Blog Assignment #7 -- 'Author's Note' on Assignment #3 -- Personal Memoir

Authors note 

The motive behind writing creative assignment #3 is that it's a memory that 
stands out in my life. The fact that I was able to attend Comic Con is amazing 
to me. To fully understand the importance of Comic Con it's every boys dream to 
be able to meet and greet the actors who played their childhood heroes. This 
assignment brought a small challenge to me because I had to explain and describe 
every detail from Comic Con so that the reader can have a mental picture of what 
the event looks like. In the past I've had to keep journals for classes so it 
wasnt that difficult to write a memoir. During the time I was writing the memoir 
I had to pull out to a third person point of view to be able to get a full view 
on the event and to use details to describe what I had I seen.

Blog Assignment #8: Final Workshop Reflection

From the beginning of this course to now there has been a lot to gain from writing these assignments and blogs. I’ve come to learn more concepts and skills that I can use with my writing that will help improve my writing in the future. The new techniques that I learned I could use when writing other papers and assignments. Another aspect of the course that helps contribute to the positive gain I received is that the class was focused on creative non-fiction. From the class readings I had two specific ones I enjoyed most and both came form the course packet. The first reading was Darkness Visible by William Styron and Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel. Throughout the course there was some challenges due to the fact that it was non-fiction and we had to stay on track on using non-fiction. My interest in writing has grown due to this course and I have gained a new insight on writing blogs. Below it could be found a section of one of my pieces of writing that I found to be some of my best work while being in this course.

The oldest brother was left sinking to his death but I was not able to intervene due to the fact that above him my counter part was hovering. The dark black mist that surrounded him only meant that it was death lurking. The atmosphere filled with a negative vibe and the dark tainted wings which dripped of a thick black ooze blocked the rays of the sun. I could only bare to watch while this boy watched his life drown along with his body. I kept watch for the next couple of months over this family as they dealt with grief and a tragic loss. The loss of a family member had a devastating impact upon them. The twins could not help but blame themselves for the lost of their brother. I saw the connection between these brothers disappear and soon turn into guilt and pain.

Blog Assignment #4: Writing on a Historical Photograph

 

 

In the picture above there are three men standing beside each other. There are many aspects in this photo that can be pointed out. To begin there is the brick wall for a background, which shows signs of cracks and loss of color. Moving on from the background we can concentrate on the three men standing while the man in the center has his arms over the other two. They all are wearing suits along with hats and a tie. Judging from their facial expressions it can be seen that they are friends and are sharing some laughs. Also from the picture and the gestures the men are making it could be assumed that they are catching up on loss time. Looking deeper into it can be interpreted that these three guys grew up together or maybe served in the Army together. There isn’t much more to make of the picture based that the background and what the three men are doing is already stated and only assumptions can be made due to the fact that there isn’t much going on in the photo.

Blog Assignment #5 -- Responding to a Personal Memoir

The excerpt Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel begins off with the description of the girl being in bed on a Saturday night. Deeper into the excerpt there is a scene where the young girl is crying and realizes that she is crying because she sees all these people on television and how successful they are in making changes in the world. She views herself as an individual who doesn’t have a particular way to show her gifts and talents like all the people on television. There is a line on page 111 that reads “other kids with emotional troubles take time off from school, but they have families, they have some sense of a place in the world that can absorb them in all their pain” these lines struck me as having a deep meaning. With those lines I get a sense of what it is exactly this girl is going through and her perception of the situation. She feels as if there is nowhere for her to go and receive help for anxiety disorder. Another interesting line is on page 113 where she says, “my main symptoms, Dr. Sterling believes, are anxiety and agitation. In her opinion, even worse than the depression itself is the fear I seem to have about never escaping from it.” From these lines we get a better grasp of the seriousness of her condition. From reading the excerpt we can get a clear understanding that the writer uses a lot of dialogue to get points across and maintain focus on the primary topic in the excerpt. Also the writer shines light on the perception of the main character that is suffering from the illness and how they deal with anxiety. There is a third line that reads “And pretty soon the crying is about Daddy leaving, about being alone in my crib, being alone in my mother’s womb, being alone in this life, and I know that I have been hysterical many times before, but this time, I don’t think its going to stop." The writer uses the style of dialogue as a strong point of telling the story.

Blog Assignment #6 - Planning an Interview for Your Personal Profile

            For the literary profile piece I had in mind two people that could serve the purpose of my interview. The first individual is Jamie who I met when I was about 10 years old. He works as super for a co-op building and I have an interest in how he went on to becoming the super.  I have a sense of the struggles he went through in his life and how he had a rough childhood while growing up. Also seeing how he was able to obtain a stable job and raise a family stands out to me and is what has a grasp on me to interview him to further more understand how he got to where he is today.

            The second person I had in mind to interview was a friend of mines mother Gloria. I’ve come to know her for about three years now and over the years I’ve come to find out her struggles in life to make it where she is today. Gloria is the head supervisor of a construction company and came to the United States in her early 20’s to have an opportunity at a better life. The life Gloria lived intrigues me because she came from having almost nothing to now being the head supervisor of a construction company along with raising her two boys alone after her husbands death.

Ideas for interview questions:

1. Growing up you must have had a dream career that you wanted to pursue but sometimes things don’t play out the way you wanted and instead your giving a opportunity at something else, the current job position your in was part of your childhood dreams?
2. How does it feel knowing you grew up with almost nothing to now having a stable income and a family of your own that you support?
3. What are some examples of struggles that you dealt with that made you who you are today and brings you to where you at now?

Blog Assignment #2

Jordan Trinidad
Professor Dragan
Eng274
Authors Note

The reason behind my choice of picking this as my vignette was that it was a memory in life that I hold close because of the extraordinary opportunity it was to be there. To gain the full aspect of why it's such an once in a life time experience is because for one time only in a year the greatest active baseball players come together in one game at Yankee stadium. Also along with that is that every year the MLB All Star game takes place in different cities and the last time it happened in Yankee stadium was July 19, 1977.

"The one gadget that I had brought to capture the unique moments of this event was in no position to work. I thought to myself regarding the fact that I could not capture these amazing moments I had the privilege to actually be at the game and experience it at first hand. Above the stadium hung huge structures that included circular metal plates with huge bulbs that lit the stadium up. From top to bottom the stadium was filled with fans anxious for the game to commence. The large screen hanging from the opposite side of the stadium projecting the player introductions. The highly anticipated introduction of the hometown players was outstanding. When Jeter walked on that field the stadium sparked up like a flame, hundreds of camera flashes went off. The ceremony ended with B2 stealth bomber flying over the stadium. I might not have had the flash to capture the memory but the experience from first person point of view seemed like the better gain."

Welcome to my Blog#1

Welcome to my blog my name is Jordan Trinidad from ENG274. I'm currently majoring in Liberal Arts Psychology but have plans to change to Computer Administration when I go to a four college. This is currently my third year at LaGuardia and should be graduating June 2013. Outside of the academic world i enjoy taking pictures and exploring new tech gadgets. I currently work at a local school in a afterschool program helping children with their homework. Once again welcome to my blog.......