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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 250 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
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- Reading responses are due by 10pm on the day PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading
"Ashes to Ashes" by David Farley was symbolic to the whole notion of life itself. To find inner peace was the common goal everyone was trying to meet regardless of religion, traditions, practices, the objective was to reach bliss and be set free to the afterlife. Everything from their spiritual beliefs to their styles of proper burials was far from normality of that of America and this puzzled our narrator but did find it within himself to keep the faith that his was part of his journey to find out about the culture even if he did feel a sense of discomfort at times. Here they understood the this was not a matter of if or when, it was a matter of truth that had to be done. A tradition that "this is what I do. This is what my ancestors have done." Keeps these practices at the forefront of their strong and indigenous beliefs. I really personally enjoyed the whole vision of "thwacking" the skull of the corpse to bridge a connection between the physical world and the spiritual world. The whole idea of a son doing the honors or releasing his father's spirit to the next dimension shows me a strong sense of belief in their spiritual practices. It takes the bravery and maturity of a special being to be able to carry out this notion of smacking the head of one of your parents till the skull splits to officially free the soul "from the body and travels to the afterlife." To achieve heavenly liberation, this practice could not be overseen. I even enjoyed the fact that they used five men as a representation of the elements (fire, earth, air, water, and ether) as they circled the pyre five times counter clockwise. Farley shows great respect when he states that these rituals were very spiritual they "were performed in such a routine manner that it put me at ease." This speaks volumes and I'll tell you why. For an individual to come into foreign lands, to experience and witness spiritual practices and cremations, to reach nirvana and internal bliss, one must find it a far cry from known reality. Yet he said their routine was performed so accurately and diligently, that the whole idea of questions their beliefs flew out the window. He believed in their practices and it made him feel good to understand that whatever was going on was because it was a practice that was doing was proper technique and mastery. A divine life-occurring situation that was inevitable and a practice that was meant for peace and bliss.
ReplyDelete-Ruben LoaJr
After reading "Ashes to Ashes" I felt confused. I mean, I liked the story and all it had to offer, but the story didn't have much that I found interesting. It was packed with information and words that I couldn't really understand or even pronounce. I found that hard. There was a bit of comedy, which was placed in the right locations, I thought. Death has always been more of something to write about as a healing process, and not so much informational. This story changed my opinion about writing to heal. I guess it was mostly due to the not knowing how things are done in other countries. I liked how the author used religion and her view of what us westerners view as acceptable when mourning the dead. Over all, this story was hard for me to follow and I think it is because I know nothing about this culture or custom. When reading Moore's piece on contemplative essays or stories, I did agree with a couple of his tips and theorys. On page 54, "if the writer wonders, the reader will too". I believe this. There are some times that I write and start to wonder, not because I don't know what to write, but I want the reader to get into my head and experience the things that I do, or get on the same mind track that I am on. I feel like they will not truly get to experience what I am trying to say unless they ask themselves the same questions that I am asking myself and the outcome of 2 minds are better than one is what amazes me when writing and trying to analyze any piece of literature.
ReplyDelete-cemantha-
I really enjoyed reading “Ashes to Ashes” because I think Farley did a good job about going to Varanasi with an open mind. He discusses how in order to for the deceased to successfully achieve heavenly liberation you have to split open the skull once they are done being cremated. Once you’ve done that, the soul has been officially released and can reach Nirvana. In that moment where he is witnessing this, he reminds himself why he was there. And that was for him to understand what he had done, or almost did. But he acknowledges that he still hasn't fully grasped the power of Varanasi and how its people accept death so easily. I didn’t take any part of his trip as judgey, I saw him honestly trying to immerse himself in the culture with a open mind. In “Writing the contemplative essay” Moore discusses how writing can be artificial, it's just an illusion we writers put together for the reader. It is only after drafts and drafts of our essays do they seem so effortless and like we have our shit together, when in reality we tend to start off not knowing where we are going with things and let the essay unfold itself to be ironed out later. To paraphrase Moore, he says that contemplative essays are just a combination of freeform thinking with careful editing to create this illusion of good conversation on paper. Contemplative essays are asking questions, they are changing the way we think, and suggests alternative ways of seeing things.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Victoria Ramirez~
Both these readings worked really well with one another. Moore talks about writing the contemplative essay. This essentially is about writing about topics that really make you think. Things you wouldn’t normally write about. Really obscure things for example such as him mentioning to think of the many odd things about yourself and choosing the oddest one and write about that. It’s interesting because in truth it does make for a very compelling essay especially for a reader. Just imagine it, the person fully expecting something and after reading the final line of your essay and saying “wow, I was not expecting that’. And then we get to Ashes to Ashes. I was so involved in this essay because like Moore proposed, writing about something different will grab your attention. In this particular essay it goes on about death and Hinduism, and how for that culture its much more different than with us on the west side of the world. Here we mourn the dead and bury the bodies, over there they have a distinct family who takes charge of all the cremation duties for the dead. They are not allowed to mourn and show emotion because it is a sign that they will receive bad karma. It’s amazing how the writer walked out of the comfort zone and witnessed countless bodies get burnt all the while the family and even random spectators watch. This essay really showcased the idea that Moore presents and proves just how well and thought provoking the contemplative essay can be.
ReplyDeleteAmaury Cabrera
word count 256
I’ve read this story yesterday and at first I had difficulty with the different words that I couldn’t pronounce, but after I got through them I was able to really enjoy this piece. The essay is an example of a contemplative essay. An essay that wants to compare and discuss real life similarities and differences between cultures, religions, or even living arrangements. It’s a way to compare and comment on those similarities and differences while giving your own opinion in the issue. David Farley did exactly that when he wrote about his experiences in India. One issue that Farley talked about a lot in his essay is the way the western and the Hindu cultures view death. Farley learned that in the Hindu religion they do not have a fear of death. To his surprise they all accept the fact that death is inevitable but not a complete end. To them death is more like a transition to a higher plane. It is not a moment that needs to be feared, but in fact be celebrated. They even do rituals in a sacred land where they believe life originally began. In the western culture we cry and mourn for our lost loved ones and bury them in a box so that they can finally rest in peace. The Hindu culture on the other hand burn there loved ones in a sacred fire and open there skulls to represent the spirit leaving the body. When I first read that I was horrified, I could not believe that they would actually do that. I wouldn’t even have the stomach for it. If any of my family members ever passed away and they wished for that ritual I would never be the same. I would officially be scarred for life, but that comparison alone is worth talking about. Despite what we believe both cultures still have one universal thing in common, death. We cannot escape it. It is a fixed point in time and once it happens you can either cry or mourn like the western culture or accept it like the Hindu culture. I personally accept it, I learned when I was in the military that life is a small amount of time. It should be appreciated as a gift. All I hope is that when my time comes I would have done enough in my life to leave an impression in the world whether it’s a small one or a big one.
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 411
Juan Garcia Jr
The idea of creating a contemplative essay is somewhat intimidating. I must admit that Moore’s essay “Writing the Contemplative Essay” seemed a bit confusing. From what I could gather, it seems that the biggest advice for completing this type of writing is to simply step out of your comfort zone. He said to write about something which is “peculiar” about oneself while constantly asking questions. I can see how the essay “Ashes to Ashes,” by David Farley, would complement Moore’s piece. There are similarities in the way the protagonist questions everything that is happening and even gets ahead of himself while on the boat with Dom Raja Nehna. I did enjoy the essay by Farley because, despite the language barrier, it was extremely interesting. I even found myself wishing I could visit these Ghats and the crematorium in order to get a better picture of how death in this part of the world works. It was strange to see that for some (the family of the deceased) there was always a sense of respect or ritual when viewing the cremations while for the workers it was simply just a job and the income was the only thing they could see in the burning bodies. However, I guess this is how real life truly is.
ReplyDeleteSheryl Cavazos
I think Farleys piece brought a lot to the table. He went all out on his personal life and how it connected with death. I like how he portrayed the whole scenery that was taking place in Varanasi, India. His search for the actual meaning of life I thought was spectacular. I find it absolutely crazy how they take the bodies of their family members to get burned so they can go to their higher being(god). He really uses his life experience that some of us can relate to like having a hard time with a loved one. Overall I thought his piece had great imagery and some good dialog as well. Moores chapter on the other hand I thought was really bland and kind of like another chapter that we’ve already read from his book. Yes, gives us a better view on how to write our contemplative essay but the whole chapter I thought was pretty boring. I see how both articles might relate a little as they both touch on the whole death subject but Farlyes piece went a lot more in depth on it.
ReplyDeleteLucio Vasquez
I really enjoyed Farley’s piece “Ashes to Ashes”. It was much more personal and intimate than I expected. As the author left his tight western way of thinking, I felt like I was really able to empathize with him on the subject of death and ways to cope. The reader is able to get a background story of why he decided to take the trip to India in order to fully understand and deal with his own friend’s death. What I particularly liked was the fact that he didn’t criticize or nitpick at the traditions or cultures. Instead, he was very thorough and sort of in awe of his surroundings. His mind was open to the area, which showed. I also have a heavy interest in the Hindu culture, so that could also be why I enjoyed it so much. He was able to take a personal experience and turn it into something that even the reader can grow from. After reading the essay I noticed that I hadn’t even provided a backstory in my own essay, which could be bad for the flow of the story or experience. In Moore’s “Writing the Contemplative Essay” he kind of just talks about the fact that we, as writers, need to be able to produce draft, after draft, after draft in order to really sound put together. He lets us know that we must question what we think we already know and hint at new thought processes.
ReplyDeleteMuriah Huerta
word count: 245
Farley’s main theme in this article is death and different ways that people cope. The way that he starts off the article is kind of shocking in a good way. He starts it off by having this older gentleman yell at a bunch of people about the way that “western” people deal with death, or how they do not deal with it in some cases, and ends up giving them some unwarranted advice about how they need a seer in order to help them deal with death. While this in and of itself is very random, it is fairly interesting to see how other people view death and how they cope with the loss of a loved one or just someone that they knew. This specific article takes place in India and whenever I first think of India and Indian people, I have this mystified view of what their culture and practices are like. This is most likely due to the fact that we often only really see pictures and videos of really cool looking cultural festivals that certain regions of India have. So, it seems relatively fitting for this article that is about death to take place in such a mystical country. After all, death in and of itself is kind of this mystical entity that no one ever really, truly would care to know about. This is usually due to this often western view on death itself, in western culture, it is taboo to talk about death in a positive way because the majority of the people fear it so much. However, people of other “non-western” countries do not have this view on death and can have a better view on death and ways to cope with not having that person there anymore.
ReplyDeleteKarina Gonzalez
I like how Moore talked about writing a contemplative essay. It is a subject which is designed to make you think. I wish he would've given more information on how to write it because honestly i was a little confused on what or how to write it. I did like that he gave us many prompts on which we could write about but i really did not learn much from this piece. I think Moore could have elaborated more on this topic. I think Moore could have given the reader instructions on how to write it, well i mean not instructions but help on how to write it. Before reading this piece, i had never heard of a contemplative essay before, so many that is why i am a little confused on how to start. iI do like one of Moore’s quote on page 53, where he says “the idea is that you are taking a leisurely stroll with an interesting mind”. This lets the reader know that out readers like things like loopholes before they “effortlessly glad home”. I think reading a contemplative piece would also be very informal. In Farley’s piece i like how he talked about religion and what things are acceptable when we mourn a death.. It really lets the reader understand the different traditions in different countries. I had forgotten but another thing that i liked of Moore’s piece was when he talked about writing about something we don't understand on page 54, like he says we should write about something we do not have certain beliefs on.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Millan
Word count 263
I enjoyed Dinty Moore’s chapter on The Contemplative Essay, mostly because of the way he compared writing to art. He mentions how we are able to create an artificial reality for our readers, since they are unaware of what went on behind the scenes of the essay. All they read is the final product, just as you watch a dancer preform and you do not see the hours of practice behind the curtain. Writing gives me a sense of liberty because I can feel free to share my essay knowing that I have sculpted it.
ReplyDeleteThe second reading “Varanasi: India’s Soul City” was about the author David Farley traveling to find answers to his questions on life and death. He compares the different attitudes that the Western culture has vs Middle East’s culture. We seem to brush off the idea of death; we make it sad an awkward. We abandon our elders and sickly and leave them alone to die, rather than celebrate their life. In India there is an entire city of 1.5 million people who engage with death. Personally, I felt as if the author went on this journey to find the meaning of life. He tells a few sad stories about his life experiences and seems desperate for answers. I felt as if he was going through a mid-life crisis and was searching for a certain truth because he could not find it in his life. He does however, seem fulfilled and at peace at the end of the essay, when says he is “done with death for a while.”
M. Sarah Sanchez
Moore’s piece about “Writing the Contemplative Essay” was very interesting. I learned a lot about what the contemplative essay actually is. What I gathered is that with the contemplative essay is that you are basically writing about something that makes you think. It doesn’t have to be something you know everything about. These topics are going to be ambiguous with no real concrete answer such as essays about religion values, culture, beliefs etc. The best thing about it is that through your multiple drafts you will learn about the topic as you develop the essay. The idea of making a list of common points and usual turns of discussion really works because these are opportunities to further the conversation you are trying to have with your reader. In “Ashes to Ashes” Farley does a lot of the things Moore mentions such as writing about a topic that intrigued him. When he goes to Varanasi he learns about what happens to the soul and the journey it takes when it dies. The people of this Indian culture taught Farley that death is simply a continuation of life in another place.” I really like how he took something that scared him (death) and something that he has had difficulty dealing with and surrounded himself with a culture that welcomes death. In Varanasi they burn the dead and open their skulls to release the spirit into Nirvana. This piece was really cool because as a reader I was learning along side the writer.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Hinojosa
Reading Farley’s’ “Ashes to Ashes” took me back on a little adventure. To an unknown place with a bit more understanding of certain topics such as death, dying to certain circumstances, culture, and life. His writing technique helped me clarify as to how I can rearrange my own travel piece. I guess I almost got to my own ‘moksha’ from writer’s block. The tips Moore had to offer in “The Contemplative Essay” were helpful until he said to omit all the common points on the topic of exploration from your essay. I think these common points and clichés are very important and can be tweaked later after all drafts can last some time with revisions and so forth. I appreciate the quote he uses by Natalie Goldberg who said, “there is a fine line between precision and self-indulgence” which (why lie) I feel I did the first three pages of my travel essay. It was like word vomit (self-indulgence) as if my reader can’t already get the point in a paragraph. I myself enjoyed what I wrote with the connections and flash backs, but perhaps my reader will wander off as well (no precision). There was a question within the second tip asking, “So who are you, really? What makes you human?” And, within my essay I did write about being unsure whether my anxious stomach was going to explode with “guts vomit or diarrhea” which I guess is okay since I am showing my humanity. I guess its almost testing limits as to how for some readers it may not be “Lady-like” then maybe some can totally relate. So what the hell right? It makes me human every time I am terrified.
ReplyDeleteLisa M Serna
From what I understood, the contemplative essay is writing about something you are not entirely sure of, or something you are uncomfortable with, and discovering more about it. Moore’s chapter on “Writing the Contemplative Essay” was a bit confusing since I am still not entirely sure if I understood correctly on what a contemplative essay actually is, but after reading the assigned story I understood a bit more clearly. Farley’s “Ashes to Ashes” was a very informative essay. When I first saw the title I thought the story would be about someone attending a funeral and telling us how their experience went. I guess, in a way, Farley does attend a funeral but for a completely different reason that I first anticipated. Farley goes on a journey to a city called Varanasi to discover more about death, which is a concept that they have dealt with before but still cannot fully grasp the why’s and how’s. Farley writes about the rituals performed by the people there and how they view death and the afterlife. It was very interesting to see all these different ideals another culture has on death since most of us are only accustomed to our own. I feel that writing the contemplative essay is both exhilarating and frightening. The writer has to venture out of their comfort zone in order to better understand the concept that they are contemplating and wanting to write about, which I feel that Farley handled extremely well on some points. I had never really given much thought on how other cultures deal with death, so this essay was definitely eye opening.
ReplyDelete-Jennifer Gutierrez
Because I decided to read Farley's essay a second time after reading Moore's chapter on writing a contemplative essay, I think I was better able to appreciate it more. That is not to say that I did not really like reading about Farley and the city of Varanasi during the first time I read the essay; it's just the second time that I read it, I was better prepared to admire the craftsmanship. Moore's chapter went very well with this essay, because this essay is an excellent example of a contemplative essay done right. As Moore says, one of the best things to write about is something that you do not understand or know well. In Farley's case, this is death. Although he tells the readers that he has had very close experiences with death, he realized that he had not understood it and so, he goes to Varanasi in India. By admitting his lack of knowledge, especially with a subject that would be very close (and frightening) for some people, he is able to connect to readers who might also share his feelings. When he describes the city and the faith of the people who come to die in the city and the practices of the doms, it means that much more because he has first established this connection. Not only is this his journey of contemplation, but it has also become one that is relevant to the reader, and one that a reader might be able to become invested in.
ReplyDeleteDoris Tolar
“Ashes to Ashes” is a travel pieced combined with aspects of the contemplative essay, although I would like to argue that the piece while navigating the meshing between the two genres, tends to lean towards the travel piece. In all fairness, a contemplative essay falls under the guidelines of a travel piece as part of a travel piece is the exploration of another culture (Moore 193-194). The narrator of the story is seeking deeper meaning in death and, to a certain extent acceptance as “if I was going to walk through the fire, I needed to go to Varanasi, where darkness is nothing to fear. And I’d be showing up with a lot of darkness (McCarthy108).” This marks the contemplative theme of the essay, death, and coming to terms with at as they did in the city of Varanasi. However, as writers, I would like to question the possibility of the mixing between the travel and the contemplative essay. In the story, the writer describes various part of Varanasi from the cremation grounds, Manikarnika & Harishchandra the outside of the cremation grounds, and the Ganges River. But at times, there is “fluff” in the descriptions of the city. While it may be argued that this will inherently part of the travel essay, as the reader and due to the intensity of the subject, I was expecting an emphasis on the narrator’s journey to moksha to Ananda as he realized at the end of the story (Moore 114). As I’ve stated before, I support the voice of the writer over concern of for the reader, yet Dinty W. Moore does advise “meandering” is a component of the contemplative essay (Moore 53). According to Dinty W. Moore, the writer is in control, although the reader may not believe so. The narrator of the story, himself, alluded to how the description of Varanasi was not assisting him in achieving realization as he “was still having a hard time making sense of what was taking place in front of me (McCarthy 112).” So while the “fluff” in the piece “Ashes to Ashes” may seem redundant, it was part of achieving ananada. Or was it?
ReplyDeleteAlejandro Sanchez
Farley’s piece “Ashes to Ashes” was incredibly interesting to me. Here in the United States death is private, sometimes almost too much so. As pointed out in the article as a society we tend to shy away from death, almost looking at it as if it does not exist. It is so much ignored that when a death occurs around us we really do not know how to react or what to say. I also found it interesting that Farley in order to come over a tragic time in his life decided to go surround himself with death. It is not something I think many would have done, but it served to give him a very unique perspective on how people of a different culture deal with death. The people from the city of Varanasi seem to not mind being open about death. What struck me the most is that there are bodies burning openly and Farley even says that ashes landed on him at some point. I do not think many people here in the United States would trilled about having the ashes of another’s body landing on them, but it seems normal in the city. Death there is taken very differently and it is interesting to see how it is taken by another culture. This essay goes well with Moore’s chapter because it is about contemplating and Farley likely spent much time polishing this essay and contemplating what everything meant to him. He was open about his situation and why he was interested in traveling to the city. This was as much an essay about the city of Varanasi as it was for Farley about dealing with a troubled time in his life.
ReplyDelete-Jesus Alexis Prado