10/16/13

In class this day, we went over the 2nd fiction packet. The 1st story is about this crazy person who thinks he is sane and trying to do test on other people that never appear in the story. It makes you wonder how an actual person with schizophrenia, if that's what he has, acts and if they see the world around as crazy and they are the only sane ones. The 2nd story in the packet we discussed was about this girl who was seeing a doctor for her problems, but she always complained how she was going to end the sessions because she could help herself. Another story where the crazy person feels she is totally sane and can help fix her own problems. What I found interesting about this story is that it's name A therefore I, and that every other paragraph starts with A and then followed by I. In this girl's mind she spoke in 1st and 3rd person, showing there was something odd with her.

The book 'Juice' seems to be confusing at some parts, while other parts seem a little more clear and easier to follow. I really enjoyed how it began with describing how one will come across a place and live there so long they end up falling in love with it, and once it is gone you will miss it but it will always be with you in your heart and mind. I find this quite true with places I've been to. Obviously the narrator is African American by the way she describes her color and how she is part of this tribe. She describes her past a lot in the book. The second chapter I found rather odd on how she constantly discussed about her juice that she always wanted and loved. How this juice affected her love life and how it caused her to write more poems that were passionate with meaning.

In Lamott's story Polaroids I enjoy the meaning how you don't fully know something at first glance, but that the more you view and think about it, the clearer the image and story is to you. I noticed that with pictures I have taken and looked at so many times that I slowly start noticing different things in the background that didn't stand out to me before. In her chapter about characters she explains how you have to give them meaning. How they live, view things, what their personality is, their appearance is, do they represent the author in any way. You have to make them as realistic as possible by making them to be their own individual, a human being. These characters will eventually come across problems in their life because let's face it, nobody has a perfect life, there is always a problem somewhere. This is the plot of the story then. Also, a good story needs good dialogue. Nothing that is plain out boring and drags on and on, but something with rhythm and flows easily and gets the point across. Dialogue is necessary so the rest of the characters in a book knows what is going on and everyone has to think about it. It's like in real life, we have to communicate with others to know what is going on and people's thoughts on it. We couldn't get anywhere in life if everyone sat around mute and not even trying to make nonverbal communications.