This shows Francesca's real ability to connect with the text despite its complexity.
It is clear, easy to read, honest and direct, with a transparent movement back-and-forth from the text to the subjective emotions and thoughts of the writer.
COMMENT: refer to this work specifically and identify the aspect of her technique that allows her to create this outcome. What can you do to achieve the same clarity and terseness?
TASK 2: Pages 1-17
-Geremio is working with concrete, surrounded by many men.
-Geremio is married to Annunziata. He has children and they
recently bought their own house.
-Annunziata notices he doesn’t speak about his job often,
she assumes it is dangerous. (She is right). GREAT OBSERVATION; FORESHADOWING
-It is good Friday, 1 hour before they are free for the
weekend to celebrate Easter.
-The building collapses and he is crushed. He seems to be
dying.
-His friend is faceless and dead above him.
-Geremio screams for help but it does not do much for him.
-Geremio eventually dies after many screams for Jesus, the
blessed mother, etc.
TASK 3: There must be a reason we were assigned only 17
pages. The reason must be because the book opens on a crucial scene filled with
a ton of information. We meet a character, his family, what he does for a
living, the guys he is surrounded with and we even read his death. This book is
also a tough read, if we take it slowly at first we can develop a technique
when reading the rest. THAT IS THE REAL POINT OF THE SHORT ASSIGNMENT, TO GIVE YOU TIME TO FIND YOUR OWN RHYTHM Reading too much right away could cause us to rush and
miss important information.
TASK 4:
1) I believe there is enough material in this chapter to
write a whole page on feelings and reactions. If pictures are worth a thousand
words, then a chapter is worth a billion words. NICELY SAID
In regards to chapter 1 of Christ
in Concrete, we are introduced to a vast amount of information almost right
away. We learn about Geremio, his family, where he works and whom he works
with. We also learn that his job is pretty dangerous, he is hard working and
that he is looking forward to going home for the holiday weekend to spend time
with his kids. Not to mention that he is a father with a new home. We can speak
about the irony that just before he dies his wife asks about the danger of his
job. We can also speak about how he dies on Good Friday, the same day Jesus
Christ dies. As he dies he is calling out to his creator. SYMBOLISM This can foreshadow
the title of the book; a worker dying in concrete on Good Friday.
2) Like I spoke about earlier in this assignment, the
character of Geremio made me feel like I was reading about my father. I am sure
that this reminds many people of their fathers.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF "MULTIPLE PLANE" WRITING: I
N TWO BRIEF SENTENCES:
THE TEXT,
THE CONNECTION TEXT-WRITER,
THE CONNECTION OF THE WRITER TO HER INNER WORLD (FATHER);
THE WRITER'S CONNECTION TO THE WIDER WORLD.
(HOW DO I FEEL IS THE WAY THE REST OF THE WORLD ALSO FEELS, BECAUSE WE BELONG TO THE SAME MORAL UNIVERSE)
These pages made me feel a bit
heartbroken. Geremio is a young man who died too soon. As I was reading the
book I almost wanted to say out loud, “Wait, that’s not fair!”
SMOOTH SWING BETWEEN EMOTION AND REACTION
I am not sure
why his death resonated with me so much. LOOKING INSIDE
Especially since I only knew him for
17 pages. I have a special place in my heart for fathers. DEEPER INSIDE
I am the textbook
definition of a “daddy’s girl” (being the only daughter in my family). LOOKING AT THE BIGGER PICTURE
I have
never experienced a death such as this first hand, but my mother has. EVEN BIGGER
A train
crushed my grandfather (a German immigrant) when my mother was very young. I
can only imagine that his death was similar to Geremio’s. EVEN BIGGER: MEMORIES RECEIVED FROM OTHERS THAT DEFINE THE DEEP LAYERS OF PERSONALITY
Besides sad, the book
made me a very intrigued. BACK TO THE BRAIN
Despite the level of difficulty, it is extremely
interesting. BRAIN POWER I have no problem reading it. I can only predict that it will
improve my reading abilities and help my writing while telling me an incredible
story. EXPECTATION (because, no matter what, we are all yearning for the future.)
This is truly a great example of understanding the text and connecting with it. It is clear that Francesca understood what the first 17 pages were about because of the way she connected it to her own life. I think that is something that I could do more often in my writing, adding a personal touch while at the same time showing my understanding of the content. I enjoyed how it bounced back and forth form personal experiences to examples of the text. I felt it kept her writing organized.
ReplyDeleteThis example is well detailed. Francesca went deep into her feelings to explain her writing in her stanza's so a reader would understand clearly. She stayed on one topic and elaborated on that main idea thoroughly. Her personal ideas/feelings and the facts from the novel tied in perfectly. Great job, Francesca!!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading other people's work to get into their mind. Francesca answered clearly in each task especially the last part when she spoke about Geremio's death. She stayed on topic, shared feelings, and gave memories that related. Well written assignment.
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ReplyDeleteYour even pacing and digestion of the material shows here in the notes. When reading through not only do I make new connections, but I am taken back mentally to the origin of the note. That is tough to accomplish and says a lot about the priority you placed on the information you recorded and your comprehension of the text.
The text is so powerful. I felt as you did when Geremio was killed. Shock not only at his very visceral death but the high injustice of it. Your introduction of family history I'm sure really "cemented" that moment into your mind and brought forth deeper thoughts. Where my note taking style tends more towards the sudden and sporadic your style is constant and measured. I'll adopt this style in a hopes at gaining greater quality of though rather than quantity and retention
This is a great example for the class to refer to. Francesca clearly discusses how the section of the book made her feel. She makes her point in a clear-cut, straight forward way. She is not confused by the text and her work demonstrates her understanding of it.
ReplyDeleteFrancesca did a great job with the writing assignment. She brings her own deep feelings and thoughts into the text, which I find difficult doing for myself. I want to try and adopt her writing style by putting more thought and feeling into my work and relating it to people and memories I know.
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for all of the positive comments!
ReplyDeleteYou earned them!
DeleteFrancesca's writing is very clear and organized. She did not need to put too much detail because she understood the book and was able to express her feelings clearly. The deeper and more personal part at the end can really make a reader connect with her. She is honest and really gives personal reactions and i think that's what makes this piece so unique and well written. That is something that I need to work on. Being able to express my deep feelings is something I have trouble with but this piece really showed me how it can be done and still keep the paper professional and clear.
ReplyDeleteThis response was well thought out and well organized. Francesca stated her points clearly and went deep into the meaning of specific comments. She puts her personal touch into her writing and did a fantastic job.
ReplyDeleteThis assignment is well detailed and makes clear and important points. It is organized very well and had short and clear summary points listed. The bullet points fit together perfectly.
ReplyDeleteGreat example of the foreshadowing. It was comparable to a movie. The moment the character says something and you know it will have a ripple effect throughout the whole story. Im happy that she was able to catch that.
ReplyDeleteWell said. She identified with the character (Geremio) and related her own experience of losing a loved one.
ReplyDeleteWe all can relate primarily to a loss, but Francesca's work showed a connection that goes beyond the surface of this assignment. She placed her mom in the situation and drew from her mother's pain that allowed her to channel Geremio's family and their loss.
As stated, reading this book slowly is the key, but also I have to be able to look at the character's emotion(s). Not just read them, but ask myself am I able to relate to the character so that my state of mind is not broken or lost in translation due to the book's heavy delivery.
I found this example very helpful and gives me ideas of how and what to do for my next assignment. I really appreciated the detailed work, you can really tell that she gave this time and thought, and it really paid out. I think it is all about reading the novel slowly, in order to digest every aspect of it.
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