Constructing a Lens

The Mesa Trail Organic Response:

In her short story Mesa Trail, Mary Austin generates a zealous tone about Mesa and all that inhabits the desert land. Austin does this through explicit descriptions, the use of literary devices like simile and personification, and a voice in her writing which leads the audience to believe that she is an expert on the subject of her story. Her explanations of such a  collection of native plant and animals, directions of the trails, and descriptions of the land based on the time of day and season makes me believe that she is familiar and knowledgeable, thus trustworthy in her writing.

Polk Street Organic Response:

Frank Norris' Polk Street is much like the short story Mesa Trail in the way that the author uses specific, descriptive dialogue to create a perfect picture in the readers' minds of the environment that he is writing about. Norris chooses to point out and reflect on elements of the street that audiences could easily relate to, making it easy for a reader to connect to his writing and extract central tensions, morals, lessons, or questions from his piece.

Place Matters Organic Response:

Vanclay's piece Place Matters puts forth valuable information concerning places, the transformation of spaces, and how people connect to and respond to places. The connection that the author makes with places and the dimensions of spaces that he talks about made me realize why the authors of the readings above chose to write about a place in order convey a message/point.

Joining the Conversation: Chapter 14:

This chapter about plagiarism is important to remember as we use references in our writing project. It is important to pay close attention to the Research Ethics portions of this chapter and the tips to avoid plagiarism because they are useful not only for avoiding plagiarism, but also for work habits, successful studying and time management.

 

                                                    The Work of Constructing a Lens

Constructing a lens can be a difficult task. The concept of analyzing a viewpoint and creating an argument, or lens, that can prove functional in a new space can be confusing and difficult to narrow down sometimes. That has been my biggest obstacle so far, since there can be multiple lens options within any piece of literature, and a lens can be subjective based on the audience and what they interpret from the reading. Between class last week and Chapter 16 of Joining the Conversation, I  have inferred that the most important guideline for constructing a lens lies within organization and focusing on a central idea which can be functional within any new piece.  Since the lens must work to focus on a similar concept between two or more pieces, establishing a central idea and using details and concepts that your audience can relate to on a personal level, that still relate directly to the central idea (classified as following an organizational patter in the textbook), are the two key suggestions that I can use for direction as I construct a lens, along with the steps we have rehearsed in-class. Since the textbook is focused on an essay-style writing technique, it states that a central idea is usually asserted in one topic sentence with the following sentences to elaborate on the topic, but I feel that in other writing situations, following an organizational pattern within the piece will help the audience to  recognize a pattern or repetitious idea, making it easier for them to "...focus on your ideas and argument if they understand how you are organizing your paragraph" (Palmquist, 555). With that technique, I feel that the audience can easier recognize your lens and find a way to apply it to any related texts and that I have a better understanding and more practice associated with constructing a lens of my own.





NOTES:

Rochelle Skorka
English 101
Observational Notes

 

Memorial Union Observational Notes

·         bustling

·         loud

·         many ethnicities

·         many choices of food

·         advertisements everywhere

·         social que- some people pick up on them, some don't

·         interactions between men and women- awkward

·         people won't sit next to anyone they don't know

·         self absorbed- people not in tune with their surroundings

·         shows our generations dependability on technology/lack of social skills

·         all ages

·         division of personalities (sororities, "nerd" type)

·         hard to concentrate here

·         just a walk way to avoid the heat outside

·         a social gathering place

·         well-known spot for people to find each other

·         associate the MU with good feelings, due to food and dessert places

·         alluring smells

·         helpful ASU employees

·         bright

Short Stories

·         very detailed- enough to create perfect picture in the audience's minds

·         conjure feelings/emotions with places

·         relatable details (buttons on a jacket, cars, buildings, the sky, the horizon, etc)

·         personal story

·         literary devices: simile, personification, strong diction,

·         personal- detail create tone-create sense that author is expert/trustworthy

·         elements easy to relate to, making it easy for a reader to connect/extract central tensions, morals, lessons, or questions

·         places-personal meanings-positive and or negative feelings- connect to audience

·         place exists when an individual can tell a story about the place****

·         place-rarely static and frequently dynamic- places are personal to experience

Chapter 14 Joining the Conversation

·         focus on central idea

·         have evidence or details to support the idea

·         details to capture your audience's attention*

·         organizational pattern

·         creates effective writing

·         chronology, description, definition, cause/effect- allows reader to anticipate also allows them to recognize any repetition= draw the message/find the lens

·         multiple perspective can also work

·         use to reflect your purpose or the roles you are trying to adapt