Writing about Fiction

Well, I can definitely say that writing about fiction is far easier than writing my own fiction. Writing about fiction is easier because I am able to make my own interpretations about a piece of literature and argue my points. All of the elements of fiction are already in the story and I just have to unfold it. No matter how outrageous my argument may be, as long as I have solid backing for it, I am able to validate my interpretation.

In writing my own fiction, I found that it was just as difficult as writing my own poetry. Both activities required me to be creative and vulnerable. I was afraid that the readers would not understand some of the hidden meanings behind my writing. Trying to convey the message of the story was much more difficult than I expected. I thought that I would be able to write the story easily, but I was terribly mistaken. The hardest part was trying to use the perfect words and map out certain images to enhance my story. I found that choosing the right words meant everything in writing my own fiction. I also found that my sentences were just very straight forward and didn't contain a specific voice. When I read a piece of fiction, I get drawn into the speaker, or character's world. After reading my story the first time, I found that I could not be immersed in the world that I had created. Something just didn't seem right. So, I had my youngest brother read it over. He likes to write his own stories (which, by the way, are very good) when he gets bored, so I figured he would like to give me some comments. To him, I had failed miserably. He thought it was really boring and stupid. Needless to say, I was very disappointed.

What bothered me the most was the fact that as an English major, I felt that I could do this activity, no problem. I didn't realize the amount of revision and preparation that needs to go into writing a story. I just seemed so easy to do. I guess taking something apart is far easier than putting something together.

So, in light of these revelations, I think that as a teacher, this activity will help me to grow along with my students. I think that it is wonderful to be able to share these kinds of experiences with students because it shows that as a teacher, I am not all-knowing or perfect. It might give the students a sense of relief and motivation to engage with literary activities more freely. Just as in the poetry exercise, I still feel that there should be some level of trust and respect when writing a creative piece. Some students tend to go overboard and get very inappropriate. I just hope that as a teacher, I will be able to not only encourage my student's creativity but to nurture it as well.

About myths

My interest and enjoyment of myths first began when I was in elementary school. I remember learning about the Greek gods and goddess and especially loved the story about Persephone. It was a beautiful story that influenced the plot of my own myth. I think that I was drawn to myths because there was a fantastical aspect to them. I always enjoyed fairy tales, and myths were just fairy tales of how and why things came about. I enjoyed all of the "characters" in the myths because I felt like they were human beings and reacted with human emotions.

Creating our own myths was fun because I got to be a story teller. I think that the aspect of story telling is very important in myths because let's face it, reading a story is far more enjoyable than reading a paper with scientific facts. In a story, we are able to convey what we know to be true about life, and we are able to decorate the story with whatever we want. Myths have the same affect; which is the reason why I feel that creating my own myth was no different than studying about them. The only obvious difference is the fact that it is my own original creation.

Learning about different myths was interesting because I was able to see the values other cultures had. It was surprising that most values seemed to be shared throughout all cultures. Also, the characters and plots in the different myths also seemed to be alike. This enhanced my interest in learning about other cultures, but not necessarily in the general study of myths.

I think that this excersise would be a good introduction to a creative writing assignment. It utilizes all elements of a story which is an obvious necessity when writing a creative story. The extra plus in doing this assignment for students is the ability to add their own twists to them. They love to make up stories(missing homework, reasons for ditching, acting out, etc.) and so this assignment would give them a sense of freedom and stress rellief. They can be as goofy as they want and be creative at the same time. I think that there will be really good myths that the students come up with because I was really impressed in reading our classmate's myths. This can be an activity that brings the student closer to their classmates and with the teacher as well. As teachers, we would get to see what their thoughts are and understand why they might react in certain ways. I am looking forward to assigning this kind of assignment when I become a teacher.

Poetry Performance

Performing our poetic creations was very enjoyable. I think that poetry should be read aloud because it not only brings our senses and interpretations to a higher level but, we can experience it in a new way. It brings us closer to the speaker/poet and gives a sense of understanding that cannot be reached without physical oration of the words. In poetry, words mean everything. This means that words/language is the meat and basis for a poem's life. We wake this dormant creation by "breathing" into it our voices. The inflections of our voice caused by the punctuations or rhythm of the poem gives the poem extra beats, like the beating of our hearts.

Performing our poetry helped me gain a closer understanding to the speaker/poet's purpose and meaning of the poem. It helped me get into a specific mood that the speaker/poet wanted me to be in. I was able to grasp the tones and themes of the poems through the performances. It gave me a heightened sense of the words that were being used and I enjoyed every minute of it.

There is an intimate connection that performing has on the audience and its author. In a way, the poem becomes something real because there is a live-human mediator to make connections. After all, life is all about making connections, interactions, and reactions. In performing our poetry, all of the three "-tions" were immediate and intimate. The fact that we are experiencing something immediately is the most important part of performing our poetry.

I was less enthusiastic about writing my own poetry because I thought that everyone would think it was lame. I tried not to use any derogatory language because I didn't know how everyone would take it. I think that our class is very open-minded and friendly but, due to the fact that we don't get to see each other very often, I didn't know how everyone was gonna react. But, once I got started, I figured that if my poetry was confusing in anyway, at least I will be able to talk to people about it. This is why I think performing it is important. It all goes back to the immediate three "-tions" I mentioned above.

I'm not a creative writer, and when I am given an assignment as such, I feel very vulnerable. However, I remember that I used to like creative writing assignments when I was younger and so tried to channel that part of my life back into the process of writing my poems. I feel that this assignment is a good one to use when teaching because it will allow the students to not only show hidden talent but, it will give them a heightened sense of confidence and a deeper connection with one another. I think that as teachers, we have to remember to establish a sense of trust within our classrooms first before we do these kinds of assignments. It isn't enough to just ask the students to perform and react or give input about another student's poetry. We have to make connections and build an environment that can support and nurture our students life.

blog#1

My name is Mimi Lee. I hope to become an inspirational high school English teacher. I have learned that students are human and not just a group of mindless drones that need to be fed information. I want to make a difference in the world and believe that following generations create our future. In order for a change to be made in the world, I believe that we as teachers are the most influential role models. Therefore, we must be the ones to set a positive example and try our best not to stray from what we believe is best for our students.

Although I want to believe that positive changes can be made through future generations, I know that it is not a definite reality. I also realize that it will take a great deal of time, effort, patience, etc. for even a small change to develop. I am scared of how much of an influence I can be to my students. I have been working with a wide grade level range of students for close to ten years now and found that all of my actions, even the one's that are thought to be good intentions, will somehow get home and become an issue with some parents. I realized that I am not a students parent, friend, or counselor. I need to stick to being a teacher. It becomes difficult at times because I want to be able to share some of my experiences with the students but they might be offended and would want to use some of the issues I discussed with them against me. I realize that this is all due to their immaturity and in turned realized that I would have to learn to deal with immaturity as a teacher. This is what scares me the most about teaching.