Charlotte Hogg and Catherine Black both demonstrate many of the forms of writing a personal essay that Ballenger talks about in his book. Both of them wrote their essays in first person. Using first person makes the essay “very intimate” and “invite[s] the reader to share in the writer’s often concealed world” (93). In Hogg’s essay, she brings you into her life and tells you about her personal love of Davy Jones from the Monkees. Talking about this in first person showed her true emotion about Davy Jones and was more meaningful than telling about someone else’s feelings. Black shows personal experience while working with the lo’i, describing it like “stepping into a vat of chocolate syrup, only cooler, and pungent with the fresh, damp smell of nutrient-rich soil” (B12). No one could have described this in the manner she did unless they could have experienced it for themselves like she did. Both of the essays also rely on memory and observation expressed in Ballenger’s form. Hogg tells that when she would listen to Davy speak on the Monkees Greatest Hits album, she “believed this was some kind of privileged access [she] had” to him (B1). Hogg showed her remembrance of how she felt when she was 15 years old and her love of hearing his voice. Black tells of how she disliked living and being a part of Hawaii and how much she learned and associated herself with foreign ideas and cultures. She is expressing her memory of the things she wanted to be so different when she was younger and growing up in Hawaii. I find a lot.
Black also has a very “commonplace” subject in her essay. She talks about working in the lo’i which is a very simple and easy topic she used to connect her readers to a part of her life. Something that I thought was different about the stories than in Ballenger’s form was that you knew exactly what Hogg was going to talk about at the very beginning her essay. She started talking about Davy Jones and that she wanted to meet him at a young age and you knew it was only going to progress from there. Her essay also, to me, was not very commonplace. She talked about her slight “obsession” that she had over Davy Jones which is not exactly something that I’ve ever experienced. I know that I haven’t ever been obsessed over anyone so much that I would want to listen to their voice all the time and watch every show that he or she was on. Black’s essay seemed to follow Ballenger’s form almost perfectly in my opinion. I think the “so what” of Hogg’s essay was to show that her entire life she felt like she wanted to meet Davy because she felt like she was so close to him. When she actually me him though, she realized that he was a completely different person than she thought and that she actually didn’t know him at all. Black’s message was just to show how much she disliked Hawaii until she came back years later and worked in a field that was twenty minutes from her house. She is trying to say that you never know if you enjoy something until you’ve experienced what its all about.
3 comments:
Clay I agree with your comment about how talking in first person makes the story more personal and intimate. If someone was telling either of these stories as just an onlooker, you would not be able to understand the personal tones of the essays. I think you really elaborated on the fact that these essays have similar tones which are telling stories of their past and relating them to their present lives. I also agree with your comment that say people don't know if they'll actually enjoy something until they try it. I believe that this comment does not just go for these essays but it also goes along with every individuals lives. How are you supposed to know if you will like something if you have never tried it? It also shows that you should have a positive attitude towards new things and don't have preconceptions about things you don't actually know that much about.
Clay!! I enjoyed reading what you had to say about each writer. As you said, when the writer referes to themselves in first person it gives the reader a better feeling, or "intimacy". When Black was descring Hawaii and the her place of work, I felt like I could relate to her. In your post you took note of how describtive Black becomes when talking about the lo'i. "Stepping into the lo'i is like stepping into a vat of chocoalte syrup, only cooler; and pungent with the fresh, damp smell of nutrient rich soil." When reading this I felt as if I knew exactly what Black was talking about. And like you said Clay no one would be able to describe the lo'i like Black did. She really gives her readers a taste of her life while in Hawaii. She also in a scense inspires her readers, causing them to realize the importance of giving new things a chance. Accepting the will to try. Good post Mr.Knowles!
I like your point of view and I agree with most of the things that you said in your response. I like how you targeted Amy Garrett Brown’s voice in her story perfectly and also Holmquist’s. Maybe next time, you could elaborate a little more or go into depth just a tad more in your response for a more thorough answer. I think you listed a lot of the ideas from the two passages kind of like you were just reporting what you read. If you add a little more detail, voice, or more of what you personally thought as you were reading; I think your response could be even better than it already is! Overall, I like it a lot and we share some of the same ideas in our repsonses.
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