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- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
I like how Ferguson opens the chapter with her having paranoia, and her being able to share that with us. In class on Tuesday we brought up the idea of gender and how if it this memoir would have been written by a male rather than a female it would be a different story. If this situation would have happened to a male, do you think he would write about his paranoia of the what happened with the phone call from the El Paso Border Patrol? Something that stood out to me in chapter 18 was with how she mentioned coffee at the beginning and again at the end of the chapter. I’m not sure if she did that for a certain purpose or it is just a coincidence but it made me curious. As the chapters progress Ferguson is starting to use a lot more dialogue than we are used to seeing. Personally I like it because it really puts us there, I feel like Harry Potter in his invisibility cloak.
ReplyDeleteKarr’s one-page chapter was really quick and to the point and it really did not help me with much. The first sentence of her chapter made me again think back to the notion of honesty with our memoirs. Sometimes when people write they try and come off as something they are not or to try and make a different writing voice. Something I have always liked about Ferguson is that her voice does not change. She continues to have really long and elaborate sentences and then goes on with her short and sometimes two to three word ones. She has always been consistent in that sense.
Jessica Guzman
In the chapter by Karr, she tells us how it is important to stay true to ourselves, in life and in paper. I believe this is important because who better know you, than you. All throughout our lives we have been told over and over again to stay true to ourselves, to never hide our identity. But if we think about it, at the end off the day not everyone shows their true colors. Or maybe not during their teen years, maybe those true color start appearing when we reach our adulthood, when we know we don’t give a damn of what people think of us, because we no longer have the pressure of having to fit in. As to myself, I try to be as real as I can in paper, I feel that that is my getaway source. It is the place where I can write and freely express myself without having anybody criticizing me, or feeling that I will offend someone. So in terms of staying true to myself in writing, I believe that writing is the truest part of myself.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the chapters by Ferguson I couldn’t help but to feel the emotions she was going through. I felt her anger and frustration when she was being held in the court room and being processed. Makes me think that every law enforcement officer abuses their power, and even though a person has done no wrong, or any major crime, they still treat you like you are the worst criminal out there! It makes me feel that there is no one within the government that we can trust. It reminds me of an incident we had in my house last year, it was nothing major, but when I called the cops, it took them an hour to get to my house. If it would have been a robbery, or something like that, the person would have gotten away with it. I felt so hopeless, thinking that at the end of the day we can only rely on each other or sometimes even just ourselves.
-Celica Chavez
In Karr’ s book in chapter ten she tells us to be ourselves when writing. If it is difficult to write or describe ourselves. Like on the beginning of the chapter she starts off by stating that she often finds students writing the opposite of what their personality is. She gives examples of the talented young poet who didn’t want to bring her passion or the superbrainiac posing as class hero(p101). She continues by writing some questions for the reader to answer on how to find your true you. I believe this is a good exercise especially if you are writing a memoir. I think ultimately if we write from the heart it will much easier to create a good memoir.
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 18 and 19 were very interesting to read. I don’t know how passionate about filmmaking Feguson is because the incidents she encountered were something of a documentary material. She should of carry a camera to film her journey as a samaritan. It would of been great that instead of just stills like the picture she took of the T-shirt strung between the mesquite tree would of been video. Or watch an interview of the immigrant Martin; the story of how he walked miles across the desert without water and wanted to go back to Mexico. What “Polleros” would say to immigrants just to get paid. The incident with lumberjack out ion the field in chapter 19. How she felt when it happened. All those details she wrote would of been great on screen.
-Luis Rodriguez
Chapter 10 from Karr’s “The Art of Memoir” was short, yet simple. Write how you write and don’t reject the way you type or write on paper. It is like saying that your personality is in twine with the way you write. Refusing to accept your own tone and emotions in your pieces would seem like it is lacking you, literally. This can also reveal your internal persona, not even a Sneakers would satisfy.
ReplyDeleteI’m starting to hate how the government and law enforcements are treating people in Ferguson’s book. I wonder if she is drilling down on them because she dislikes them. There’s that scale that tilts either truth or just hyperboles and fake. But it’s Arizona. I perceive that the state and most people discriminate Mexicans and illegals more than us down here in the Valley. I remember in the news many years ago that the cops and Border Patrol would pull people over and pesters many for identifications. Her experiences could be true. So, the government were involved in her life. My guess is because she tends to jump back and forth from the US to Mexico, thus making her suspicious. Sweeping her phone, treating her horribly, and disrespecting her, all that made me angry through the reading. Because of chapter 18 and 19, there is concerns over her relationship with Valentin. As long as she is cautious, hopefully they won’t investigate the people she has met, especially Valentin. This is getting intense, drawing closer to the end of her memoir.
Hector Dimas
This is my response
ReplyDeleteChapter 10 Talent was way too short. I don’t think this chapter was helpful at all. Karr just gives us a list as she usually does. She gave us no examples whatsoever. You can say she’s just saying what she has said in previous chapters, be yourself and write what you really want. Don’t hold back on the talents you may have because you are afraid.
I like how the chapter started off interesting right from the start. It was at a climax and you can feel the anxiety in Ferguson. She is feeling paranoid at the fact that the government has possibly tapped her phone calls. I think that is insane all because she is helping the illegals with water and trying to keep them safe. You can feel the pain Ferguson has for not helping her dear friend Ventura, you can tell this is why she has become so involved with immigration she has guilt. I was shocked in detained especially when “lumberjack” hit Ferguson that was intense. All because she wouldn’t him her license. Ferguson does a really good job here again with all the descriptions for example the frisking part that was just crazy the way they were treating her. It seemed to be a very scary situation to be in. The government can be such jerks, and it’s really annoying me when reading these chapters.
Lizette Garcia
In these two chapters Ferguson’s writing starts to change a lot from what it was four chapters ago. We see that her phone line might be tapped, she starts to hear these weird noises on the phone. Something is going on but no one knows what it is, then Ferguson gets herself arrested. Did she really think that border or someone wouldn’t check up on her? The Samaritans are known for helping people, people who are crossing. I was actually expecting her to get arrested a while back. Made me question this part a bit, like did it really happen at this point in her life or was it something that had happened previously and decided to drop it in this chapter. Her tone on pg 168 is unique, she gives the officers names, funny names, Helium voice, Lumberjack, and shaved head. It was wrong for them to arrest her, I feel like it was a warning to stop doing what she was doing. “Stop helping people cross the border or next time it’ll be worse” kind of thing. She’s ultimately treated like an illegal person, she’s in cuffs, got groped all over, and she’s being held against her will along with not telling her anything. She makes it to where we can feel her frustration and pain. Ferguson eventually deals with everything and the charges are dropped but she’s still very afraid that someone is still checking on her, any little noise startles her. This is very human and true to actually happen, I think any person would be terrified by everything she went through. She does ultimately a great job in passing her feelings and emotions to us.
ReplyDeleteIn Karr, this chapter was ridiculously short. Didn’t get much from reading it honestly. If anything write how you want be seen. Do you want to be seen as a person who shows compassion or a sadistic person who cares less for anyone? I think that’s what Karr wants for us to encounter, our true self when we write.
Stephanie Cisneros
In chapter 18 for Ferguson’s book after reading the first couple of sentences I immediately thought “they’re going to deport Valentin”. As I continued reading the more I started thinking maybe the phone call that was made was a scam. As you continue reading you can tell there’s a shift, it becomes more serious and you know that there is something more serious to come. When Martin mentions to her about how they didn’t even send him back to the right place instead deported him in a random town it was upsetting. The government so badly wants to deport these people back but yet they can’t send them to their hometown. Instead they think that Mexico is just one place like no there are cities as well. I don’t think Ferguson realizes how much her gratitude to martin meant to him and his family. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much anger when reading a book. In chapter 19 it got me so mad how she was assaulted and arrested. They treated her like shit just because they work for the government and have badges. Just because you have that doesn’t mean you’re more superior to the rest of us, they demand respect yet when she asked a simple question you get hit. It made me think how much of a coward they really are and how much they allow their status get into their head. I really am hoping that they read her book so they could see how much of an ass they were being. Hopefully those who do read it acknowledge the sad truth of how they treat individuals when they are arrested.
ReplyDeleteIn Karr’s chapter, what I got out of it is that you should be true to yourself instead of trying to make yourself more appealing to others. She gives examples with some of her students not being true to themselves in their writing. She sets out questions that she asks to her students which I think is helpful.
Monika Gonzalez
In my personal opinion, I found Karr’s chapter very boring. Obviously, it’s going to take some time for people to find what they’re talented at, and it’s also going to take time for them to be able to write their own personality truthfully. Since it’s a natural human desire to only want to present the good parts of yourself to others, most writers will sugarcoat their bad qualities, if they even mention them at all. However, in memoir, it’s essential that your character and you yourself are presented with the negative aspects as well, because it’s completely unrealistic for someone to be so perfect that they don’t have a mean bone in their body. I also found the questions she listed out to be extremely helpful because most people don't ever really analyze their character,and I think that's pretty important in memoir writing.
ReplyDeleteFerguson’s chapters were honestly very terrifying to read. Even though her experience happened at a different time, because of how often police brutality happens nowadays, her whole experience with the “officers” and at the courthouse are relatable to the events that happen today. While this whole experience was horrible and I wish Ferguson never had to have experienced that, I think it’s a good way to show her as a character what detained immigrants go through on a regular basis. Because while Ferguson has been a huge activist for the cause throughout the whole book, she now truly understands the reality of immigrants’ situations’. These chapters were honestly so hard to read, and they had me so scared and sad for Ferguson as she was threatened by the “officers” and the treatment she received at the courthouse.
Ayesha Crutchfield
Ferguson’s chapter had me on an emotional rollercoaster. She takes us into the whirlpool of fear and anger she experienced for what seemed to be absolutely no reason. Everything she goes through made me so angry, but sadly, this is the truth on so many levels. People are often mistreated for absolutely no reason, and even though Ferguson’s intentions were well, she crossed the line for some pretentious buttheads and was dealing with bullshit for it. I think this allows the reader to look at it from a different angle, the abuse most people that tread the desert encounter. Much like Martin, and how grateful he is when Ferguson is kind and helps him with water. It’s a world filled with bad guys, and any kind gesture is worth a person’s gratitude. One section I felt was very enticing was when Ferguson speaks about “loneliness”. All of the scenarios she mentions are overwhelmingly sad, and relatable. She tries to reach out to anyone who has ever had a similar feeling, and it served to explain her emotions perfectly.
ReplyDeleteAlthough chapter 10 of Karr’s novel is nothing more than a single page long, i was still able to understand the message she’s trying to convey. She describes students of hers’ who, on paper, may want to appear as somebody they’re not in real life. Obviously this is an issue. As writers we cannot try express our thoughts in writing while pretending to be someone we’re not. This makes the writing seem ungenuine, especially to those who read it and actually know the real you. She provides us with the three questions she poses on her students who face this problem then counters them with 4 answers she thinks her readers will give on her behalf. I can see how my classmates can find this chapter unexciting, but this, to me, seems like that may have been Karr’s intention. I found the chapter to be nothing more than a cautionary tale: if we want to be successful writers, we must always remain true to ourselves and to our writing as well.
Damaris Cantu
I personally thought Karr’s chapter was good and useful, sort of eye opening for me because you never really want to think of your negative qualities or what people don't like about you. Even though that's what makes you, you. I also really liked reading what she had to say about herself because talking about myself is something I really struggle with, I'm not good at talking highly about myself or the things I have accomplished. Like the main question I struggle with is when people ask me, “are you good at golf?” “how good are you?” Like idk how good I am that you're opinion. Yeah of course I want to say i'm the best but that's obviously not the truth. I think sometimes you have to have that attitude about yourself.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 18 I was so intrigued by reading the first few sentences. I wanted to know why the USBP called her, I instantly had so many thoughts going through my head of what they would possibly want. Then the more I read the more interested I got. I felt like I couldn't put it down. In both chapters you could feel the hatred towards the border patrol but I can totally understand why she felt that way. Because I felt that they treated her pretty bad, but its also one side of the story.
Jessica Young
I liked how Karr choose Dostoevsky as her chapter’s quote. Sure this chapter is only two pages, but the amount of individual contemplation that is involved in reflection on the truest form on our answers to the questions she presents would take a considerable amount of time. She says that her students try to present a different way than what they are, playing to what they think is the reader’s interest. This inflation of details is what she calls “blind spots” that she uses a list of questions to help put meat on the bone of their writings. I found this useful when I’m stuck or trying to present a position that I’m not sure will play out.
ReplyDeleteFerguson’s chapters were this spiral into paranoia where although she is trying to not be consumed by her fears, she’s slowly losing her grasp on what her life was and is becoming. On page 324 (ibook) she says “I feel less carefree….i look forward to the dawn…but now there is a tinge of something unconfutable.” This is a significant positon that she now has compared to her impromptu private plane trips into Mexico. The tone in her writing is less cheerful in her word choice her sentence structure is different and her description of the ways she feels that people are being treated or “shoved behind the barn, waiting for a prison cell, then deported.” Shows this evolving sense of awareness and helplessness that she struggles with in these two chapters.
-Amanda Gonzales
I liked how Karr choose Dostoevsky as her chapter’s quote. Sure this chapter is only two pages, but the amount of individual contemplation that is involved in reflection on the truest form on our answers to the questions she presents would take a considerable amount of time. She says that her students try to present a different way than what they are, playing to what they think is the reader’s interest. This inflation of details is what she calls “blind spots” that she uses a list of questions to help put meat on the bone of their writings. I found this useful when I’m stuck or trying to present a position that I’m not sure will play out.
ReplyDeleteFerguson’s chapters were this spiral into paranoia where although she is trying to not be consumed by her fears, she’s slowly losing her grasp on what her life was and is becoming. On page 324 (ibook) she says “I feel less carefree….i look forward to the dawn…but now there is a tinge of something uncomfortable.” This is a significant position that she now has compared to her impromptu private plane trips into Mexico. The tone in her writing is less cheerful in her word choice her sentence structure is different and her description of the ways she feels that people are being treated or “shoved behind the barn, waiting for a prison cell, then deported.” Shows this evolving sense of awareness and helplessness that she struggles with in these two chapters.
-Amanda Gonzales