PB1B

Kassandra Sanchez

Zack De Piero

ENG 101-108

10/19/2016

PB1B: Night by: Elie Wiesel

Genre: Historical Novel

Elie Wiesel was known for his unfortunate experiences in the holocaust. One of his greatest writings, in my opinion was ‘Night”, It's a sorrowful retelling of what happened and what led to his imprisonment in several concentration camps. This story is written from his perspective, it shows us his emotions and thoughts during this difficult time. Although i would suggest reading this book from beginning to end there are a couple of different ways to read it.  ‘Reading Like a Writer’ is definitely what to do if you are reading this book for a paper or even for your own entertainment. This story is full of dreadful and heart wrenching words and quotes, “Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.”- Elie Wiesel . Why did the author include it? Why did he organize it in this specific way?  What is he trying to say to us? Why does it sound so poetic?

Reading like an author is defiantly a very sophisticated way of finding and analyzing both the book and the mind of the author. But ‘close reading’ is another great way of getting to know the author and his emotions through his writing. Paying attention to small detail and writing your thoughts on the side allow you to look back and answer any unknown questions. Highlighting also helps a lot. Key Points and important details should be highlighted to remind you of forgotten details. I feel as though in this kind of reading there is no argument nor is there an ‘idea’ other than “there’s good and bad in everyone”. Some would feel very offended if they were told to take a position on this book. Is the author wrong for allowing his father to suffer? Is he wrong for not shedding a tear for him? Although you could go through with this kind of ‘reading strategy’ it would be fairly difficult and controversial but, not impossible.

Visual literacy would definitely enhance and help translate emotions and feelings just as well as ‘words’. By looking at the cover of ‘Night’ what kind of aura or sentiment does it give off? To me it gives off a sad and kinda sinister meaning, Due to the barbed wire that is keeping the boy in one position only, not only that but the boy has no face. It’s almost as if darkness has finally taken over him. Engulfing not only his body but his emotions also. The silhouette has torn clothes and is standing in a defeated stance. I legit just created a summary of the story before reading it, by just looking at the cover,  A picture is worth a thousand words. It adds more detail and could also enhance the reader's experience.( Even though I wouldn't really like to see pictures of his life in Nazi, Germany.)  

Although there are reasons as to why one would have to read this book. Whether it’d be a book report or a class reading. I promise you that ‘close reading or reading like a writer’ will enhance this novel for you. It a amazing piece of literature. Enjoy it.

Links:
Elie Wiesel Quote

Thlog #2

Dear Thlog,

   "Shelley's Quick Guides for Writing Teachers" is honestly a gift from god because it's helping me alot! As I read through the pages it seems like all the questions i've been trying to differentiate in writing has finally been answered. In my personal opinion I think the best strategy from this reading is of the "Case Study Reflection". It not only allows the reader to think about the current topic but it also allows us to be creative because it does include 2 free writes. I find this to always be helpful. Although i've adopted other habits in reading and analyzing. When this one was introduced to me in highschool it allowed my creative and strong-willed voice to be heard. This is gonna help me alot with my "Rhetorical Analysis" paper. I'm definitely gonna study my genre in great detail then freewrite. And from my free write i'll take ideas and concepts and shape them into a well thought out paper.

This week has honestly been kinda confusing. Both PB1B and WP1 have been throwing me off. Although we’ve been talking about it in class. I’ve still somehow found a way to confuse myself with it. Genre is a large topic especially in this class. So there is a lot to choose from when we're talking about it. It’s so simple that it's difficult. My issue has been with finding valid ‘perspectives’ about the genre. Most of them are usually articles. I just want my paper to seem creative and stand out. So what should I look for? Should I include more tweets or facebook posts? I'm just curious, if you have any suggestions please let me know! It’ll help me out.

Other than that everything's going great in this class. And this ‘thlog’ at first is pretty hard but as soon as you begin having a flow to your writing everything becomes easier.  

Sincerely,

Kassy <3

Thlog #1

Dear Thlog,

Although I've taken  AP Language in high school, I was never able to dissect rhetorical analysis's. It's
always been my least favorite kind of paper to write. But with these examples and everything else were learning in class. It is slowly but surely becoming easier to write them. Usually when I write i take on a very narrative/ first person tone. And with first person tone comes first person point of view. It totally screws up my writing. Especially with an essay that I can use the words "I, us and we". Is there any way for me to stop thinking in a first person perspective?  Because I've tried my hardest yet its almost like my hands have a mind of their own.

P.S: I'm writing this in diary form because I feel like it lol.

Sincerely,
Kassandra Sanchez

Objective Opinions on why “Donald Trump is unfit for presidency”

As a 18 year-old citizen of this country and a college student i’ve taken interest in the running for presidency this year. Yet I don’t really have to look to far to realize that Donald Trump; a billionaire. Has smeared and tainted the name of the republican party with misogynistic, racist and sexist comments and postings on social media and in interviews throughout this campaign. Yet i'm not the only person who has taken notice in this. Many spectators and politicians have taken to social media and popular news articles to voice their opinions on the nominee.

The Huffington Post a very famous news source has stated their opinions on the candidate. It’s rhetorical features include constant uses of the word ‘unfit’ and ‘abusive’ when speaking of Trump. This shows that syntax and tone really make up a article. The language that's used creates a sense of strong disagreement and dislike towards him. It’s purpose is to show the audience just how big his ego is and why a celebrity like him should not be president. “Trump’s comments that emerged Friday where he boasted about using his celebrity status to sexually assault women.” - Huffington Post. This article doesn't only contain opinions but it also contains actual known facts which makes it a lot more factual and resourceful. The use of quotes from the celebrity gives us a look at this gritty reality. The same goes for USA TODAY that have wrote an editorial on this subject. Yet they title theirs ‘The Editorial Board has never taken sides in the presidential race. We're doing it now.’ I feel as though this title give the text meaning before we even read it. Now instead of being more informative like The Huffington Post, this article takes on a more slandering tone of voice. “Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents.” They start off their article by explaining why Trump isn't fit for presidency immediately. Both articles have slight differences like the tone of voice and style yet they still correlate and communicate the same message they want the audience to receive. ‘The Wrap’ is a famous online blog that communicates their opinions through social media. Unlike The Huffington Post and USA TODAY; They don't take sides. Instead they’ve taken on a more passive tone towards Donald Trump and expose him by showing all of his ‘meanest tweets’. This strategy allows the audience to make a decision for themselves. By not saying anything bad or good it makes us think about what makes him a bad person. Why does a celebrity like himself, spend time on twitter bashing others? Is he really helping anyone? This style is a very good rhetoric strategy. Especially because Twitter and social media is very important to us as a society now. And when someone says one thing wrong on Twitter they are usually criticized for everything they do. Although these are just opinions, style and context really makes them sound persuasive and logical. In conclusion all of these sources communicate that this presidency will leave a mark in our history maybe for the worst.

Good Luck America.

Here are my sources:

Huffington Post

USA TODAY

The Wrap

About me

Hi, my name is Kassandra but i always prefer being called Kassy. I really enjoy writing and reading. My major is nursing and my dream job is to become a Neonatal Nurse. I really enjoy working with kids, specifically babies. Especially when they belong to someone else, because you can return them lol. I really love being silly and watching old movies with my friends. Although I may seem a bit shy at first glance, prepare yourself because I have a lot to say, especially when subjects like history or politics comes up.

In high school my major was in music. No, I can't play the theme song to Star Wars. But, I can play the sound from jaws when the shark is slowly making its way towards its victims. When it comes to music I can switch from genre to genre like nobody’s business. My playlist ranges from Frank Sinatra to Guns N Roses to J.Cole to Aventura. I still have yet to download the Frank Ocean album though. I'm honestly very friendly even if my face begs a differ. Really bad jokes or any jokes in general make me hysterical. There isn't a day where i'm not smiling. If we ever have a conversation and i switch from english to spanish don't worry, i'm not broken, I just get excited. It’s a really bad habit; I know.

Thanks for making it this far.