"I" Essay of My Choice

Becoming What We’re Called, “Boy, Man, Fellow, Chap”. This is the story on which I decided to contemplate. It is written by Alice Walker, an African American Author and Poet who uses her works to tackle activism, feminism and identity. A prime example of her work is, “The Color Purple”, a fictional novel that won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983.

“Becoming What We’re Called” like many of her works highlights the identity, distinction, and definition of a female; all of which echoes a great deal in the piece. Her issue in this essay was people (men or women) referring to women as “you guys”. Written in the first person, Alice Walker pronounces her dislikeness to the use of the words “you guys” towards women. She becomes aggravated with her best friend and everyone who referred to her as “you guys”. She points out that by calling women “guys” doesn’t do any justice to their personal identity, description, struggle and accomplishments. More so, “guy” as noun means “a boy or man: fellow: chap” and as a verb means “to tease; or to ridicule.” Now are women being ridicule by the use of the words “you guys”, or is it just used out of ignorance?

In the story, Miss Walker, uses her personal experiences and references (denotation) as a structure to build a strong impact and develop ideas to her view. She mention the story of the black man mentioning the word “nigger” while listening to his music, her trip around America and Europe where people would ask question referring to them as “you guys”, and the definition of the word “guy”; all as reasons to becoming what we’re called. I believe she right in that instances, events or certain things can make a word widespread. When a word becomes widespread, it tends to have either a negative or positive impact on a person. If I didn’t know Alice Walker, I would say she strikes me a well cultivated woman. She is someone who is very concern with what she says, and knows very well the power of the spoken word.

The piece is personal and written in the first person as Creative Nonfiction. It becomes personal via the pieces of stories she throw s into it. It is those very stories that shapes and enforces her point of view, creating a potent impact to the reader. By giving you the pieces of stories, she was able to acquire the distance to see herself and her point. Thus she builds herself as a character through personal involvement from the stories. Her voice is informative as it is frustrated. It is informative because she aims to teach women their true identity and how not to be consumed in general connotation and conformity. She is frustrated because “you guys” is something she cannot stop hearing.

I am Hamilton Marks, Jr.
GOOD DAY!

Relationship between meaning and form

The meaning of every piece of writing is equated to the idea, theme or message the piece is trying to convey. Be it explicit or brief, the meaning gives a specific piece of information to the reader. For Example, the meaning of Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “Silent Writing” is about the struggles (family and personal) with cultural assimilation and growth. I personally look for the who, what, where, when, and how then piece them together to obtain the meaning. Contrary from my personal technique, the meaning is obtained through either dialogue, or narration.

The form of a piece is the style in which the piece is drafted. The form often aligns with the meaning, either enforcing or reinforcing it. The form is usually built into scenes that highlight the meaning of a story. In Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “Silent Dancing”, Cofer used personal narration and the idea of a home movie to set the form of the story. As the narration highlights the meaning of the story, the movie supports. Interestingly, parts of the movie blends with the story and became one. In other words, the movie and the actual story will in parts be about the same thing.

The meaning and form of a story are similar in that one helps build the other. The form builds the meaning as the meaning is part of a form.

I am Hamilton Marks, Jr.
GOOD DAY!

Lott, Lopate & Kidder

My initial meaning of Creative Nonfiction displayed a broad view of the genre. The ideas or concepts were visible but lacking detailed and informative analysis. Now my view of this subject has shaped into a distinct, collected and well-formed scope. On this note I regress to how Lott says one can only obtain the definition of Creative Nonfiction via experience. I believe it is that experience (through reading and writing) that enabled me to understand and accurately define Creative Nonfiction. Ideas that resonated amongst the assigned readings were the understanding and use of character, voice, and the subject at hand.

The character is a very important aspect of Creative Nonfiction. It could establish the reader’s interest and build a potent and comprehensible point of view. According to Lopate, to construct a good character, one must mention and build upon the specifics. One must build character on ethnicity, gender, religion, class, geography, politic and so forth. Lopate and Kidder both align with a good character development bringing conflict and interest to the story.

Another aspect is the voice. The voice sets the tone (which could be comedy and tragedy). The tone ignites that believability the reader requires. It is upon that believability that this genre was built. The reader must be amused in other to continue to read or follow.

Every Creative Nonfiction piece needs a story to tell or idea to present. The writer’s ability to be comfortable with the subject rings important. He or she must first know how to create any realistic subject into Creative Nonfiction. The story doesn’t have to be about a great lost or win, nor does it have to be about happiness or sorrow. It can simply be about anything realistic and of interest to the writer. Examining and studying the subject is a positive way to start. Advice form the experts; distant yourself form the character in order to visualize properly. After doing so, both the character and voice with form into par with the subject at hand.

It is only appropriate to sum up by stating in a nutshell what Creative Nonfiction is. Creative Nonfiction is the writer’s created believability through character and voice.

Ideas Of Creative Nonfiction (Lowry, Vowell & Bellow)

Ideas of Creative Nonfiction
(Lowry, Vowell and Bellow)

My initial understanding of Creative Nonfiction was one that just scratches the surface of what Creative Nonfiction is. Yes I knew it is a genre that elements on factuality and numerous styling. However, what I now know about this subject is derivative from my interpretation and correlation to the assigned readings (Lowry, Vowell and Bellow). Via the readings, I was able to accumulate analysis and comparisons that would subsequently sum up to an in-depth definition of Creative Nonfiction.

Creative Nonfiction is a type of writing that bridges the truth (or fact) with different writing styles. In retrospect to my earlier blog entry, “such writing styles include or could be satire or comedy, memoir, narrative and even sports writing”. It serves to create scenes and paint pictures via descriptive or narrative details. In Creative Nonfiction, the author would write in either the first or third person, exposing a situation or an ordeal. Through the perspective of the first person, the piece becomes personal or about self, where the author is personally engaged. The view of the third person serves as an “eye” witness or someone who is simply telling a story from what he or she has been told.

Segmentation, when apply to Creative Nonfiction, aims to create a scene via chronology. It sets the event in a sequential order, out letting a voice and a certain mood to the reader. Writers sometimes use expository styling to make revelation or testimony. Sarah Vowell used outlined and factual information to tell her story. In her piece you can find dates, figures and stats that are tied to events. Beverly Lowry used emotions and reality to portray Karla Faye, a woman on death row who misses out on her wedding; something that is very dear to women. Though a fairly young genre, Creative Nonfiction is eminent in Literature and has the potential to grow immensely.

From the assigned readings, I can clearly say, Creative Nonfiction is a factual and stylistic genre that utilizes its style to tell a story, give revelation, create emotions, or expose the truth, all of which are, and should be based on factuality. It is usually written in the first or third person, segmented or outlined.

I am Hamilton Marks, Jr.
GOOD DAY!

What is Creative NonFiction?

What is Creative Nonfiction?

My overview and assessment of this course leads me to say Creative Nonfiction is a type of writing that bridges nonfiction (which is factual) with different writing styles. Such writing styles include or could be satire or comedy, memoir, narrative and even sports writing. As long as they are factual, the style which one chooses to write could build up to an end product that is Creative Nonfiction.

More so, Creative Nonfiction creates scenes or pictures that I believe equates and embodies what this type of writing entails. They way events or ideas are described or segmented coins Creative Nonfiction. There are many types of nonfiction writings. However, the STYLE is what sets Creative Nonfiction from the rest, and it is this idea that is key. I must affirm that creativity centers on the idea of style or styling.

I am Hamilton Marks, Jr.

GOOD DAY!