Responding, Really Responding

As a student and fellow peer, when we respond to someone elses work we do not want to sound
judgmental or like we know more than the other student. We do not have a college degree that gives us
the righto be nit-picking at little grammar details. Our job is to look at main ideas and give feedback on
how their work felt as we were reading it. We want to show how certain parts of the paper may not make
sense by saying I am not sure if I completely follow this/ Could you give more proof of this?; compared
to a teacher who may say needs more evidence. Our job is to be critical yet, supportive and not over
analytical about the minor detail of the paper. Tell them that they could revise their sentence to make it
flow easier but do not mark every comma splice or mistype. Also refer back to the teacher or discussions
in the classroom as to how the person could improve their paper, so that way the person will feel less
attacked and not like they are being judged under a microscope. We could throw out ideas of what we
would do if we were the writer but do not say you need to change it to. because we are not the writer we
are the reader and responder.

While we are reading and responding to another persons writing, we should wear the hat of a
friend or acquaintance (even if we do not particularly like the person whose paper we are reading). We
want to be concerned as a reader as to what the girl/boy will be turning in and what they could alter or
tweak to make the paper better and therefore get a better grade or response to the actual paper itself. If I
had a friend who was going on a date and his or her outfit was not appropriate for the occasion, I would
not say something like What in the world are you thinking? You look ridiculous. I would say something
more along the lines of That may not be the best choice of outfit for where you all are going, why dont
we go look in your closest and see if there is something else. I am not a fashion judge and I would not
put them in something that is my taste, but I would suggest something that I would do if I were them and
had their style. That is exactly how we should look at responding to a peers work, as a concerned person
who wants to see another person succeed and is honest enough to tell them where they made need to
make some changes if they would want to.

Response: As I look back on this piece, I realize that I would rewrite which hat I would wear. Instead
of wearing the hat of a friend, I would wear the hat of someone less personal. When you arent personally
attached to someone it is easier to me more honest about your opinion.

Sherman Alexie and Malcolm X

Malcolm question #3
People are born in different societal class with different circumstances and opportunities. Malcolm X was
born during a time when blacks were not provided the same opportunities and he, therefore, was not very
illiterate. He realized that he could empower himself more if he had a better knowledge and way of
speaking. People in general make judgments and/or first impressions. The speakers that we hear the most
and make the biggest impacts have a certain way of speaking that is both powerful and easily understood,
because they need to be able to reach all types of people with all different levels of education. The more
people someone can speak to and have them understand, the more of an impact you can make towards
whatever goal a person is trying to reach. Knowledge in and of itself can create many opportunities and
can help a person reach their full potential. The more someone knows, the better judgments they can
make on big decisions and on everyday life decisions, but knowledge is needed in more than one specific
area. For example, a horse back rider who knows only about jumping etiquette is not a knowledgeable
rider. In order to be a knowledgeable horseman you must know about the horse itself, different styles of
riding, and different styles of training, and so on. You do not need to be an expert in every field, you can
know just the basics and specify in a certain style, but it helps to be able to have different perspectives.
These perspectives can give you an advantage over others and therefore, help you succeed in your goal.

Sherman question #2
In the comic, Superman is breaking down a door. This image is very important, because Sherman Alexie
is in a way breaking down a door. He is breaking the stereotypical barrier that is put on the Indian
people at the reservation of being dumb or unable to reach any high expectations. Alexie began breaking
these barriers at an early age and had hes been in different circumstances, he wouldve more than likely
been a prodigal child. The Indian children were never taught much about different types of literature and
were not afforded the same opportunities as most other children in school. They did not learn about
important types of literature such as novels or even poetry. Sherman Alexie teaching himself about all
these different kinds of literature and learning that he didnt get in school is helping to break that barrier
of uneducated Indian minority. Therefore, he is like Superman. He is the hero breaking down the door to
save lives in danger of stereotypes and inequality. He brings the strength to change the constraints on the
Indian people on the reservations. Not only did he break the barrier himself, but he also is helping to
break the barrier for the Indian minority in general. He goes back to the schools similar to what he grew
up in to teach and speak to the kids who, like him, are not given the same chances. He speaks to all these
kids, and to those who are interested and want to learn, he helps. Since he helps these kids, he is breaking
down the door or barrier not only in the present, but for the generations to come. These young kids that he
helps are going to want to teach their friends and future children about the education that they help give
themselves. This domino effect could quite possibly spiral into not only generations of Indians, but to the
generations of many poorer people and minorities.

Response: I believe many people can be accidentally incompetent. Many people try to talk about subjects
or topics without knowing more than one side. They are not well rounded on the subject, they just believe
the first part that they hear. Well- rounded knowledge is more effective than biased knowledge.

Stephen King, On Writing, Tool Box

1. In the chapter, Stephen King learns a life lesson from his uncle who took an entire tool box to a site.
When he got to it the uncle only needed the screwdriver, leaving king confused as to why he took the
entire box. His uncle told him that you never know what you need to be able to get a job done so you
must always be prepared. King believes that writers should have their own version of a "toolbox" if they
want to truly be a good writer. He believes that it starts off with vocabulary. He doesn't believe in straight
forward, simple language. You shouldn't try to make it fancy and elevated, just everyday speaking. The
next tool is grammar. Without grammar you could not get across the meaning of what you are trying to
say. Voice is another tool, and king believes in a very active voice, not passive. King also believes that we
should do away with adverbs. He believes they are redundant and pointless. Paragraphs are also an
important "tool" of writing. It organizes your ideas, making your writing easier to follow and understand.
Most importantly p, though, King believes in commitment. You need to have the commitment and
courage to do/ write what you want without letting anything stand in your way. If you let every little thing
detour you from writing then you will never accomplish your potential.
3. King states that you should use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and
colorful. Now some people may say that this is contradicting to his essay "shitty first drafts", but I don't
believe so. King states that almost all first drafts are not good and it has to go through a process in order
to become good, but does that mean that you don't certain sentences or ideas that are good? When you are
just jotting down things that come to mind, you come up with different ideas that you may not have
thought of before. I know that personally a creative writer some of my best works have been when I just
started writing what came to my mind. Now that doesn't mean that I automatically have a great piece, but
my ideas were there and with a little revision I was able to come up with something that I was proud of.

Response: Creativity comes in many different forms. Sometimes the originality that is found in papers or
pieces of writing is from the first random thoughts of writers. My best ideas/ pieces of poetry have been
random jotted down thoughts. These thoughts may be a shitty combination, but after I put form into it, it
can become a very well written piece.

Stephen King, On Writing, On Writing

2. Stephen king believes in a lot of things in order to become a good writer, but the main thing he believes
is that you need to read in order to grow and become a better writer. When you read you see different
styles, forms, and opinions. When you are exposed to these different things, it gives you a chance to be a
better-rounded writer. Being a well-rounded writ helps because it means you can do more with your
writing. You can watch more experienced writers and how they persuade you one way or another, learn
their techniques, and better your own writing from it. Now I am not saying be a copycat and write the
exact way they do, but by learning different styles you can combine them to make your own style of
writing. A style that is unique to you and makes you to from a good writer, to an excellent writer that
stands out amongst all of the good writers. I believe a lot of what Stephen king is saying applies to a good
chunk of what we so in class. We write a lot of papers and we may have some good ones that give us a
high B or even a low A, but if we were to become better writers we could be getting the high As that
many of us, or at least I, want.
3. Reading different styles of writing can bring out in you a style that you may not have known about.
Many people aren't very sure of what their style is or how to even begin to find their own style I'm
writing. As you read other people's work, you begin to see different styles based off of other writers. You
may begin to feel a connection with a style that you read and if you like it enough, you can adapt it into
your own writing. You could play up the style in a newer/ more modern way that perhaps has not been
done before. For example, I love poetry, especially old time versions. What I enjoy doing is using the
form and rules of some of the old poetry with a twist on the structure and word choice to make the poem
sound more modern and that more people can relate to. I like to keep the best of the poetry the same, but
what I write on and maybe the length or rhyme scheme is not the same as in older poems.

Response: On Writing was an interesting read for me. I either agreed completely with what King said or I
thought he was crazy. This part of the book in particular I agreed with him completely. I think it is best to
be well rounded in everything you do because it gives you a chance to do whatever it is youre trying to
do better and from different outlooks.

Lamott
Writing a first draft is more about the process compared to the product. According to Lamott, even the
greatest writers have shitty first drafts. They write these drafts to come up with ideas and structures that
they can work on in order to make better drafts and a terrific final product. I personally have to revise
multiple papers to get a decent one. I am a creative writer. I enjoy writing, discussing topics, and coming
up with ideas. However, I am not a grammatical and structural writer. In fact, I suck at it. So that's why I
do drafts. My first draft is always about ideas and supports for those ideas, but with no account for
structure or grammar errors. I do those at the very end because if I stop writing ideas I often forget my
ideas in the first place or I get writers block. Revision is the part of writing that can really make a
difference in a paper with good ideas versus an overall great paper. Revisions give you a chance to
rethink the way you word or structure sentences to make them more powerful and persuasive. The process
you go through shows you how you can make your writing better for future writing purposes and for the
paper or article you are writing. The process is so important because of what it can teach you and
therefore gives you a better final product.

Response: Its not about the product, it is about the journey. One of the corniest quotes possible, but it is
true. There are things that you can learn about yourself and your writing while going through and editing
if you take the time to that you normally would not notice.

Outliers, Chapter 4-5

#1
Economic status has always seemed to impact a person's life. According to Gladwell, the societal status of
a person can ruin ones success. Chris Langan, the smartest man in the United States, is very unsuccessful.
Compared to Robert Oppenheimer, who is also very smart and extremely successful. Langan dropped out
of school and Oppenheimer went on to be one of the main designers of nuclear bombs. What's the
difference between these two men? Langan grew up in a lower class with a mother who worked and an
alcoholic father, while Oppenheimer grew up in a high class wealthy family. I believe that economic
status can affect your success. With more money, comes more opportunities, and with more opportunities.
You can get better coaches, teams, and schools because you have the funds to pay for them. The best
schools around are some of the most expensive. With almost everything in America, in order to get better
or higher quality, you have to pay a higher price, so money is important in creating opportunities.
#3
In outliers, genius does not play as big of a role as many would think. Much of the success of people
cannot be because they are geniuses, but because of luck, hard work, and opportunities presented to these
certain people. Again, Chris Langan and Robert Oppenheimer are great examples from outliers. An
unsuccessful genius and a successful smart man. I agree that genius does not play a major role in success
because of personal experience. In my high school there as a genius who scored perfectly on the SAT and
ACT while having an over the top IQ, but he was extremely unmotivated and never turned in work and he
ended up being an 18 going on 19 year old junior. I am not a genius. In fact I have an average IQ, but I
was offered educational scholarship by multiple schools because I worked hard and studied. Just because
you have an advantage in brain smarts does not mean you will be successful.

Response: I grew up in a well of home with strict parents who pushed hard for perfection. Some of my
friends grew up with relaxed parents who did not pay attention to what their children did because they
were always working. I have more of a sense of work and success because I was always taught that
success was one of the most important things in life.

Define is: a present state or way of being

Context:
In 1999, President Bill Clinton was impeached for a number of different charges, one of those being
perjury. Famously, Bill Clinton had a personal relationship with a White House intern, Monica
Lewinski. When asked about his relationship with Lewinski, he said the following:
"There is nothing going on between us." Afterward, when accused of perjury, in his defense, Clinton
disputed the use of the word is, implying that they had no ongoing relationship. Clinton said:
"It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If 'is' means is and never has been, that is one thing.
If it means therenis none, that was a completely true statement. Now, if someone had asked me on that
day, are you having any kind of sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky, that is, asked me a question in the
present tense, I would have said no. And it would have been completely true.
**Do you think his definition of the word is is accurate, fair and true? Or is he just weaseling himself
out of trouble?**
I think that he made a good point, but he still was taking advantage of the system when he used this
defense.

Response: It is important to know our words and to say exactly what we mean, especially in serious cases
such as Bill Clintons. People can twist our words and later use them against us. Word choice is
everything whether you are trying to get your point across or attempting to weasel out of a situation.