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- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
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ReplyDeleteIn chapter fourteen in Ferguson’s book everything changes. She seems like everything has taken a toll on her. Like we said it class after so many years of filming in Mexico, Ferguson has become emotionally invested in the people she became friends with in Mexico. She has become so invested in her friends that she decides to volunteer with groups to help illegal immigrants that take the journey to cross into the United States. She remembers how Hiram told her he was thinking of crossing back into the U.S, and that really worried her. Ferguson goes on to describe her thoughts, emotions, her journey in volunteering for these groups. Ferguson won't be able to live with herself if her friends die in the deserts she calls home. In chapter 15 she still goes on on talking about her volunteer work. I found it interesting how the border patrols acted, when Ferguson mentions that at time they could hear their conversations. How they called the dead bodies tonks. That was a bit disturbing. Just because they are illegal immigrants doesn't mean they aren't humans. These chapters are quite different than what we were reading in the previous chapters. I'm still a little thrown off a little I kind of wanted to know more about mexico and the friends, and more of ojos.
In Karr’s chapter thirteen On Information, Facts, and Data she talks about how memoirs should be “fact packed” She mentions that facts are the meat to and potatoes of writing. This chapter was quite brief but pretty straight forward. My only question is she tells us in previous chapters how we should lie, and now she's saying memoirs are all about fact, so I am quite confused here. I didn’t find this chapter to be that helpful. On page 124 she talks about what data we should squeeze in, but she doesnt really go into that much detail. The chapter was too vague for me.
Lizette Garcia
In Fergusons chapter, she goes into full detail on what it’s like to be crossing the Arizona desert in the scorching heat. For anyone how has seen a dead person or the skeletal remains of someone, there’s a certain feeling that gets to you. You feel for that person even if you don’t know them. When my fiancé and I were looking for a place to shoot we ended up finding clothes and items of people who had passed by and left their belongings. It’s an interesting mix of feeling that I felt. My first emotion was excitement, someone had actually crossed the desert, which clothes belongs to a person! Second emotion was sadness, a person is whiling to risk their life to attempt to make something better out of themselves. My last emotion was fear, the people who cross are more than likely whiling to do anything to cross and survive, and that means even shooting a civilian. The “polleros” will not hesitate to shoot someone in their way, that’s a risk they run of the civilian running and calling BP on them. The two chapters really brought me back to that time with how well we described in detail what she had seen. Also if you’ve never been “attacked” by a choya cactus you’re beyond lucky, Arizona desert is full of them. Just by simply touching the cactus as if you were touching a new born baby, that cactus will embed into your skin. If you attempt to grab it to take it off it will get ended on your finger.
ReplyDeleteIn Karrs chapter, I agree detail and information is very important when it comes to a memoir. That information can be used to help understand what is happening, and give a bigger meaning to the story. “Getting feds bland information is like being preached to by a schoolmarm”. Like in Fergusons, what makes the chapter more meaningful is that she finds the information for the deaths that happen. First it was around 10 and people where freaking out, now it’s in the 200s and no one cares much for it.
Stephanie Cisneros
In chapter 13 of Karr’s book I liked how she related “facts” to meat and potatoes, I helped me understand a little bit better as to what she was trying to explain. In page 124 she mentions how the most skilled writers package facts. This makes you question if what these writers are writing true or if they are just writing those sentences in the way for you to relate to them. I think her way of “interviewing” herself to recreate her sentences to sound better rather than dense is great. She gives an example like “she was a thief” and how she changed it into a more detailed situation as to why that person was a thief. I would take into consideration her method that she uses by asking yourself how you came across that opinion that you have and try to recreate it.
ReplyDeleteIn Ferguson’s book chapter 14 and 15 I liked the description she gives of the Virgin of Gudalupe. I can picture her right in front of me as if I’m there. On page 115 when she mentions about “lies on the desert floor under her cloak?” she could’ve just used one word like ”wet back” but instead she decides to use more than one of the nicknames many have given that person who lies on the desert floor which I found interesting. When Heiram uses “mythological land “to describe America you understand that, that’s what most people from Mexico think. They think of America as the place for a better opportunity for their family which is why many risk their lives daily to cross over here.
Monika Gonzalez
In chapter 13 of Karrs book I really found this chapter useful because I have caught myself before using information in my papers and it comes out much like a list and honestly quite boring. I have even caught myself doing that so far in this memoir so this will definitely help me with making my memoir more interesting for the reader. I also really like how she talks about being more descriptive but get away from using brand names things to describe some things. That is something I have done a lot and feel like many people do it. Because if someone is talking about their shoes and they say there black Nike’s we all have a pretty good idea of what the shoe might look like. She's basically saying find a more creative way that paints a picture in your reader's head with out you completely blurting out exactly what they can just imagine.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about Ferguson describing the border of arizona and mexico and what it's like to cross there. The detail was so interesting and honestly a bit hard for me to imagine. Not that I couldn't picture it but just getting myself to believe that it's really that hot and people spend days and weeks out there in the heat slowly dying. They also discuss dead bodies in this chapter which is always something I found a bit disturbing and so it's safe to say I have never seen one and don't ever want to. But I really like that these descriptions made me understand why she felt so strongly about how awful it is for people attempting to cross the border here.
Jessica Young
In the chapter by Karr, On Information, Facts and Data, Karr shows how details are important in a memoir because it gives the reader an inside on how the events occurred. “The first chapters of most memoirs are fact-packed” (Karr), I think giving facts is good because it provides details on how the events developed. The examples she provided give us the writers options on how we can describe an event, it’s all in the details basically. The more details we provide the better. But there’s also got to be a way of telling, or describing, the event. It is better to write a sentence that will keep the reader engaged throughout the entire essay, rather than have them scan through the essay.
ReplyDeleteOn the chapters by Ferguson, we see how she describes her beloved desert, and how she has changed her perspective towards it. Before she knew of so many deaths, she would see her desert as something beautiful she would see every time she crossed to Mexico. Now she is aware of the deaths that happen in the desert, and since she is emotionally attached to people from Mexico, she is now worried that the same fate awaits them. I loved the way she described the desert, the way she describes the night covering the desert, like if it were mantel. I believe that sense of detail is important in a memoir because the details help the reader understand, and feel the memory as it develops throughout the essay.
-Celica Chavez
The reliable source of a live and breathing human being is useful for a memoir. From Karr’s chapter 12, even if most of us (and me) don’t want to share our ideas, close friends and family that are placed in your memoir can add or deny anything written about them. We would tend to put similar characters based on those near us and capture their personality. But we need to be cautious in the way we mold their persona. You might want to take the time and “study” and “observe” the person you want to put in your piece or memoir. You don’t want to end up writing or typing something false, too personal, or exaggerated. And what Karr does for most of her pieces, she always asked her mother if putting such and such is acceptable and share her drafts. I keep my pieces personal. I trend carefully when it comes to describing my family, friends, and rivals. Well, rivals and those I hate and despise, oh, I’ll have some words to bluntly speak about. And it won’t be “loving,” but that is just my internal and non-existent hostility speaking.
ReplyDeleteMuch has changed in the second section of Ferguson’s “The Haunting in the Mexican Border.” There’s a slight maturity flowing through these chapters. If not only a different tone, but some sad details and frustrated views. I’ve heard that Arizona isn’t the greatest place to be in if you’re not from the USA. I’ve seen in the news long ago of law enforcement break their jurisdiction and harass those they think are illegal. Most of it is discrimination and unnecessary hostility among communities. There’s a connection between chapter 14 and 15 of Ferguson’s book and Karr’s chapter 12. One of them is how Ferguson had described the homeland security commissioner and his group as ignorant hypocrites (or at least how I read it). Yet she didn’t describe them harshly or bluntly bad, but compared them to the movie “Alice in Wonderland” and how unthinkable they are. Also, the incident at the market where ICE agents were fondling and playing around with the women mannequins, too. There’s a balance of dislike the person and intrigued to the persona that is worth putting on paper. I got slightly ticked off with ICE’s piggish behavior and the stupidity of the commissioner, but what was intended was just how well-detailed Ferguson crafted them.
Hector Dimas
In chapter 14 &15 in Ferguson book she is done filming and working on another project. She was reading an article about a group or an organization helping illegal immigrants along the Arizona desert. She decides to join the group and tags along. She quickly experiences the harsh journey that immigrants go through. Reality hits her when she finds human remains in the Arizona desert. The heat kills many immigrant every year. It is very difficult to see many casualties every year. This has been a problem and will continue to be. For Ferguson it is devastating because of her connection with the people she met in Mexico while filming the documentary feature.
ReplyDeleteI really liked chapter 13 on Karr’s book. It was very brief but to the point. I especially l liked the way she begins her chapter by stating that most memoirs are fact-packed. Facts are the meat and potatoes of writing-necessary for a meal but devoid of much innate savor. I think this a great way of putting it to better understand an event. It really fills us with details to better understand her writing. The writings on every object should be very descriptive without leaving any details out. The more descriptive details you add to your piece the better.
-Luis Rodriguez
Karr’s chapter, On Information, Facts, and Data focuses on the importance of detail, and how it could backfire if it is done incorrectly. I appreciate her advice on having details “sprinkled” on instead of being presented like an “ingredient label”. Details are crucial to any piece of writing, but it could easily make the paper boring if it is done in a manner that is too straightforward. I enjoyed the example she gives us, when she references instead of saying a character is “a thief”, you can write about the moment that led you to the realization. The context of the writing allows the reader to come to the conclusion, and that is more effective, in my opinion. It’s amazing what detail can unravel, and that is why I believe it is important to include the details that matter. If we include details to compose more words on paper, the result will be wordy and irrelevant. I am willing to apply this to my own memoir, and try to say something without being too direct, and hope it will come out as a success.
ReplyDeleteFerguson’s Chapters 13 and 14 are raw. Reading about the deaths of many Mexicans in pursuit for a better life is extremely heart-breaking. She really puts the meaning of their lives into perspective when she calls them mothers and fathers instead of “bodies”. I found her description of a near death experience disturbing. Her use of detail really placed me (for a moment) in the shoes of the victims of the desert. It’s heart-breaking to think that all of the skulls and bones that were found were suffering badly as they passed. What is even more devastating is the manner in which the United States deals with these immigrants. I feel that these actions for Ferguson is her trying her best to understand and help these dreamers in order to ease her conscious about her friends back in the Sierra, who have contemplated crossing the border. Ferguson brings to light the tragedies that come with crossing the border, and I find that to be extremely important for people to keep in mind. These chapters truly brought out the essence of the title of the book for me: the haunting of the Mexican Border.
Damaris Cantu
In Ferguson’s chapter I love how she describes death. The way she compares death and a cactus and the personification and metaphors that she uses. It is really beautiful language. Its is also cool the way that she refers to death as if she is talking about a person. I also like how she takes the time to explain the word “tonk”, the little lesson on their jargon is nice but is kind of horiible to see how they talk about people crossing over. They talk about them kine they aren’t even people.
ReplyDeleteEarlier in the class when we were reading all of the creative nonfiction essays and one comment that was pretty consistent was the dislike of all the “excessive” details and how it would get boring, but the way karr talks about how they hold this “drama” or “psychological interest” makes sence, facts help set up the tone of the story in a way. I like how she tells us how or what she teaches her students. The advice she gives us on how to talk about peoples age is very helpful, instead of just saying directly what is there, she gives us a creative and less boring way to show the age. Some people don’t particularly like how we’d get examples like in the Moore book but I like it. It helps me see what Karr is talking about in practice.
Jessica Guzman :)