So I haven't actually started writing my Kite Runner essay, but I've been planning out my thoughts through an evidence plan. Mr. Allen helped me come up with my thesis, which is: Memories from the past negatively shape the characters' lives because they need to be resolved. As I was working through my evidence plan, I searched the book for key passages that supported my thesis. I think my thought process was especially effective because I depended on my post-it notes, which contained reactions I had while I was reading. These thoughts further strengthened my thesis.
I was surprised by how well I seemed to subconsciously form a structure for my essay. I've just found four pieces of strong evidence and explained how they connect to my argument, but already, the format of my paper has started taking shape, since each piece of evidence makes a different point relating back to my thesis, which is something we discussed in class.
To improve my thought process, I think I should plan out what I'm trying to express before I select my evidence. It almost seemed like a coincidence that all the evidence I found both supported the thesis and introduced a new idea or perspective. So, I was lucky, but next time I might not be so successful with such a random, spontaneous approach.
I'm excited to start working on this essay. My thesis seems to address several of the crucial themes of the novel: time, memory, and resolution. This pertinence makes me eager to see what signifance I can draw from the story through writing my first English essay this year.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Best of Week: Short Sentences
I think the most interesting and valuable topic we covered in class this week was how to write and recognize short sentences. Though I have used short sentences for emphasis in my writing in the past, I think Mr. Allen's insight paired with the examples shown in our Artful Sentences book really helped me understand this tool even more.
Now I find that I'm noticing short sentences everywhere, in everything I read! Best of all, I'm eager to apply this lesson to my writing. I thought it was a good point that Mr. Allen made about short sentences 'giving the reader a break'. It does get tiring reading lengthy sentences over and over again. You feel like the author's cramming detail after detail down your throat.
The amazing thing about short sentences is how they can have such an impact with so few words. In Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses short sentences repeatedly. For example, on page 192, it reads:
Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought.
A way to be good again.
That last sentence struck me more than the three paragraphs before it combined, which is an incredible feat considering it is only six words.
Short sentences are powerful.
Now I find that I'm noticing short sentences everywhere, in everything I read! Best of all, I'm eager to apply this lesson to my writing. I thought it was a good point that Mr. Allen made about short sentences 'giving the reader a break'. It does get tiring reading lengthy sentences over and over again. You feel like the author's cramming detail after detail down your throat.
The amazing thing about short sentences is how they can have such an impact with so few words. In Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses short sentences repeatedly. For example, on page 192, it reads:
Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought.
A way to be good again.
That last sentence struck me more than the three paragraphs before it combined, which is an incredible feat considering it is only six words.
Short sentences are powerful.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Carry It Forward: Kite Runner
I think the most powerful message from Kite Runner is not to run from your past. The whole story centralizes around how to preserve memories, how to bury memories, and how to create memories. Even the form, memoir, references the significance of memory in one's life.
In this past reading, chapters 13-15, the nature of memory has been further investigated. As Amir continues to try to forget that winter in 1975, his memories repeatedly resurface. For example, on page 171, it reads, I remember wishing Rahim Khan were there. And I remember wondering if Hassan too had married. This passage supports the idea that no matter how hard he tries, and no matter how happy he is with his present life, Amir will be ultimately unsuccessful with his efforts to escape his painful past.
To me, this concept was almost reassuring. Of course, like anyone, I have had my fair share of mistakes. I have hurt others, and others have hurt me. Though I, like Amir, have tried countless times to conceal my past, I have never fully done so. Kite Runner has helped me realize that it's okay to be ashamed of things you have done, and it's okay to relive the hurt you endured. I've determined that healing cannot occur without facing the obstacle. In the future, as more monumental events occur in my life, some that are bound to cause distress, I will remember this message. I will accept that I may never forget, but I can forgive. I can move on without letting go.
In this past reading, chapters 13-15, the nature of memory has been further investigated. As Amir continues to try to forget that winter in 1975, his memories repeatedly resurface. For example, on page 171, it reads, I remember wishing Rahim Khan were there. And I remember wondering if Hassan too had married. This passage supports the idea that no matter how hard he tries, and no matter how happy he is with his present life, Amir will be ultimately unsuccessful with his efforts to escape his painful past.
To me, this concept was almost reassuring. Of course, like anyone, I have had my fair share of mistakes. I have hurt others, and others have hurt me. Though I, like Amir, have tried countless times to conceal my past, I have never fully done so. Kite Runner has helped me realize that it's okay to be ashamed of things you have done, and it's okay to relive the hurt you endured. I've determined that healing cannot occur without facing the obstacle. In the future, as more monumental events occur in my life, some that are bound to cause distress, I will remember this message. I will accept that I may never forget, but I can forgive. I can move on without letting go.
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