sometimes metaphors can help put situations into perspective and can brighten up the piece.

Telling True Stories

One of the most important parts of the reading that I took away is that using a lot of quotes isn't always the best idea.  Overusing them will not interest the reader and it's best to use them sparingly.  In Susan Orlean's piece, "On Voice," she explains that she sometimes finds herself writing in the same voice as one of her characters.  It's important to keep your voice your voice and keep their voice their voice.  It can be very easy to mix the two without even noticing.

The Working Poor

I am excited to read The Working Poor by David Shipler because it is about something that is becoming more and more relevant every day. My understanding is that the book will inform readers what it's like for the poor people around the world that work hard and still struggle. Growing up as one of five, I know first hand how much of a struggle it really is for parents that work hard every day and still can't afford some of the things that children really need to success in life. I'm excited to read this book and hear about other people's perspectives.

Mrs. Kelly's Monster

While reading Mrs. Kelly's Monster by John Franklin, I was on my toes and really felt as if I was in the operating room with Dr. Ducker. I felt nervous with each "pop". One of the writing techniques that I thought worked really well and put things into perspective was the use of time. I found it to be very effective to see how long each step of the operation really took. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed at the end. I had really high hopes for Mrs. Kelly to defeat the monster taking over her brain but it was clear that Dr. Ducker did everything possible to help save her life. It was definitely an interesting profile to read because it showed Dr. Ducker's perspective as well as a little bit of Mrs. Kelly's.

Zepp's Last Stand

I enjoyed reading the story by Madeleine Blais because I was intrigued to find out what the outcome would be for the eighty-three year old veteran. I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning. The physical descriptions really helped me put the story into perspective as well as Zepp's attitude towards his past life events and the world. Instead of being angry or bitter about the dishonorable discharge back in 1919, Zepp focuses on making it right and proving it to himself that he deserved an honorable discharge. At times, I had a hard time reading the story because of how often Blais would switch back and forth between the present time and his past time at the Pentagon. I was a little let down at the end when all of the build up led to everyone agreeing except for one person.

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The three most interesting people that I know are my roommate's mother, my English teacher from high school, and a comedian that works at the Improv Asylum in Boston.

My roommate's mother, Lisa Wilder, is spunky and spiritual.  I find myself in awe every time she speaks because of the way she carries herself and sees the world.  I have no doubt in my mind that there is a story waiting to be told about her.

Andrea Clifford was my English teacher during my freshman and senior years.  She was always one of my favorites because of her nurturing personality and her wise lessons.  During class a few times, she mentioned how she was rebellious as a teenager but wouldn't say what she did because she didn't want to seem unprofessional.  Now that I'm in college, I'm hoping she'll be willing to share some of her crazy stories.

Matthew Griffin is a comedian at the Improv Asylum in Boston.  I have been two times and each time I thought I was going to get thrown out for laughing too loud.  In high school, I was awarded the superlative for funniest girl so I would love to have a conversation with someone that does what I love to do for a living.