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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.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- Reading responses are due by 10pm on the day PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
At some point in the book I gave up on Ferguson. I was an idiot. If there ever was a chapter that could save a book from being a bad read to a good read than by superman’s underwear I believe I’ve found it. Chapter 20 in Ferguson’s book was so strong that it made me feel for a couple of seconds. I felt exactly what she was feeling. I felt angry. I felt sad. I felt just like her. Helpless. There was nothing either of us could have done under those situations. I feel bad for Carlos. I feel bad for his family. I feel haunted. In the story, she even says that she can see them in her mind everywhere she goes. She knows that people are dying, and yet we can’t do anything. She is “sad and angry that there are so many people wondering” her dessert. Chapter 21 is called crossing. In that chapter, it’s more about her life with Valentin. The fear of losing him. Fear of the border patrol agents detaining him while they are crossing the state line. It wasn’t as strong as chapter 20, but I do have a better understanding of that fear. In chapter 24 of Karr’s book she talks about revision. She gives us the three truths of writing. Writing is painful. Good work comes from revision. The best revisers often have reading habits that stretch back before the current age. She explains that the best revisers are those who read a lot of history, and personal writing of different writers. She doesn’t say that we all should read different writers, but “getting a sense of the person’s time in history often helped” her understand “their styles in that context.” It makes a lot of sense to me. You know those writers didn’t write in one draft, they took their time and wrote multiple drafts, and to see what could have influenced them is just a small way of understanding the difference between a great writer and a novice one.
ReplyDeleteWord count: 341
Juan Garcia Jr
I thoroughly enjoyed both of Ferguson's chapters because of how powerful they were. I felt saddened upon reading chapter 20 because of the situation Carlos was in. It also angered me that the women weren't allowed to help them or they would face consequences. I don't understand how a human can refuse to help another human that's ill and in need like the border patrol agents did to Carlos and many other "illegals" they come across. The fact that they can't even give them water for their dehydrated body seems heartless to me. I applaud Ferguson for her dedication to help the migrants and her promise to Carlos that she would search for the other two people he was with. Although she found Marisol's body lifeless, the fact that she climbed that hill to find her shows how passionate she is. Chapter 21 shows more of her relationship with Valentin. I was able to envision my own family piling into a car to go buy snacks, just as Valentin's family did to go buy beer. It's as if all Mexican families are the same. Although Valentin was granted his license to return to the United States, they felt nervous to cross back. I completely understood where they were coming from while I read the chapter. Growing up my family and I would go to Mexico every other weekend to visit my great grandparents. Upon approaching the border I always started to feel extra nervous and would get the urge to pee, like Ferguson thought she was going to get diarrhea. There was never a reason for me to feel so uneasy, because I am an American Citizen and so is all of my family. The fact that the customs agent always questioned my dad as if he were guilty of something always made me feel scared to cross the border as a young girl. Karr's chapter on revision didn't intrigue me as much as Dinty Moore's chapter did, but there was still information that she included that I found helpful.
ReplyDeleteMayela Montenegro
In the last chapter by Karr we are given more advice on revising any form of writing. She speaks of the two selves, the editor and the generative self. These two types of writers are drastically different. The generative can write so much in the initial attempt but it is the editor self who must go back in and wade through all the irrelevant crap to find the best material. That does not mean that any of the information is thrown away completely it just means it may be compacted down to help keep the readers interested. Heaven knows I could have used an editor self in some of the novels I have been forced to read this semester because some of these books have so much attention to details that do not interest or help the storyline at all.
ReplyDeleteChapter 20 of Ferguson’s novel just seems to tell more stories of the border patrol and their procedures with illegal immigrants. She tells about the young man they find and try to get medical attention. Then she finds out that the woman he was travelling with had died on an unused trail that led to nowhere. She also seems to be losing her mind because she thinks she sees Hiram detained by the border patrol and then she sees the mother of Marisol, the dead woman everywhere she goes.
In chapter 21, she seems to not have very much stress anymore of the previous events. Instead she discusses how Valentin must renew his license and that they are not guaranteed his entry back into the U.S. after they go to Mexico. She tells of the family gathering at his mom’s house and then the drive back. They concoct a plan to have him walk across and take a shuttle while she drives the car and meets him in Tucson. They both make their way through without any problems.
Sheryl Cavazos
Something I never used to do until college was revise. The process used to bother me because it is time consuming. Now I see it’s importance and I agree with most of what Karr says about revision. If you want to have a solid piece of work it is necessary to revise and in some cases revise large portions of you work. I still do not like to revise but it is just a step that should be taken if you want to produce a quality piece of writing. Writing is something that can be changed, unlike say your speech. Once you say something you cannot have it unheard. Even if you change your comment you still said it and if someone heard your comment they can’t un-hear it. With writing you can revise until you are saying exactly what you want and writers should make the best of that advantage. In Ferguson’s chapters we see how she feels about the situation at the border and it looks grim from her perspective. In earlier chapters she describes how much water you need to survive the hot journey through the desert and the reality is daunting. To think people would even attempt the journey goes to show how much they are willing to go though to get to the U.S. Showing how the border patrol destroys water containers that could save lives is sad, but in their perspective I suppose they are just doing their jobs.
ReplyDelete-Jesus Alexis Prado
I really like how Karr says that every writer should have two selves, the generative self and the editor self. That is a very simple way of saying what a writer should do. Generate their writing as in incorporate ideas and also be their own editor, to know what to keep and what to delete. The generative self is that peppy person inside of us who has a whole lot of ideas to incorporate in our writing and the editor self is the one who condenses all those ideas.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was reading Karr I could not help and think about Moore. Moore was a bit more descriptive dealing with revising. Karr was not so helpful to me when it comes to learning how to revise. I remember Moore even talked about our essays as if they were a living room we were going to remodel and that was great. Although Karr did give us plenty about information about being curious in our writing and about being generative, I think she could have taught us more. I feel like she just spent the whole chapter talking about irrelevant stuff. Dealing with Furgeson, i do not understand why she had to wait until almost the very end to make this a good book.
Jennifer Millan
I really enjoyed these two chapters of Ferguson's book because of the intensity and the buildup that she put into them. She's gotten to the point where she's so overwhelmed about all the death in the desert that she feels heavy and at some point even mentions that she sees this ghost following her around the house. When I was reading that part, the image that came to mind was La Santa Muerte, I thought that's who she was seeing but then she says it was one of the deceased women's mothers. "I go home and sit down to read a book after dinner. I see her in the corner. In her black dress and black shawl and black hair. We don't speak. I go to get a glass of water. She follows me to the kitchen. I get in the truck to go to the store. She sits in the cab beside me. " (p.199) "...Marisol's mother. She doesn't tell me who she is, but I know." (p.199) I found that part to be so powerful and I felt the weight that she felt. She went from this story that dragged on and on to this moment and I couldn't stop reading. Then later when she describes what it was like for her to take Valentin over to Mexico so he can renew his license and she's super nervous and wants to get off the car because she says she has "diarrhea" and she needs to throw up and Valentin tells her she's just nervous and to suck it up. Just fearing that this could be the last moment she sees Valentin because the border patrol could deport him was so intense. It reminded me of when I was a kid and my dad was still a resident and we would go to Reynosa to visit my mom's side of the family; my dad would always get out before we got to the bridge and he would walk all the way across and meet us at Whataburger. As a kid, I never knew why he did it and when i'd ask my mom she would never really give me a straight answer but it was because they didn't want to risk the having the people at the bridge ask too many questions and have my dad detained because they didn't believe that he was a resident or something. I think at some point they stopped us on the way back and we had to wait for hours for him to get cleared. So i understand that situation that she went through.
ReplyDeleteIn connection with Karr's chapter, she mentions that there's a point where you have to ask yourself, "is this crucial?" and what purpose a certain part of the story has to the overall whole and I think that the part that Ferguson includes where she both has this overwhelming weight because of all the death she's seen and the scene at the checkpoint was definitely crucial to her memoir because she's showing the reader something that goes on everyday and something that a lot of people can relate to. Kind of like, "hey you're not alone" and it also serves to open people's eyes to the reality of what goes on along the border. I think that's very powerful.
monica casanova
Ferguson’s reading had something better to offer than most of the book. At least for me this was one of the times I didn’t mind reading one of the chapters. More so chapter twenty than twenty-one probably because of the many feelings she withholds during many of the events. It was a powerful chapter like the other posts from others in the class, it is very relatable as more recently we have seen many federal agents misusing their power. They aren’t abusing it as they are simply following orders but the way Ferguson portrays them is very cold and makes you hate them. This could be how she saw things but you never know how these men may actually feel. That’s the only problem I had. These men may not enjoy doing these things but they know the consequences they can get into and rather not deal with it as some may have families they need to take care of. It is personal preference but at least for me I would like her to ease off on these men just a bit and add this extra context. Nonetheless it was a good chapter from start to finish filled with sad moments from beginning to end and not once did the pacing change. It was just a rush of emotions. As for Karr, she had a great chapter as well. Me like a lot of others hate to revise. It could be that I don’t write often enough to do it. I took this class to enjoy writing more and I have. Were nearing the end of the semester and the other night I sat down to write more on our memoir piece. I always believed that I wasn’t going to be able to write so much but I actually ended up writing more than what is allowed and I am not even done. I went back to revise several things and took into consideration what my classmates said about my piece as well as Dr. Moreira’s thoughts on it and I feel like it is slowly getting better and what else to thank but the revision. It really is important and is essential to many pieces you cannot expect to write your best work in a day all rushed and without much thought. It takes time and revision.
ReplyDeleteAmaury Cabrera
Word count 383
Karr’s chapter was about revising and being able to be both a writer and an editor of your piece. Karr talks about going back and taking out irrelevant information or pieces of your story. I think this is a great idea because form experience I know that the first time you write something down it seems like it needs to be in your piece but if it isn’t furthering your memoir then toss it. This will keep readers focused on your memoir instead of wondering off. Before becoming an English major I hated revising my work because I felt like I put so much work into every sentence there wouldn’t be anything I would want to change. Revising allows us to go back and make sure we properly explain certain ideas and stay on point. Chapter 20 in Ferguson’s memoir was pretty interesting. By now I see Ferguson completely different, she seems a bit off when she starts seeing Hiram being detained although he is dead. I thin the stresses of the job have changed her psychologically. In chapter 21, we see Ferguson relax a bit more at a family gathering at Valentin’s mothers house. I don’t really see how this chapter could correlate to our other reading since Karr’s chapter was more about reflecting on my self as an editor of my work.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Hinojosa
I was THIS close to crying when I was reading chapters 20 and 21, but I held it together! That it was Thanksgiving and I was surrounded by family with lots of food definitely helped, but it was pretty close. Chapter 21 made me nauseous. The anxiety that Ferguson feels when she and Valentin are going to cross the bridge made me anxious, too. I was afraid something terrible was going to happen. Fortunately, nothing bad happened to them so I am good for the next chapters.
ReplyDeleteKarr's Chapter 24 deals with the importance of revision, which is necessary to produce good writing. The revision that Karr talks about is not just grammar and syntax corrections. It seems more radical than that. For example, Karr tells the story of how she actually threw out pages of short stories that she had spent about two years working on because she realized that they lacked an emotional connection. The result was a new project where she wrote about her mother instead which was, not only made for better writing, but was also necessary for her own personal growth as she herself became a mother.
Doris Tolar
Karr says in chapter 24 that every writer needs two selves which is their generative self and their editor self. She says we need these two selves based on the process of writing we go through especially because of the phase that weighs us down since we writers tend to become self-conscious. That self-consciousness leads to not writing what one really wants to write or not writing anything at all because of fear. This is why she says we need to get our selves writing but we also have to be the editors of our work to be able to strive for more. I like how she mentions that we need to be able to grant ourselves permission to run “buck-wild” in order to crank stuff out because every page leads you to the next. She wrote “You can zig-zag, and in the low moments, you just have to keep plodding on—saying the next small thing which you feel strongly, trying to nestle down into that instant of clear memory.” I had to do this to my Memoir. I wrote and wrote trying to get to what I really wanted to write about but I had to stop for a bit because that memory is so clear and I was afraid of reliving in those emotions and incidents, but I know it is what I want to get on paper and let go of. I also know that I need to either go back to add or take away—revise. I feel Ferguson wrote and wrote in her chapters leading up to powerful chapters and it is probably because the last few chapter are “as clear as day.” What made her yearn to write the entire Memoir are more than likely woven in the last chapters. Of course the Memoir needed all those incidents, stories, to lead up to the last few chapters. I think it was able to evoke more emotion because when she was writing it, those feelings could have still been fresh within her by a few years opposed to the younger years she had to write about in her early life.
ReplyDeleteLisa Marie Serna
I knew Ferguson had it in her to write chapters like "Three Times a Charm" and "Crossing." Not only was the chapter informative, it was moving, it was political, and it was real. It showed her frustration and hopelessness while explaining what really goes on behind the scenes of the border patrol agency. Personally, I have always believed that illegal immigrants should be sent back to whatever country they are from, and acquire citizenship legally. However, Ferguson's chapter was strong enough to shake that previous stance. Finding out about the dusting done by officers killed me and angered me. These people are supposed to be keeping our citizens safe by keeping criminals out of the United States but at what price? I believe that there should be a system in place that helps illegal immigrants acquire citizenship in a timely manner and a non-profit organization set up and funded for those who are thirsty and weak from the hours of walking through the hot sun.
ReplyDeleteMary Karr's chapter "Against Vanity: In Praise of Revision took on a different approach to revision including the importance of history. I love how clear Karr is in her writing, how she always uses numbers to specifically point out what needs to be known from each chapter. She mentions how writing can be painful which is something that I have experienced from writing m memoir, just a little difficult to revise. She highlights the importance of revising and how it takes more than luck, and then mentions history and how any idiot can pick up a magazine but history opens the door to unique insight which is reflected in your writing.
M Sarah Sanchez
Karr covers the two different forms of the writing process used to commence the writing process, and the revise it. They are the generative, and the editorial, and they serve as ideologies to consider when writing (Karr 215). When one is in generative, they are creating their thoughts on paper, without consideration edits. In editiorial, revision, clear and concise messaging are of importance. Surprisingly, was the callout Karr did in regards to her MFA students in different levels. The older more “matured” students will have a different conscious level in regards to their writing, and be able to simulate any form of writing they pursue, as compared to earlier MFA students who prefer to fight for their choice of words. I agree, but also disagree. The portrayal between the two different students in one of indoctrination. The earlier students have not assimilated into the academic writing style, as compared to the older more mature who have. However, I also understand the importance of pushing one’s writing boundaries by miming other forms of writing. Ferguson was not as hard to read, and while I don’t have much insight into her revising process, I can say the process of her writing is slow in her buildup of tension. The Chapter, “An Now” has a great climax as it culiminates in a cliff hanger. In her defense, these are the closing chapters to Ferguson’s book.
ReplyDeleteAlejandro Sanchez
One of the things I have come to deeply dislike about writing is revision. I go back to look at my earlier drafts I want the world to swallow me whole. I want to defend my work, but with countless hours of revision I realize it is all has to go. Karr mentions the generative half and the editor half, which was a very interesting take one how a writer operates. I have never thought of it before, but I think I have more of a generative self than editor because otherwise I honestly think I would never write again. I can see why being only generative is bad, though, I encourage my bad writing and end up with an endless amount of pages. I want to keep them all but after years of having revision drilled into my brain I do end up chopping up my work once my small editor half emerges. Like most of my classmates have mentioned, chapter 20 of Ferguson’s book has to be the most interesting thus far, which is sad considering we are nearing the end. The chapter is littered with detail, but it isn’t written like most of the past chapters. This chapter is much more straightforward, telling the story in a clear way that is easy to follow. Chapter 21, in my opinion, reverts back to that confusing tone, giving the not-so-important-things-happening feel throughout the chapter.
ReplyDelete-Jennifer Gutierrez
In Ferguson’s chapters 20 and 21, there was more of a sense of what I first expected her memoir to be about, because in these two chapters I was able to connect to the content even though it made me sad. For instance, in chapter 20, Ferguson delves deeper into the experiences that she personally has with the border patrol and with the U.S. immigration system. She talks about Carlos and how she is not allowed to help the immigrants because of the fact that it is against the rules and policies of the U.S. Border Patrol. She makes sure to insert her previous experience of violation and how it affected the way that she views the Border Patrol. Needless to say, she was scared of doing anything to piss off the Border Patrol and was helpless in not being able to help the immigrants. In chapter 21, she focuses the chapter on Valentin. Here she, once again, talks about her experience with U.S. immigration system, because on the way back from a trip to Mexico, Valentin was not allowed back into the country, even though he was a legal resident, for some beer. Eventually he was let back into the country, but both he and Ferguson were traumatized by the experience.
ReplyDeleteKarr writes about revision and the two selves. She writes saying that revision should happened through these two selves, which are the generator and the editor. The generator is the one that allows for our writings/ideas to be written down, and the editor is the one who makes sense of them in such a way that usually leads to revision of our work, so that others can read it.
Karina Gonzalez