Perhaps the best way to learn the craft of writing is to observe the work of other authors. Throughout the entirety of the course thus far, two of the essays in which our class has been asked to read; “The American Male at Age 10,” written by Susan Orlean, and “A Postcard Memoir,” by Lawrence Sutin, have intrigued me above all others.
Susan Orlean’s story, about a young boy named Colin encompassed several interesting aspects. I found the topics in which his friends discussed to be highly appealing; ranging from concepts such as AIDS/HIV, abortion, recycling, personal views about girls/women, sexism, sports, college, and above all, money. After reading this essay, I couldn’t believe the things 10-year-olds talk about nowadays. I never used to discuss such concepts with my friends; maybe due to the fact that I feared discussions about sex and/or didn’t understand or know enough about such concepts as abortion and AIDS. To put it plainly, it shocked me that Colin, as well as his friends, were concentrating on issues in which were far beyond their years. They didn’t seem to be indulging in the idea of being a kid. It appeared as though they were near-adults, masquerading in the bodies of children.
Throughout her essay, Susan Orlean did a phenomenal job when describing the characters and setting. At times, I grew somewhat confused and questioned why she added the extraneous information, as it oftentimes seemed to throw off her essay; however I realized at the end, that her motive was probably targeted at possibly trying to enable the reader to comprehend why Colin is the way he is and thinks as he does and believes the things he does. Thus, I found it to be a powerful tool she enabled throughout her writing and fnow, feel as though I can incorporate such information into my own stories.
In addition to Orlean’s story, Lawrence Sutin’s essay, in my opinion, encompassed a few interesting aspects. Upon reading his story, “A Postcard Memoir,” I became a firm believer in the saying “honesty is the best policy.” After reading his essay, I realized that sometimes the best work stems from reality; sometimes it is more beneficial to write about what you know, to write about the truth and not resort to creating false scenarios. Now, I understand that reality can be more interesting than falsity; in reality, you find humanity – you find the human side of things and people can relate to that.
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I agree with your comment this blog does allow the opportunity to learn what authors, themes and essays other individuals liked. Plus, there is a large variation since each individual is unique. The two essays that you picked were really good choices.
ReplyDelete“The American Male at Age 10,” was a very good essay in my opinion, as well. I really liked
how you used examples from the essay and gave your honest opinion about the topic. I will agree
with your opinion, those kids were talking about some topics that ten year olds would not
normally talk about. I remember when I was young and all I cared were about dolls and stuff
animals. It crazy how times change!
Your last paragraph was really good. I liked how you incorporated the quote from the story and described what you thought it meant. It was really good that you went into details with your ideas. Good job!