In Class Lab: Literacy Narrative

1.       “…some hurt and bloody, many more without food or water, close to piles of covered corpses and rubble. Limbs protruded from disintegrated concrete” (page 111, paragraph 3). “… writhed in pain in the hospitals chaotic courtyard, near where a handful of corpses lay under white blankets.”(Page 111, paragraph 5). (Simon Romero, “Haiti lies in ruins; Grim search for Untold Dead”)

2.       “Writing! Yeah, right! How did I manage to fail writing, and by half a point no less?” (page 4, paragraph 2) “How can I get A’s in all of my English classes but fail the writing part of the proficiency test twice?” (page 4, paragraph 4) (Shannon Nichols, “Proficiency”)

3.       “The purple sky throws shadows off churches and their saw-bladed spires, bringing definition to the gap-toothed smiles of crenellated walls.” (page 109, paragraph 2)(Wright Thompson, “The Burden of Being Myron Rolle”) “There is a ripple of laughter, an exhalation of relief.”(page 113, paragraph 2)(Georgina Kleege, “Call It Blindness”)

4.       Topic Brainstorming

·         When I first read “Tonight I can write the saddest lines, by Pablo Neruda”

o   How I was affected by the words and emotion he displayed on the page

o   How the style inspired me to always put part of myself into my writing

§  This can be the problem I am trying to find a solution to.

·         My writing is too impersonal

o   How I fell in love with poetry, his especially, and how it has taught me other things like how it is okay to feel emotion or be emotional.

o   How writing can be an outlet for experiences, and can touch people

o   Made me finally realize how important writing is in day-to-day life

5.       Why do I want to tell this story?

a.       This memory is very meaningful to me, and although I may not want to share it with people, I feel like I can write my best narrative by choosing a topic that means so much to me. I also think it might have to do with being able to organize my feelings about the piece, and maybe even trying to remember how I felt when I read the piece for the first time.

6.       Are my readers likely to have had similar experiences?

a.       I think that my audience probably has, although it might not have been the same author, or piece, or even genre, I think that everyone has had a piece of writing, or a story that has resonated with them, or touched them in an unexplainable way. I feel like my experience will be relatable to them, but it will also be new because it is through my experiences and point of view that I am explaining my thoughts.

7.       What attitude do you want to project?

a.       I’m not entirely sure yet, I don’t think I want to limit myself when thinking about tone or attitude. I know that I will obviously be using words with certain connotations that will lead my attitude toward something like awe, or reverence. I want them to see me how I feel like I was when I first read the poem. Maybe as shocked or truly emotionally affected.

8.       How will I present my narrative?

a.       I think the best way to present my narrative is in print. I don’t think that I will need to present it orally just because I think that I will already have put in so much emotional detail that it may compromise the integrity of the narrative if I cannot fully present it by using my voice. I also want people to be able to re-read things if they want to and to be able to contemplate certain things about my writing if they want to, ad develop their own ideas about me through my writing, and the writing itself.

9.       What do I see?

a.       When I first read the poem, I was laying in my room, the lamp I had on my nightstand was barely on, only acting as a backlight. My sheets were wrapped around my shoulders, and the screen of my phone was illuminating my face. I could see my window closed to my right, with the blinds pulled down. I was very solitary in those moments

10.   What do I hear?

a.       I remember hearing the wind outside, and quiet footsteps from the kitchen above me, my parents were talking to each other while my brothers were in bed trying to sleep. I had on music from the radio low, and I could hear my cat purring down by my feet.

11.   What do I smell?

a.       I don’t remember smelling much. I think it was just the laundry detergent from my sheets and pillow. It was familiar.

12.   How and what do I feel?

a.       I remember feeling comforted and safe in my room because it was mine. I remember being content that I was alone and warm. And I remember feeling restless, trying to fall asleep so I decided to read. I remember feeling overwhelmed at first, by how honest the writing was, and in awe at how he organized his writing, and how it made the message more truthful. How the separation of the stanzas made the writing feel more stilted or even smoother based on the experiences he was recalling and writing down.

13.   What do I taste?

a.       I don’t think I was tasting anything at the time. It was nighttime, and long enough past dinner and brushing my teeth that nothing was lingering still.

14.   Describe each person

a.       I was the only person involved in the narrative, I was alone, wrapped in my sheets and comforter, reading so I could fall asleep.

15.   Recall some character dialogue

a.       I didn’t speak to anyone that night, but I remember reading it multiple times, and thinking about it when I was finished and felt like I could finally sleep. The next day though, I showed my mom and I remember that she also was deeply touched by his emotion and honesty regarding the woman he was thinking about.

16.   Summarize the action

a.       I was sitting, contemplating, struggling with my own thoughts, becoming overwhelmed, and calming down afterwards, I laid down and thank about the poem for a while before I eventually fell asleep. I did make sure to save his name and what poem it was before I had turned off my phone.

17.   Consider the significance

a.       It was significant to me because of how I connected with the honesty and emotions being laid out in the poem. It made me recognize certain things in his writing that I really appreciated and had never seen before. It also made me understand that very successful writing, in any genre or format, has some part of the author in it. It made me a better writer because I saw how good I can be if I opened myself up more, and allowed my own personality to color my writing and add voice. It made me think about the standards I have of my own writing, and what a good piece really means to me. I also learned more about how I personally like to write, and how personal touches and experiences can benefit my writing instead of detracting from my message or topic.