"Coming Home Again" Dialogue

After reading the essay "Coming Home Again" by Chang-rae Lee, I've chosen to answer the question "What is the narrators home?" for my dialogue.

The authors physical home never seems to really be mentioned in this essay. I didn't see much reference to the neighborhood he lived in, nor do I remember any significant description of the house. What was said about the house was always in reference to his mother's illness, like when he could hear her walking down the hallway, pulling her IV stand with her. I believe the author would consider the kitchen and his mother combined, to be his "home".

As a small child, he seems to have bonded most with his mother while watching her cook. She created an almost ritual style atmosphere with her cooking habits, and seemed respectful of the food itself. This love and respect was passed onto him, and as he grew older, it seems he enjoyed cooking, because he might have equated the cooking style of what he learned, with love for his mother. As an adult, when his mother became ill, he completed the circle by cooking for the person who taught him these rituals, even when he knew she could not eat.

The act of sitting down at the kitchen table with the family, and everyone in their proper seats, tied the author even closer to the kitchen. This is where the family might communicate with each other, and share their lives and stories.

While the author was away at Exeter, he was missing his parents, overwhelmed by the school and learning to live on his own. When his parents came on their first visit to him, he hung out with them in their hotel room. His mother surprised him by pulling a cooler of homemade food out of the closet, a veritable kitchen from home, filled with his childhood memories of food. He attacked the food, not because he was hungry, but because he missed being in the kitchen, with his mom. He was left with a feeling of satisfaction after eating.

From the essay, it's obvious to me that the author would call his mother's kitchen his home, as he has many fond memories of food and love.

Rules for Writers Ch. 3 summary

Chapter 3 in Rules for Writers talks about "global revision" for what you have written. I believe when they say "global revision", they are referring to when a person reads over the rough draft, and starts to see the different kinds of changes they would like to make, concerning the development of the subject and general idea for the paper. The chapter also advises on editing sentence structures, grammar checking, proofreading and spell checking.

During the global revision, the entire structure of the paper could be changed. It can be something as little as rearranging sentences or paragraphs, to developing your thesis further, to physically setting aside the paper and reading it another day. Using the five points listed in the "checklist for global revision" (Rules for Writers, page 28) can help you answer any questions the reader might have.

Adding, deleting, or changing the wording of sentences is another important feature in revision, as it can help to create an understandable language. In addition, proofreading for spelling errors, punctuation errors, and grammar check will keep the reader engaged and interested in what has to be said.

When I write, I have a tendency to write one sentence at a time, stop, re-read it several times, and revise it right then and there. I will use what I've learned in Chapter 3, and try to put down my general ideas first, then set it aside for a moment. Coming back will help me "see" what I've previously written with fresh eyes. Proofreading, I learned at a previous class, is best for me, when I read my essays backwards.

This image was taken by me in 2007, at the bottom of a mountain in Switzerland. The female is my friend Cathy, and the men were 2 out of a group of 19 people that we were doing a motorcycle tour with. Every time I look at this picture, I relive the intense emotions I went through that day. Emotions that helped make me the fiercely independent adventurer that I am today.

Cathy and I were going on a motorcycle tour through the Swiss Alps of Europe in 2007. We were acquaintances from work and mutual friends, and after talking at a party one night, we decided to ride motorcycles through another country, for fun! This trip consisted of us flying to Europe, picking up motorcycles, and riding through Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Italy along the Alps mountain ranges, which stretched through all of these countries. Cathy and I both had some experience riding, but I considered myself a fair-weather rider. Meaning I had never ridden in rain or snow before. I have never even driven a car in snow! The trip started off pleasant for us both. There happened to be a heat wave in Europe at the time, so the weather was great, and we personally had no riding mishaps. Most days we would ride with others from the group, but on this day we had decided to forage on alone, armed with just a couple of road maps, and no knowledge of negotiating foreign road systems on our own.

This particularly fated day started out fine. The weather was a little cooler than normal, but not alarming to us. We progressed our elevation up a mountain pass, and soon arrived in fog. Several miles later, the fog became dense. Other traffic seemed to fade away the higher up the mountain we got. Then, quite suddenly, the fog had coagulated so much that I could not see my front tire. It was so thick it even blocked out light from the sky, and cast us into an eerie dim world.

Here is where I got uncomfortable. I am riding in the front, but cannot see Cathy, whom I know is riding on my tail! Our helmet visors were dripping and fogging up, making the visibility narrow. The roadway is slippery wet, and I cannot define where the edge of the road is, as the fog is that thick. I slow my speed down to ‘barely crawling’, which on a motorcycle, means I’m almost too slow for first gear, and in danger of stalling out. In addition to all this, we are also in danger of running into cows, as in this country, livestock is allowed to roam free, even across roadways.

My heart is racing now, and my grip on the handlebar is so tight I get cramps in my arms. My eyes are simultaneously huge with fear, and stinging from the cold damp. This continues for miles and miles. We have to go up and down a mountain pass to get to our destination for the night, so turning around was not an option for us.

The weather was also getting colder and wetter, and when it started raining, I was not prepared. I had a protective riding jacket and pants on, but it wasn’t designed for near freezing temperatures. The sweat from my fear and nervousness was getting chilled, and causing me to shake.

I began to question my sanity in going on such a trip, and asking myself why I didn’t just go somewhere safe, like Hawaii or Mexico. Being a non-believer in Jesus or Christ, I started talking to myself, promising that if I made it through this mountain pass without crashing, I would go to church every sunday. I wonder why people think such things when the going gets tough? I’m sure someone, somewhere, has made good on that promise, but deep down inside the blackest little part of my heart, I knew I really wouldn’t keep that promise. I guess talking to myself kept me from stopping on the side of the road, and just giving up.

A little longer up the road, the rain turned to snow. I didn’t even recognize it as snow at first. It was very light, with a misty like quality. Soon, though, I began to see what it was when I noticed it starting to make small clumps on the road. Then large piles. I’d never driven in snow before, and I was momentarily almost smitten by the beauty of it! It was pure white, it’s own entity. It muffled the sounds of the cow bells around us. Right there, in my wonderous stupidity, I put myself back into a panic thinking that I had no idea how to drive in snow! The fear got it’s grip back on me, and my whole body clenched up.

Eventually, though, the incline leveled out, and we began to descend down the other side. The weather was exactly the same. After passing through the snow elevation, we ran into the rain, and then back into the fog.

Riding in the fog, I heard a vehicle behind us, and I was suddenly passed by two other motorcyclists! I believe they must have noticed my distress, because they didn’t pass by out of view, but stayed riding with Cathy and I to the bottom of the mountain. Cathy! I hadn’t even given her a second thought during that whole trip, and a quick look in the mirror showed her still behind me.

The first chance we got, all four of us stopped, and I found out the two riders were guys that I was riding in the tour with. I was never so happy to see other humans in my entire life. Cathy must have been feeling the same way, because we both hugged the guys and hung on to them for a while, talking ourselves back to a calm state of mind, trying to tell them how scared we were. Eventually the hysteria turned into happiness that it was all over.

The emotional experience took me by surprise way more than the physical experience did. I’ve had other emotional times; sadness, anger, shock. But these feelings took me outside my comfort zone. I’d never felt such raw fear before. My life has been very protected, living in the United States. I was born with the ability to choose my comfort, and the assumption that the comfort would follow me, and protect me, in a way, wherever I went. Cathy and I talked about it, and came to the conclusion, that after all was said and done, there could have been a lot worse things to happen to us in our lives. Like being born in a country that doesn’t allow women to travel! It was ok for us to be scared, we weren’t out to prove anything.

Remembering this helped me with future travels. I don’t turn down any ideas of places to visit, or things to do. I don’t turn down the opportunity to communicate with strangers. I don’t turn down foreign food. And if something bad happens, the first thing in my mind is ‘It could be a lot worse.’

"The Ways We Lie" dialogue

My dialogue for the reading "The ways we lie" by Stephanie Ericsson will be based on the question "Do I agree with the authors definition" after choosing one of the lies.

I chose to focus on the White Lie. I have mixed feeling for the authors descriptions of what a white lie is. I agree that telling a small untruth to help someone feel better is ok. Many times someone you know just needs a confidence boost, and who doesn't like a compliment? I would tell my own mother that what she cooked is delicious, because I love her, and I don't want to make her feel bad. If I didn't have a good relationship with my mom, I would still say the food was good, because I don't like to say mean things to people, even if I disagree with them. Truth can be ugly, and I believe the majority of people like to be nice. But I disagree to call it "an act of subtle arrogance." I'm not trying to decide that it's best for my mom to always think her cooking is good. That's not what my subconcious is doing. I have emotional ties to the person, and think that has a lot of say in what I tell her.

And regarding the sergeant in Vietnam who lied about the soldiers death, there were emotional ties there, as well. I'm sorry to be the one to say this, but what if the family DIDNT want to move on to a new life? Who assumes that everyone needs closure? Maybe the general public think it's a good idea, but that comes back to the argument that a white lie is someone deciding what is best for someone else.

Personally, I think there's no harm in white lies that make someone feel good, or keep someone from getting hurt. And now I'm wondering if maybe the term "White Lie" should get a new definition. Not be classified as a lie. Maybe it's more of an 'emotional response.'

"The joy of reading and writing" dialogue

How could it be dangerous to be smart?

In "The joy of reading and writing: Superman and Me", I chose to answer the above mentioned question.

I think the danger of being smart lies in the culture where one is from. My own assumption is that groups of people will start to agree on the same idea's, even if its wrong. Lemming effect possibly? Cultures of people will always look down on, or think less of people who don't have the same lifestyle as them. For instance, some cultures elevate man's status, and look down on women. Some cultures elevate those with money, and look down on those without.

I think if you put these two together, you'll get a dominant culture that doesn't believe the sub-culture was created equally. And if you allow the sub-culture to get ideas or freedoms, or allow them access to the same lifestyle, the dominate culture might feel threatened, and might try to restrict the sub-cultures access to being considered an equal.

Specifically from this reading, the subjects are Reservation Kids. I think I can safely assume that many US Indian Reservations live in extreme poverty, in secluded areas, with limited access to jobs and equal education. I think the dominate culture in the US, white men, (Communication between Cultures; Samovar, Porter & McDaniel) are afraid of smart indians who could live and work alongside them, and enjoy the same things in life.

If a sub-culture showed signs of being "smart",they could be subjected to discrimination and/or threats. Are they being smart by playing dumb? Or does that just harm them further?

Writing Topic - Ch. 1

Chapter one was an introduction on how follow the process of writing. Whether you are writing an academic paper, a business report, or a newsletter, following some simple steps and rules will give you the consistency needed to create documents that will capture your audience and keep them entertained.

Before you start writing, you can get ideas for a first draft while doing everyday activities. Thinking about you future writing while do other things instead of sitting with pen and paper will help create questions and ideas on how you really want your paper to progress. One important factor to consider is to be familiar with the cultures writing style. In my case, I am in a college culture in a formal english class. That leads me to believe that the instructor would like me to use proper english in my writing, and do away with the everyday street slang that I use.

Make certain about the subject, whether it was given to you or you pick it yourself, and formulate a thesis. Sources of information can come from many places; interviews, observation, personal experience, reading, or media. Decide who your target audience is, and ask yourself what you want the paper to do for them. And while there are many "rules" that could be followed, make sure to know the length, format and deadlines of your paper.

To utilized what I have just learned in this reading, I am going to try and start physically writing down my ideas and thoughts about future subjects before I actually start writing. It's too easy to write on the computer because of the ease of the delete and backspace buttons, so I normally just start typing without thinking first. I've already started, as I wrote down the rough draft for this summary!