Obama speech edits

As a group we noticed that a lot of Obama's edits added a mixture of emotion and accountability to his speech through the edits. He often tried to convey to the audience that his statements were not broad generalizations, that they were from real people with feelings. Obama made many attempts to unify American belief on politics, that no matter which party one is from, everyone can agree to values such as good will. On top of this, Obama tacks on his own political agenda to these 'unifying' statements. For example, adding on "that only government can ensure" to an example of something that everyone stands for.

Obama speech

We think he made the revisions that he made to make the speech more personal and relatable to the audience. For example when he says “But those of us who knew Teddy” The way he says us and Teddy. We also think he made the speech more comprehensive to the audience. Also he gave very relatable examples for the listeners. We also agree with the blogger when he says the government "has to step in to help deliver."

Obama's Speech

We think that he made the changes to make the audience feel included, to engage them, both Republicans and Democrats. One line, Obama adds "I know that many in this country..." This addition shows that he wants to make his speech personal. He is not delivering it as a fact, but letting the audience know that he knows this, just as they do.

No one in our group really follows politics, so we don't have much of an opinion about the bloggers interpretation of this speech. We do, however, agree with the second paragraph's points about his drawing individuals as "active agents," because we feel that is important in relating to and engaging the audience.

Overall, Obama made the speech more familiar.
Makes it more listener friendly
Revisions pulled it all together
More personal
"That large-heartedness -- that concern and regard for the plight of others -- is not a partisan feeling"
Unified audience
"members of Congress -- Democrats and Republicans -- did not back down. They joined together so that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind."

Obama in class readings

We think that he made the changes mainly becuase he wanted to make his speech more personal to the reader and make it more engaging and captivating to the audience. It tugs on the heart strings.

We as a group agreed with what the blogger was saying. We think he hit the ball on the head with his thoughts and ideas of what Obama had in mind in why he did what he did. We agreed alot on the blogger saying that Obama wanted to add more detail and more of a personal touch to his words. He really wanted to engage the readers and make it as personal as he was able to.

What Obama did to the draft

Vince feels that Obama made the changes so his speech didn't make it seem like he is talking down to the audience, making his speech more personable. Vince also agrees with Obama's changes and feels that it makes his speech sound more relateable. Obama attempted to put himself on the same level as the people he is talking to. For example, when he added 'of us' to the first line.

I feel that Obama's changes are a bit manipulative. You can make anyone agree with what you are saying by the way you say it. In this case, I feel like Obama is trying to appeal to the audiences emotions more so than the content of the speech. The blogger states that the President repeadedly added feelings and thoughts to specific people or groups of people. I think there is a time and place for appealing to one's emotions, but I don't agree that in a speech given by the President is appropriate.

Obama's Edits - Response.

We think that Obama's edits helped the speech sound more personable. He made it apply to everyone - Democrats and Republicans. We think that he wanted to help his audience feel a sense of unity. Some worked with Ted Kennedy and knew what he stood for, and Obama's goal was to simply remind them of that. The matter was something that both Republicans and Democrats agreed on and worked together toward.

The blogger says pretty much the same thing:

"He drew individuals, members of Congress generally, and the American people as active agents into a joint national project of compassion and positive action."

Obama also spoke in first person throughout his speech saying things like, "I know," "us" and "we" making himself sound credible and relatable.

He thinks that through Obama's edits, he gave his audience a sense of "YEAH! We can do this!" Obama mentioned that hard work should pay off and the blogger felt that Obama gave a feeling of hope when he said, "the government has to step in and deliver on that promise."

So as a group, we agree with the blogger.

A&P

I really enjoyed how John Updike explained what he seen, it was as if I was in his position seeing everything that he did. The way he desscribes the girls and the view of outside the door. I always enjoy reading stories that are very visual becuase then it gives you a feel of what it looked like in their point of view as they wrote the story. I also like how he stood up for himself and quit becuase of how the manager was reacting to the way the girls were dressed in his store, but kinda sad too that he would take such a big step just because of some girl he thought was pretty and didn't even know..

I am glad that we were able to read something that was fun and not really contributed to academics, sometimes it's nice to read something that you may be interesteed in. It keeps me focused on the story when i read soemthing like that opposed to something that wasn't entertaining at all.

A&P

I feel like Sammy was an typical 18 year old guy. He was think poorly and acted impulsively. He was more worried about the girls that walked into the store than his own job. I feel that he was not acting rational and thinking logically. I don't think that he should have chose the girls than his job because the job is more important at the moment. His parents is friends with the store owner so he is probably going to get in trouble when he gets home. I found him to be childish and foolish
I however liked the story and thought it was well written. I found it nice to read a short story and take a break form the academic article. I liked the story but found Sammy's gramar a little annoying while readding.

Thoughts and Questions on A&P

1. We have decided that the end feels more frustrating than anything else. Sammy now has to find another job on his own, and start over somewhere else. When he said, "I quit," I'm sure he felt liberated and relieved that he was finally done with that place, but once he got outside and looked back I feel like he regretted his decision.

3. This story really shows Sammy's personality, and therefore, his identity. Throughout the story we get to read his thoughts and see what he's thinking. He ends up quitting his job because he was upset that his boss embarrassed the girls in the store. I feel like he wanted to impress them and be the person they might want him to be, but it didn't work. Once he got outside of the store, he realized that he now has to find a new identity and a new place of work because he just threw his job away for a girl he will probably never see again.

5. As a group, we have decided that we would not have made the same decision. Even though he tried to be the hero, it didn't work out for him. It was a stupid decision that he couldn't take back. Keeping a job and trying to keep your boss happy (even when they are stupid) is a little more important than a scantily clad girl and her friends. They shouldn't have been going around town in just their bikinis anyway - it was in the 1960's, for goodness sake. Hahahahah.

Updike Discussion

1. The ending is liberating and risk-filled and it's kind of a writ of passage for Sammy because he made a change in his life. He's moving on to a new stage in life.

3. We think the piece fits with identity by his observations of people and giving them instant identities. He identifies people by how they dress and how they move and then gives everyone a profile. For example, there's a queen bee and she has two worker bees following behind her. He also gives the people he's annoyed with identities.

5. If we were Sammy we would probably still have quit, but looked for another job first. His decision was very spontaneous, but we think he wanted to be spontaneous for once because he was afraid he would end up like his boss.

A&P In-Class Questions

1) He was making a huge deal about quiting his job, when realistically he was only 19 years old and will have plenty of other opportunities to get a better job. We think he will get over it and it is not as bad as he thinks it is. It is sad in his perspective, but to us it is liberating because now he can pursue a better paying job.



2) His boss told him that he was making a mistake by quiting, but he didn't care and proceeded to quit. When he could have sucked it up and just kept his job and not try to impress the girls. We disagree with Gilbert, because it was more of a naive decision, trying to be the big shot. It came down to him being left by himself.



5) If it came down to us being in this position, we would not have gone about it the same way. We would have reinforced the managers orders to the girls and then continued to work.

The People Watchers

1. He seems like a realist in the end in comparasion to the beginning and middle of the text. It seemed like he had always wanted to quit his job but this story gave him a profound reason to quit his job at the grocey store. The story was bitter-sweet because he has to come to reality at some point and realize what is going on.

3. He seems to be able to see others identites because people fall into a certain pattern after a while espeicially in the grocery store where you see people shopping in a grocery store every day. The setting of the grocery store never changes but the people who enter it and leave it do change which could give Sammy upper hand on seeing one's identity.

4. Writing in that intense detail is very interesting because it is evident that someone can get so lost in the moment with explaining one simple story. The purpose of the details is to give the reader a good image of what Sammy saw through his own eyes as well as the feelings he was going through at the time.

Response to A&P

1. The two senses we felt from the end of this story were liberating and eye-opening. Sammy is realizing that he cannot grow up and mature in a job he hates, just because he was given the job. This realization and risk-taking is liberating. Also, Sammy realized, after taking this risk, that though it was necessary, this would lead to some tough times. This closing line is eye-opening for Sammy.
2. Porter sees Sammy's decision as one to live "honestly and meaningfully." In a way, we agree because if you disagree with the politics at your job it may be best for you to quit. However, quitting because his boss embarrassed a girl is very different than quitting a corrupt law firm - that would be living honestly and meaningfully.
4. The detail in this story helps to build the reader's interpretation of the character's identities. We also see more of Sammy's identity, not only in his decisions through out the story, but also in the way that he assumes things about the girls based on their descriptions.

A&P group review

1. Sammy was a bit upset and frustrated with his decision of quitting his job. He did it with the intentions of becoming the young girls' hero but, as we out, that wasn't the case. His boss also said that you don't want to do this to your parents and, as sammy said, was true. So, at the end we think that he realized he made a quick decision that he probably should have thought more about it.

2. We feel that Sammy did not quit his job for the right reason. Sammy wasn't living meaningfully because the meaning was not interpretted by the girls. He wanted to be their heroes, however, it really doesn't affect them longterm like it would Sammy.

5. We both agree that we would not have quit because it wasn't that big of a situation. We can understand if the boss was being extremely rude to the girls, but he had to tell them they couldn't come into the store again unless they are in clothing. We think that's a very reasonable request.

A & P Questions

1.)We think that the ending of the story kind of sucked for Sammy. he ended up not catching the girl's attention and subsequently did not have a job. The end of the story was both liberating and frustrating because you put yourself out there and get shot down by the girls and don't have a job.

2.) We disagree with Porter, because Sammy put himself out there honestly and got nothing out of it.

3.)Sammy changed his own identity from being a reserved person but then came out and spoke up in front of the girls.

4.) The purpose of the details in the story is to bring meaning to Sammy's decisions in the story. If there were not any details we would question the decision making of Sammy. On the other hand, he might not have wanted to end up like his friend who was 22 and was already married and had kids.

5.)If we were Sammy, we wouldn't have made the same decision because it was a such a small thing for him to quit his job and be left out in dust.

A&P

I rather enjoyed this piece of writing. The overly critical and detailed descriptions of the girls really made me connect with this piece. I often find myself describing people in much the same way in my mind, but not so much in my writing. If my inner thoughts were to spew onto paper it would look something like Updike's writing.

I also feel that being kind to people is far more important than any job in the world, although he may have been intereseted in being more than kind. In my experience being a good person gets you alot furthur in life than always being a stickler for the rules or even being arrogant.

If givin hte same situation I probably would not have done the same as him, and thats simply because he overthought the situation. I liked his passion but it was a little misplaced. He was hoping to impress that girl, but personally I have bigger problems than that, bills and what have you. In conclusion, I like the writing, like the personality behind it, but would not have the guts to quit myself.

A&P (The people watchers)

I enjoyed reading this story because I used to talk to people and also write like the author did with intense detail, except for me it would be grammatically incorrect in the eyes of "error" by Williams. I feel like "people watching" can almost be a hobby for some people, however I do mean that as you just watch people without having any desire of poking fun or scrutinizing them. I know for a fact in Georgia sometimes when I go to the mall with family or friends we will eat in the food court but in the middle where you see everyone pass by while eating. We essentially will talk about those people while eating but not in a rude manner.

For instance, I am someone who rarely uses the word "cute" in anything, no pun intended, but when I was at the mall one day I ended up seeing two little twins about 3 years old eating in big chairs pretending to be there parents. When one of the brothers had dropped his napkin I heard the other one say to him, "it's OK brother I'll get you another one." and they just went on pretending to be adults. That to me is something I had considered cute.

My depiction from above is kind of what I used to type and write like except worse. Lastly I also feel that sometimes just observing people who might not be wearing or acting like what you might think is normal, can help open one's eyes to how different we all really are and that we do in fact have our own identity's.

A & P

I really enjoyed Updick's piece. The way he described the girls was unique and very entertaining. It had a 'cool' way of describing what he saw and it was very creative. I also think it was very brave yet stupid of him to quit. He was young and needed that job so to go to that extreme over girls in bathing suits shows how young of a man he really was. The last sentence of the story, i feel, shows a sign of regret. And who knows, he may have even felt that way if the girls were still outside waiting for him. I don't know what exactly the point of the story was, whether it had a point or if it was just purely entertainment but I did enjoy it.

A&P

I enjoyed reading A&P. I thought it was a good story with a lot of detail.He was really able to draw you in and make you feel like you were there.I also thought that his nickname for some of the people were vary funny.
However the weird spacing and random dots through out the paper got rather annoying after a while. Which is weird for me because usually mistakes don't bother me because I know I make plenty of my own.

Somewhere Someone is Thinking About You

Once I read this piece by John Updike, I couldn't help but fall in love with the way he describes the girls. Sometimes readers skip over huge paragraphs of text just because it is boring and describes something insignificant. But I find beauty in text like that. The author puts so much effort into describing all of the senses he or she is experiencing and all of the the beauty or horror or other feeling that they are encountering. In those few pages that Updike wrote, I felt the yearning that Sammy felt. I felt the embarrassment that Queenie endured. At the end, I was even able to feel the same exact way Sammy would after he walked out and "felt how hard the world was going to be to [him] hereafter."

I have read a piece written by Henry Rollins that I thought of when I realized Sammy tried but did not get what he desired. He put all of this effort into explaining the girls but never was recognized by them after he "heroically" quit his job. Rollins also describes his muse in such detail that the reader can feel it and that sensation, no matter what it is, follows them for a little bit. The piece is:

Somewhere someone is thinking of you. Someone is calling you an angel. This person is using celestial colors to paint your image. Someone is making you into a vision so beautiful that it can only live in the mind. Someone is thinking of the way your breath escapes your lips when you are touched. How your eyes close and your jaw tightens with concentration as you give pleasure a home. These thoughts are saving a life somewhere right now. In some airless apartment on a dark, urine stained, whore lined street, someone is calling out to you silently and you are answering without even being there. So crystalline. So pure. Such life saving power when you smile. You will never know how you have cauterized my wounds. So sad that we will never touch. How it hurts me to know that I will never be able to give you everything I have.

Even though I think he was trying to do something morally right, Sammy put himself under the bus by quitting his job. If the girls were unattractive, I think he might have not stood up to his boss and would have continued his monotonous job and mundane life as it was before. I'm not sure what Updike's purpose was for writing this piece, but I think he did put out a message, whether good or bad, of watching what and for whom you stand up.

A and P

I'm jealous of the characters in this story just for the fact that the story is set in the summer! I hate the winter haha. I hate it so much that I may move south someday. I might be exaggerating a bit, but it's quite a production to get ready to go outside sometimes. You gotta put all your gear on and psych yourself up for the weather that awaits you. I like the line where he explains it's much cooler to make an exit in the summertime than in the winter.

"One advantage to this scene taking place in summer, I can follow this up with a
clean exit, there's no fumbling around getting your coat and galoshes..."

I think the funniest part of the whole thing was when he thought those three girls would hear him say "I quit!" and think he was the most dreamy guy ever.

I find it amusing that he nicknames everyone not 5 seconds after they come into his line of vision. Then, he varies people's nicknames between Queen and Queenie or Stokes and Stoksie. The way he describes things is amusing as well. It's very descriptive, and I can picture and recall the scene very well.

It would be a bit of a spectacle to see girls in their swimsuits at a grocery store, at least when you first seem them. I imagine young people and old people have different views on this. We know the narrator didn't mind it. I would probably say, "Eww gross, they don't have shoes on. That's disgusting." Haha. Other than that, it's not a complete shock if it's a beachtown. Though, the girls were being rebels and not adhering to the no shoes, no shirt, no service policy the A & P probably has.

I wonder how old those three girls are supposed to be. My best guess is 15 bare minimum... since the narrator is 19.

A & P

I really liked this selection written by John Updike. I feel that so many people can relate to it regardless if you worked in a grocery store or some other type of retail. I know I’ve been in this position plenty of times just walking around campus or sitting down to eat somewhere. You feel like just by seeing someone you can figure out they’re personality or motives.

Another thing that I really liked about this selection was when he quit his job. The feeling of “coolness” he feels right when he quits is so quickly wiped away when the girls just kept walking out of the store. This is another thing that I feel a lot of people can compare to as well. There have been times when I at first thought that a decision I was about to make was going to be great, but then quickly regretted soon thereafter. Coming up with a joke in your head that you think will be great but turns out to be either horribly awkward or just plain old unfunny is a perfect example of this situation.

Updike's A&P

As I read this short story by Updike I felt like maybe I’ve read it before. I think that I had to read it in high school for something but I don’t really remember. Anyways I enjoyed this reading much more than Williams! I liked the amount of detail and descriptors he used though out this piece. As I read I found myself noticing errors. Mainly just a few spacing errors and maybe a few punctuation errors that I questioned, then I thought to myself these errors are more apparent from reading Williams article. Besides those, the overall story was entertaining. I really liked the detail he used, it kept me reading and being able to visualize what he was talking about was nice. I think that if he hadn’t used the amount of descriptors that he did, the story wouldn’t be the same. Not only would it be shorter but it would be boring. The detail took a simple event of quitting a job and the events that caused it into a five-page short story. I was not expecting the end at all, even though I believe I have read it before. I didn’t really care for the end though. I thought it was short and bland compared to the beginning. Updike did at great job painting a picture with his words. Stories that do this tend to be my favorite. I also like that it is just a short story and how entertaining it is. It is entertaining even though it is simply describing the events that led up to the character quitting his job.

A & P

I found this story very humorous, probably because it is so relatable. I've been working at a small grocery store for the past year and a half, and I get the same kind of customers. There are always old ladies waiting for you to mess up, and the second you do she calls you out on your mistake. There are always people who mosey around and stop to watch when something out of the ordinary happens. And, there are always people that catch your eye and you can't wait for them to be done shopping so that maybe, just maybe, they will choose your register.

While I'm at work, I notice the smallest things about my customers - the chipped nail polish on their nails, the slight stain on their collar, the grimace they always wear... I take all of those details I see along with the amount and type of food they are buying, and I imagine their lives before I even realize what I'm doing.

This woman came in the other day and bought ginger ale, popsicles, bananas, tea, and bread. I don't know if she has a family and I don't even know her name. All of the sudden I asked, "Is one of your children sick?" She looked at me quizzically and said, "Yeah, my 5-year-old has the flu." I wanted to ring up her things as quickly as possible so that she could get home to her child. It may not seem that odd to you, but it was the weirdest thing. For a second, it was like I knew her - but I don't.

The narrator of that story felt so in tune with those three girls ("Queenie" especially) that he quit his job because his manager had embarrassed them. That is a creepy kind of dedication.

Despite the different annoyances and injustices that transpire throughout my day, I am comfortable there. I got the job because my best friend's mom is one of the office managers. My best friend works there as well. I would not have the same courage and audacity to just quit my job like that. I hate it sometimes, but I haven't gotten to the point where I would just say, "I quit," and walk out the door. While I know it would be a good decision for me to get out of IGA and do things on my own, I need to muster a little more courage first. I do admire the narrator for being so spontaneous like that. It wasn't until he had actually walked out that he even gave his actions a second thought.

A&P

The author was right on the money with this story. I laughed while reading the entire thing because I too can relate to everything he described. After reading his trivial, but detailed, descriptions of the characters in his story, I realized that I do the same while I am at work. I'm one of those "people watchers" when I'm out in large crowds. I am especially fond of the fact that the author even included the clever little nicknames while continuing the story. One part that stood out to me the most was the line pertaining to the customers not reacting to a bomb being dropped while shopping. All attention was on the girls that were scantily clad while shopping, but if something huge and drastic were to occur, it wouldn't stop them from getting their applesauce. I laughed the most at the first paragraph because I have dealt with many a "Salem" witch in my time working three years of retail. Not only is the author spot on about the "register watching" that this particular woman happened to be wrapped up in, but her reaction to his mistake couldn't be any more correct. This story really made me look at my own job in a different perspective. I am constantly observing the odd variety of customers I see daily, and I am always hearing their life stories while ringing them up. Honestly, it's like working retail brings on a whole new breed of human. What I can't understand is who actually wakes up in the morning and decides they would like to get free life counseling after they purchase a gallon of milk? The author goes on to explain the group of girls that seem to be what takes the story to it's prime. It's interesting how vivid his description is and how the descriptions of the girls continues until the end. I would say the main character was a stubborn, but courageous superhero without a cause since the girls ended up not even getting what they wanted when they left the store. Overall, the story was humorous and placed a very descriptive image in my mind while I was reading.

A&P

I thought the story was very interesting. I really enjoyed the build-up. Updike used a lot of details and allowed the store clerk, Sammy, to make a lot of well thought out inferences about the girls walking around the A&P. At first, I wasn't sure what to think about the reading or where it was going, I thought the story was just going to sort of drag on. Then the incident with Sammy's boss really pulled me in. My dad is sometimes like Lengle. He used to comment on other peoples' attire and actions when he would take me to school functions. It was really embarrassing back in middle school and definitely not his place to be making comments. So I can see how Sammy felt the need to say and do something that allowed him to dissociate from his boss.
Now, as much as I admire Sammy for having the guts to quit his job, a job his parents got for him I might add, I think he made an irrational and immature decision. I do not know what will be of Sammy's life thereafter; I think some would say that now he can go and do something more meaningful and more enjoyable but I'd say that Sammy is destined to continue living a mundane life in that small town.
The last line "...my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter," says to me that from then on Sammy will feel inclined to always be a man of his word and follow through with everything he says, no matter the consequence. And that there can be a very daunting prospect. We all think things and want to act on them, especially if we feel that an unfortunate identity is being forced on us (such as a cashier at an A&P) but many of us don't. And those of us that do act on them are seen as immature and irresponsible. I think Sammy was faced with a lose-lose situation....and the impact of which loss is more detrimental is entirely subjective and many readers will view it differently.

John Updike's "A&P"

“[M]y stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.”

After nearly five pages of incredibly precise detail, I feel this last line is really the whole purpose for the story. Drawing a situation like this out is something I have a hard time doing as a writer, because I like to get straight to the point. I envy Updike’s eye for detail, and also his patience. He is keen in seeing that some topics are more easily digested when they aren’t served in such a straight forward manner.

What I mean is, I interpreted this closing statement as the realization that, in quitting his job, the protagonist is taking an advancing leap of faith. Working in a place where you disagree with the procedures or coworkers so you can keep your pay check is a common issue. It seems like the appropriate thing to do is stay where you are, stay secure. And Sammy’s parents knew his boss - he was fairly secure where he was. Sometimes we need to break out and take a risk, though. Life can be hard, but how boring would it be with out some change and risks?

If this reading, however, had been straight forward and made a point like “Life is going to be hard, but you have to grow-up and take some risks,” it would be short, boring and many people may disagree. With the detailed, enticing anecdote attached to it, however, this reading can be interpreted many different ways and be enjoyable in doing so.

A&P

This weeks reading took place inside a grocery store. It told the story of the store clerk and three young girls who entered the store wearing nothing but bathing suits. I enjoyed this reading much more than I did the others because it was more of an entertainment read. The outcome for the clerk ended unfortunately because to impress the girls he quit in front of them to his manager who embarassed the girls. The girls ended up not seeing this act and the clerk was left jobless and in no way did he accomplish his goal of impressing the girls. I liked the story because it was told in such great detail. I liked how the author described each girl and her own personality. There was the chubby one with the two piece, the tall one, and there was the queenie. He could tell she was the leader just by the way she carried herself. I found it interesting how in the few minutes that the girls were there and the little time the clerk had spent watching them, that he could develope such a bond with them to where he would quit his job in their defense.

A&P

The light-hearted, almost comedic tone of the piece is a juxtaposition to the overall theme of the story. I felt that throughout the story, the author included many comedic elements in order to evoke a sense of reality to the reader. The ridiculous terminology used is further evidence to the silliness of the story. However, even though the beginning seems quirky and funny, the tone changes. The author is trying to convey the realities of life. Some people want to move forward and have the opportunity to, while others just stay miserable; some by choice, others not so much. The metaphor of sheep with the girls that walk in is not only humorous, but has meaning as well with following one another. The protagonist finds this extraordinarily mundane. And so by the ending he ends up quitting his job at the grocery. I interpreted this as him moving on, possibly to better things; however, the ending paragraph he comes to the realization that he is just going to end up fatigued by a second-rate job; "checking the sheep through", just like Lengel.

A&P

So, I thought this was a really different piece compared to some of the other things we have been reading in class. I thoroughly enjoyed it up until the very end. I felt like the ending was a little misplaced. The whole time he is in the grocercy store, he doesn't seem concerned with his future, then in the ending it's like all of a sudden I-realized-how-much-my-life-is-gonna-suck-from-now-on to conclude it. It just seemed like the whole article was too detailed for such a broad and general "my life is over as I know it" moralized ending. I thought it was extremely detailed and that helped to have a full understanding and knowledge of the setting and to better convey Sammy's thoughts and feelings as he is apparently making drastic life-altering decisions. Also, I don't know if it was done purposely but the typographical errors and weird spacings in some places really detracted from the reading which made it a little difficult to completely follow. However, on the whole, I thought that this was a good, light read and a nice change of pace from reading 18 pages of errors.

A & P

Something I picked out pretty fast from reading A & P was the level of detail used to describe the main character’s surroundings was very precise. The way Updike described many of the characters provided a clear depiction of them, allowing me to form my own judgments. I feel like I know Lengel and others beyond the accounts given to me, because I know people just like them. People may be predictable or common, or maybe I’m oversimplifying it.

I don’t know if it was Updike’s intent or not, but I felt the whole situation was kind of depressing—from the florescent lights to the ‘sheep-like’ people Sammy had to witness. This might have been an alternative motive to his resignation; instead of aiming to impress the girl, he might have been driven to commit an act of defiance against this environment. Whatever the case, the reader is the one to make a final evaluation of Sammy’s character and why he did what he did. Is he a hero, or a fool? In this case, there doesn’t seem to be that much of a difference.

A quick comic I made composed of internet memes.

Shitty First Drafts and Why I Write

The first article that I read was the shitty first drafts. I really enjoyed this article, as it made me think about when I write a first draft. I agree that the main goal when I am writing is to get everything I have to say out on paper. I am also scared that some people will find my first draft and read that before I ever even have the chance to go over it again. I realized that I do exactly what the author does, I like to get a written draft with all my thoughts and ideas, then I like to go over it another couple times before I feel as though it could be turned inn and graded. The hardest part about starting a paper is getting the first draft done. However, I do realize that as long as I can get my thoughts on paper, I can go over it again and reorganize my thoughts as needed.

The second article was why I write. This was also a very interesting article as it addressed why the author wrote, and how she did it. What I liked most about this article is that she would have mental images when beginning to write a book, and she would go off of what she saw in her mind. It was as if she had nowhere to go with it, all she had was an image in her mind and then took this image to the next level by expanding on ideas that she has created. This really made me think about why I write, and how I will continue to write in the future.

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This article probably has to be in one of my top lists for very confusing. I had to read it twice over just to make sure that I understood everything right. It seemed to me that it was a story about a guy working at a mom and pop store who gets a crush on some girl, who walks in with her friends. Then he's just sitting there and fantasizing about talking to them, his boss kind of embarrasses them because they barely have any clothes on and then he just decides to up and quit.

That is what I understood from it but everything in between was very confusing and hard to get through my head. Especially the part where it starts with "Oh Daddy" I'm guessing it was one of the girls talking to her father. I started to think that I was reading a completely different story. I felt like it was narrator jumping from character back to narrator, which is what goes on in a story. I don't know maybe its me, maybe I have a hard time reading things like this, it was pretty late in the night and I guess I got confused.

Although I have to admit that it was a pretty funny and interesting story I actually enjoyed reading this. It is a little better than the other articles we have read so far. I read this story all the way through. I think that this is a piece that many people can relate to. I know a lot of people who have worked at grocery stores and absolutely hate their jobs because of the customers that they have to deal with on a daily bases.

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This was a fun little short story to read. It was mainly about some cashier at a grocery store who saw three girls walk into the store with bathing suits on. And he kind of had a crush on one of the girls that he found to be very attractive. He watches the girls for a while and then they end up at his register after they are finished with their shopping. He was very happy that they went to his so he could talk to them and see them from a much closer view. Then his boss ends up coming out and telling the girls that next time they come in they have to dress more appropriate and not wear the small and very showing bathing suits. The cashier ends up getting mad that his boss embarrassed the girls that he ends up quitting his job, and he ends up walking out with kind of a scared feeling of how life is going to be now.

This short story had a very strong impact or connection on me because I worked at a small grocery store for about two years. And for a while I was a cashier. And I hated being a cashier more then anything because I hated dealing with all the customers. Just like the person in the story when I was a cashier there were a lot of people who always corrected me and watched me very carefully if I had made any mistakes while ringing up all of the things they purchased. After doing this a while everyday I worked there I always thought about quitting on the spot just like this kid did, however I didn’t want it to look bad if I wanted to get another job so I just ended up never quitting.