Portfolio Guide

The portfolio guide was somewhat boring but it was helpful and useful information to know. It was nice to be given the information now so the portfolio assignment was an actual goal and no longer is something so far in the future. Since all the requirements were easily spelled out, the portfolio doesn't seem like such a scary assignment. I think the portfolio will be easy to complete if i do all the information. I realized that the portfolio isn't such a daunting task but, in reality, will be the same as any other assignment that we have completed in class. I'm looking forward to putting it all together and accomplishing this class.

Essays on Writing....

I greatly enjoyed reading Harrington’s essay called “Writing about General Apache”. The short essay made me happy to think of the connection the teacher and his student had. It was apparent that Harrington had a great admiration for all of his students which was probably why he liked when they wrote about their own experiences. Everyone’s individual experience has an effect upon someone else. Being able to share one’s own experience, and especially know exactly how to share the story is very important to both characters in the essay. Being able to convey your story is somewhat of a theme for the essay. Harrington succeeds at telling General apache’s story but has him read over the poem before publishing it. Their writing has a profound effect on anyone who knows someone similar, understands the situation, or simply reads the poem. The word choice and the simple language that Harrington uses makes it easy for the audience to understand General Apache’s story. I’m happy that both of the characters were able to confer to each other. The very fact that Harrington conferred with his student creates a vivid respect within the relationship that the entire audience can understand.

Zinsser’s simplicity essay caused some frustration for me. I believed him to be hypocritical because I encountered, as a reader, language that did not seem that simple to me. Why such big words? If he is to complain that students should not find a more intelligent word, or that a Airplane pilot cannot anticipate precipitation, then why does he not use ‘simple’ language if that is what he wishes to read? On the other hand, however, I can relate to his frustrating situation. We as readers have all encountered a sentence that is difficult to read and understand. The last paragraph confused me slightly. The first time I read it, I was confused. “Writing is hard.” I knew what he meant when he said that those who cannot write a clear sentence should not write. I agree. As a reader, I do not wish to be confused and bombarded with so much jargon.