This blog is a place where you and your fellow ENG101 classmates can share your work. Feel free to post any of your brainstorm ideas or your essay drafts - anything from your first to final drafts. Pay attention to each other, make thoughtful contributions, ask plenty of questions, and most importantly, enjoy each other!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
RL #8 Personal Response to Content: Fisher & Sanders
“The Measure of My Powers” I liked this essay quite a bit. I don’t think there is any big life lesson she is trying to convey in it, but she describes the feel and tone of the duties that her grandmother and mother brought upon themselves at several times of year. She described how they would make mundane and otherwise boring tasks into a “ritual” that would bring some sort of excitement or absolute necessity to what they were doing, whether it be spring cleaning or canning fruits.
“Buckeye” My first impression of this story is a rich description of his father. I liked the story a lot, because I can relate to this one too, just like Fischer’s story. I never knew my grandfather, but I have to believe he was a lot like Sanders’ father, the way he described him.
Am I the only girl our age who absolutely adores the time period Fisher’s story was set? I fall in love with a story simply due to a certain time period –that can’t be a good quality in a writer- Aside from that, I cannot say I enjoyed the content entirely well. Maybe that’s because the purpose of the story is not something I can relate to—I think. As for Sander’s I enjoyed his use of dialogue. It flowed very well with the story, and helped the reader get a better feel of the character. The little excerpts of dialogue never seemed forced which is hard to do. -patricia
I enjoyed both of the essays because you could sense pride in both of the young children. Sanders and Fisher were writing memoirs of moments in their childhood that stuck in their minds. In “The Measure of my Powers” Fisher idolizes her grandmother’s assertiveness. When she writes, “She [her grandmother] was a grim woman, as if she had decided long ago that she could thus most safely get to Heaven” (297) readers can tell this four year old child wishes she had that same solid ground. Another aspect of this essay that I was drawn too was the silliness of Fisher’s four year old perspective. I totally agreed with her when she confessed, “Such a beautiful smelly task should be fun, I thought” (297). Only a young child would see the fun in a more serious task that, too adults, was mute and tough. I felt her essay brought out the kid in me, and that’s why I enjoyed reading it.
Sanders essay brought out some of the same child-like characteristics, but had more of an elder perspective. I got this feeling right from the first sentence, “Years after my father’s heart quit, I keep in a wooden box on my desk the two buckeyes that were in his pocket when he died” (384). That sentence instantly gives off a feeling of uneasiness; I had death on my mind as I read the rest of the essay. This sentence also makes readers feel like an older man is narrating because it says years after his father died, which I assumed to be four or so. In addition to that, the average son lives to be at least 30 before his father dies. Sander’s tone lacked the fun that Fisher’s essay contained.
"The Measure of my Powers" was a somewhat interesting. It exposed a time period to me that I've never read or researched very much. I thought the Grandmother was an interesting character, the way she took total control of the kitchen made me laugh because I'm sure every family has somebody like that. This essay was a feel-good essay and I think everything that the author wanted to present was on surface level, I couldn't find any hidden messages besides maybe a sense of gratitude and pride in her family and their usual tradition.
"Buckeye" proved to be an interesting read. When the author was describing the woods and different trees I can relate directly to it because I used to wander through the forests with my father and he would point out all of the tree and the differences. I used to be amazed that he could tell the difference because to me, they were all just trees. Once again there was a feeling of pride in this story. The daughter was proud of the way her dad lived his life and how he could do so much with wood. I thought the part about the museums was pretty funny because I can see my Dad doing the same thing.
I really adored both of the essays, equally. I thought they were really well matched portrayals of family, and how they mean something so powerful, so unifying.
"The Measure of My Powers" was really strong, and timeless. I realized that it was about the Victorian era-- but I could feel the similarities of now; the overly eager child, the happy, youthful Mother. Most people don't have such stern Grandparents anymore, but I have grown up with a family with more old mentalities. I also thought the aging that was portrayed in the essay was really well done. You could almost feel her shift from very, very young, to older-- more introspective. It really struck me.
"Buckeye" was really sweet. I really loved how the son seemed so "connected" with his father, and you could just tell via the passion he was writing with. I had an uncle just like this man, quiet, folksy, a carpenter. You could tell those types of men saw the world through their woodwork, "On the rare occasions when my mother coaxed him into a museum, he ignored the paintings or porcelain and studied the exhibit cases, the banisters, the moldings, the parquet floors." It's a different breed of simplicity.
Both essays had appreciable qualities. I noticed as I was reading Fisher's that it was "vehemently feminine" while Sander's was "roughly masculine." Essentially, like everyone's picked up on, it's about two sides of a family portrait (though different families).
It was interesting, the both of them, because in their own ways they are the same story. They are about a fond memory of childhood with an important same gendered parental figure doing something more gender specific. With Sanders, it was tromping through the woods with his father, learning all the different trees and his father's love of wood. With Fisher it was about the time of the year that her mother grandmother and cook made jams and canned fruits for winter.
I liked the content of the essay because it showed Fisher’s youth and the innocence that came with it. Looking back, Fisher adds comments to make this even more clear, such as “All I knew then about the actual procedure was that we had delightful picnic meals while Grandmother and Mother and the cook worked with a kind of drugged concentration in our big dark kitchen”. I was never challenged with the movement of the essay, although this did not make me bored. I loved the content of her description because it was so full of sensory details that it made me feel like I was there.
2)I really enjoyed the content of this essay because Sanders really described his father in a way to reveal his funny little idiosyncrasies. I thought that the movement flowed through the paragraphs until the very last paragraph. That was an odd transition but I think it made the story much more significant. That was the only part that challenged me, thinking of the last paragraph in the context of the story.
The content of both of these essays were remembering parts of your childhood. I liked both of these because they made me think about things I learned growing up. Both of the writers really portrayed the love of a family well.
I liked the essay "Buckeye". I like the content of it because it reminded me of my grandpa. Even though his father played with the buckeyes in his pocket, it made me think of my grandpa who always plays with the change in his pocket.
I liked "The Measure of My Powers". I liked it because it brought back the time period of where the womemn were always in the kitchen, and men were never allowed. It shows how much times and roles have changed since then. Now, men and women are equal, and duties of each are equal.
I thought that both the essays were pretty good. But I did enjoy the youthful of them and how it made me go back to my own childhood and cherish those little moments. I agree with Chris though, what exactly was the message suppose to be in Fisher's essay?
In Sanders essay since the first paragraph talked about death, it made the essay somewhat sad and dark from the beginning to the end. But the end sentence about the "lone bucks" and how you had to be very quiet to be within the paces of them made me think that if Sanders was quiet enough he could hear his father.
I enjoyed both of the essays. Both of the essays were well writen.
Patricia Hill, I dont know if you are the only girl our age to like that time period but I do like that time period to. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to live in that time period. I think i would have loved it.
Both essays were really writen well and I believe that both showed the true beauty of a family.
I also enjoyed both of the essays. They were well written and easy to understand and follow. They are the kind of essays that make you think of your past memories as they do the same as well. Both were feel good essays.
I enjoyed it also, i have a lot of memories dating back from when i lived in Alabama. My grandmother and I used to do stuff like this all the time, but ever since she passed away, i lost that part of her, and it makes me sad...
16 comments:
I enjoyed the content, once again because it brings fond memories back to me. i liked this essay and everything about it.
“The Measure of My Powers” I liked this essay quite a bit. I don’t think there is any big life lesson she is trying to convey in it, but she describes the feel and tone of the duties that her grandmother and mother brought upon themselves at several times of year. She described how they would make mundane and otherwise boring tasks into a “ritual” that would bring some sort of excitement or absolute necessity to what they were doing, whether it be spring cleaning or canning fruits.
“Buckeye” My first impression of this story is a rich description of his father. I liked the story a lot, because I can relate to this one too, just like Fischer’s story. I never knew my grandfather, but I have to believe he was a lot like Sanders’ father, the way he described him.
Am I the only girl our age who absolutely adores the time period Fisher’s story was set? I fall in love with a story simply due to a certain time period –that can’t be a good quality in a writer- Aside from that, I cannot say I enjoyed the content entirely well. Maybe that’s because the purpose of the story is not something I can relate to—I think. As for Sander’s I enjoyed his use of dialogue. It flowed very well with the story, and helped the reader get a better feel of the character. The little excerpts of dialogue never seemed forced which is hard to do.
-patricia
I enjoyed both of the essays because you could sense pride in both of the young children. Sanders and Fisher were writing memoirs of moments in their childhood that stuck in their minds. In “The Measure of my Powers” Fisher idolizes her grandmother’s assertiveness. When she writes, “She [her grandmother] was a grim woman, as if she had decided long ago that she could thus most safely get to Heaven” (297) readers can tell this four year old child wishes she had that same solid ground. Another aspect of this essay that I was drawn too was the silliness of Fisher’s four year old perspective. I totally agreed with her when she confessed, “Such a beautiful smelly task should be fun, I thought” (297). Only a young child would see the fun in a more serious task that, too adults, was mute and tough. I felt her essay brought out the kid in me, and that’s why I enjoyed reading it.
Sanders essay brought out some of the same child-like characteristics, but had more of an elder perspective. I got this feeling right from the first sentence, “Years after my father’s heart quit, I keep in a wooden box on my desk the two buckeyes that were in his pocket when he died” (384). That sentence instantly gives off a feeling of uneasiness; I had death on my mind as I read the rest of the essay. This sentence also makes readers feel like an older man is narrating because it says years after his father died, which I assumed to be four or so. In addition to that, the average son lives to be at least 30 before his father dies. Sander’s tone lacked the fun that Fisher’s essay contained.
I liked Fisher. I could relate to it. I use to help my grandma with things like that when I was growing up.
Sanders, I really didn't like it. It seem to drag on. I found it to be kind of boring. I did like how he used the dialogue within it.
"The Measure of my Powers" was a somewhat interesting. It exposed a time period to me that I've never read or researched very much. I thought the Grandmother was an interesting character, the way she took total control of the kitchen made me laugh because I'm sure every family has somebody like that. This essay was a feel-good essay and I think everything that the author wanted to present was on surface level, I couldn't find any hidden messages besides maybe a sense of gratitude and pride in her family and their usual tradition.
"Buckeye" proved to be an interesting read. When the author was describing the woods and different trees I can relate directly to it because I used to wander through the forests with my father and he would point out all of the tree and the differences. I used to be amazed that he could tell the difference because to me, they were all just trees. Once again there was a feeling of pride in this story. The daughter was proud of the way her dad lived his life and how he could do so much with wood. I thought the part about the museums was pretty funny because I can see my Dad doing the same thing.
I really adored both of the essays, equally. I thought they were really well matched portrayals of family, and how they mean something so powerful, so unifying.
"The Measure of My Powers" was really strong, and timeless. I realized that it was about the Victorian era-- but I could feel the similarities of now; the overly eager child, the happy, youthful Mother. Most people don't have such stern Grandparents anymore, but I have grown up with a family with more old mentalities. I also thought the aging that was portrayed in the essay was really well done. You could almost feel her shift from very, very young, to older-- more introspective. It really struck me.
"Buckeye" was really sweet. I really loved how the son seemed so "connected" with his father, and you could just tell via the passion he was writing with. I had an uncle just like this man, quiet, folksy, a carpenter. You could tell those types of men saw the world through their woodwork, "On the rare occasions when my mother coaxed him into a museum, he ignored the paintings or porcelain and studied the exhibit cases, the banisters, the moldings, the parquet floors." It's a different breed of simplicity.
Both essays had appreciable qualities. I noticed as I was reading Fisher's that it was "vehemently feminine" while Sander's was "roughly masculine." Essentially, like everyone's picked up on, it's about two sides of a family portrait (though different families).
It was interesting, the both of them, because in their own ways they are the same story. They are about a fond memory of childhood with an important same gendered parental figure doing something more gender specific. With Sanders, it was tromping through the woods with his father, learning all the different trees and his father's love of wood. With Fisher it was about the time of the year that her mother grandmother and cook made jams and canned fruits for winter.
I liked the content of the essay because it showed Fisher’s youth and the innocence that came with it. Looking back, Fisher adds comments to make this even more clear, such as “All I knew then about the actual procedure was that we had delightful picnic meals while Grandmother and Mother and the cook worked with a kind of drugged concentration in our big dark kitchen”.
I was never challenged with the movement of the essay, although this did not make me bored. I loved the content of her description because it was so full of sensory details that it made me feel like I was there.
2)I really enjoyed the content of this essay because Sanders really described his father in a way to reveal his funny little idiosyncrasies. I thought that the movement flowed through the paragraphs until the very last paragraph. That was an odd transition but I think it made the story much more significant. That was the only part that challenged me, thinking of the last paragraph in the context of the story.
The content of both of these essays were remembering parts of your childhood. I liked both of these because they made me think about things I learned growing up. Both of the writers really portrayed the love of a family well.
I liked the essay "Buckeye". I like the content of it because it reminded me of my grandpa. Even though his father played with the buckeyes in his pocket, it made me think of my grandpa who always plays with the change in his pocket.
I liked "The Measure of My Powers". I liked it because it brought back the time period of where the womemn were always in the kitchen, and men were never allowed. It shows how much times and roles have changed since then. Now, men and women are equal, and duties of each are equal.
I thought that both the essays were pretty good. But I did enjoy the youthful of them and how it made me go back to my own childhood and cherish those little moments. I agree with Chris though, what exactly was the message suppose to be in Fisher's essay?
In Sanders essay since the first paragraph talked about death, it made the essay somewhat sad and dark from the beginning to the end. But the end sentence about the "lone bucks" and how you had to be very quiet to be within the paces of them made me think that if Sanders was quiet enough he could hear his father.
I enjoyed both of the essays. Both of the essays were well writen.
Patricia Hill, I dont know if you are the only girl our age to like that time period but I do like that time period to. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to live in that time period. I think i would have loved it.
Both essays were really writen well and I believe that both showed the true beauty of a family.
I also enjoyed both of the essays. They were well written and easy to understand and follow. They are the kind of essays that make you think of your past memories as they do the same as well. Both were feel good essays.
I enjoyed it also, i have a lot of memories dating back from when i lived in Alabama. My grandmother and I used to do stuff like this all the time, but ever since she passed away, i lost that part of her, and it makes me sad...
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