Response to Course Material

December flew by this year! I cannot believe that I am writing this post already but here I go. I should start with the multiple Hamlet videos because those took the majority of our time. I was interested in the different ways the same scene could be reenacted but it was hard to stay awake for some. Although it was rough at some points in the movies they all had thought provoking parts. Especially with the relationships the characters have between themselves. Some portray Hamlet and Gertrude's closet scene as a scene of lovers. I personally was disturbed by this and did not get that vibe from the script. One portrays Ophelia and Laertes as lovers, which was very shocking. Some have a more than brotherly affection between Horatio and Hamlet, and some keep the original idea of relationships. Each director had the power to interpret the play as they wanted and they took this and ran with it. Nothing else was done during this busy month except our continual discussions on Hamlet which has not yet hit me with an ah-ha moment except when we talked about how Hamlet is associated with the Devil which reminded me of Disney's Frozen in which a prince seems to be handsome and perfect but is truly on a power run. Although Hamlet just wants revenge it is same idea. 

Open reading 4

2009 Question 3

Response 3A

Nice introduction. You start with a great diction, using words like potent to show your education, and vary your syntax to keep the reader reading. The way you write allows the sentences to roll off the paper and you do so while sticking to the prompt. Your second paragraph proves the point of the essay by stating the symbol out right: and with language like “this blissful ignorance persevere” the reader is urged to read on. Your next paragraph is full of in text evidence which can become dry to read, but you keep it interesting with your strong diction using the word “rabid” to describe the quest. With unique word choice you are able to keep the reader enthralled in your piece and with solid evidence you prove your point. Overall I think you did a perfect job and the readers did too giving you a 9, great job.

Response 3B

Your directly answer the  prompt in the first sentence of your paper and although it is good to have a strong thesis you may want to add an attention grabbing sentence in the very beginning. Your diction in this piece is basic if you had more time with this essay I would tell you to review some of your word choice like using “appear” twice in one sentence. Although the word choice is simple you do a great job at demonstrating your knowledge of the symbol (lamp shade) and how it relates to the theme and characters of the book. I like your choice of the word “fantastical” but it implies that it is unreal so you do not need to say “fantastical and unreal”. Your paragraph explaining the back story to the lamp shade sticks with the prompt and you do a great job explaining it. Overall you did good job I think with an opportunity for editing you would have a top natch paper, the reader gave you a 6 which i think is a bit low but they have valid points like your introduction.

Response 3C

Your first sentence does not draw me in; by saying "pride and strength and power" you do not hold yourself to the college level of writing. It is important to keep literature in present tense so "carried" should be carries. The symbol of power stays close to the prompt. But your thesis sentence is unclear and you could increase this essay with a higher diction. Also white men are known as Caucasians today. Besides this fact your second paragraph is okay but you need to relate it back to the prompt. So is the machete a symbol or does it hold magical powers? I am not sure in the third paragraph about women. Many times you start a quote from the book but do not explain it further. Overall this is a poor essay and you should focus on the prompt, maybe read it multiple times while you are writing the essay. The readers agree with me by giving you a 4 and noting that you need to elaborate on ideas you have.

Close Reading 4

      Although Christmas brings much joy to children it can also be a devastating time. Or so Elizabeth Weingarten thought throughout her life. Although Weingarten believed she had destroyed many kids lives she now understands that it was not the kids who were ruined as she takes us through her emotional journey using strong  syntax, imagery and details to show her feelings from guilt to understanding on the topic of Santa Clause in Spoiling Santa Clause: On Ruining Christmas for a Third Grader.  
      Weingarten uses a variety of sentence structures to allow her feelings to hit home in this article. In the beginning she uses short meaningful sentences to show her raw guilty emotion for exposing the truth of Santa to her class mates. She writes, "Now, they’re paying for it." and "I feel their pain." which allows the reader to feel Weingarten's regret. But once she researched the subject of how kids react to the truth of Santa Clause her feelings and sentences become less severe. As her article became more influenced by other's thoughts she is able to write longer sentences like "She’s watched kids hear the truth before, but it has “never destroyed anyone." which become filled with information and keep a steady flow to show her gain confidence in her self again as she realizes she did not ruin her friends' lives. Varying her sentence patterns help show her contrasting feelings from her initial guilt to her knowledge filled relaxation, but without her vivid images readers would have a difficult time relating. 
        The description of the moment she "killed" her friend Jacqueline's soul is gives the reader a vivid image of the moment her life was changed. She sets the scene by describing her elementary's art room "groups gathered around long, paint-splattered tables, coloring with broken crayons and chewed markers." recalling the room in such detail helps the reader relate to their own art classes. She then goes on about her feelings the second she tells the kids that Santa is not real  saying "All I recall is wishing I could dissolve into metallic goo and seep away through a hole in the ground" here you can feel her horrified feelings of guilt and embarrassment. This contrasts to the way she finishes her story when she does her research in which she purposefully leaves out vivid imagery because Weingarten is connecting other people's opinions to her own. This connection is achieved through well placed quotes "When I saw her reply in my inbox a couple days later, I clicked anxiously. 'To be honest,' she wrote, 'I have zero recollection of that happening.'" which shows her guilt lessen and her life less horrifying then the moment of truth only paragraphs earlier. By having strong imagery when the guilt is most strong and contrasting it with a lack of imagery when she loses this guilt Weingarten is able to show the reader her emotional journey without having to spell it out. 
     With the help of well planned out details Weingarten is able to make the reader bend to her will. In the beginning her details were focused on the feelings that she had and the exact moment of the revealing of Santa. She gives specific details about her age "I was 8", her reasons for learning of the lie of Santa, being Jewish and not receiving presents from the chimney, and her "deliciously superior" feeling of knowing this before any other kid. Building the reader's anxiety for the moment of truth allows the reader to feel the full force of Weingarten "spilling the beans". But as with the other literary devices she avoids this style when she is comforted. Once she realizes that she did not ruin her friends' childhoods she was able to focus on well formulated quotes and left out the details of her life and her feelings because it is clear from her reassuring  conversations with teachers and friends that she feels fine. 
       Weingarten is a skillful writer using contrasting syntax, imagery and details to show her growth from guilt to reassured relief. Her writing in this article gives a sign of hope for any reader who thought that they have spoiled Christmas for others because knowing the truth on Santa will not devastate a kid. 

      

Response to Course Material

Where does one start when we had such a busy month! I guess I will start with my very first fish bowl experience. I was at first intrigued by the idea of a conversation held just by a few, but once I experienced it I realized it is very similar to Socratic discussions; the only difference was that I caught my self zoning out while conversations were going on. The next exercise that stuck with me was the mood and atmosphere paragraph. Each time we wrote a paragraph about the pictures given I felt like an author. I am sure a few books were inspired by pictures because it is easy to create a story to fit with the image, like the picture of the angry men, we kept trying to write about what they were looking at and the event lead up to their anxious faces. I truly hope we continue to do more of these exercises which are not only fun but also help me focus on using strong verbs. I think that ending with Shakespeare's  Hamlet is fitting because it follows our classes schedule. I am so excited to hear other people's opinions on this play because tragedies are not experienced the same way they were during Shakespeare's time. But the last scene did remind me of "Game of Thrones" because there is an episode where the Starks go to a wedding and the whole crew is killed by the insane fief lord. When I relate Hamlet to this episode it is easier to view the play as tragic and not comedic, but still the way people just dropped in this play was a bit comedic.  

Open Prompt Analysis

2006 Question 3

Response 3A Analysis

Your first paragraph was intriguing and did a great job at grabbing my attention; the only suggestion I have is to reword the first sentence as it seems a bit wordy. As I read on I continued to noticed that again your sentences like, “The narrator tells the readers Anne, who was always looked down on by her father and elder sister for being plain but intelligent and kind, will be happy and fit in at uppercross for the two months she is to stay there.” are stuffed with words. Try taking out a few and this paper would be golden. You have great points for each of your supporting paragraphs, like the contrast between the countryside and Bath. Overall I think that this it is well written and make you sound educated on the matter.

Response 3B Analysis

The introduction is okay but repetitive,  you use the same words in similar sentences like “confusion of the play” which could be cut out as you already mentioned a “confusion of the plot” just a few sentences ago. Your points are good but you cloud them with too many details about the story as a reader this gets boring and makes your argument less forceful. Your contrast between city and countryside help your argument but this is lost when you change your argument to proving that this play is a comedy. Although the setting plays an important role in the comedic factor, it is not what the prompt was addressing. At the end it seems as if you just summarized the play even though it is proven in your essay you did understand that the countryside was a peaceful location.

Response 3C Analysis

This essay is very interesting. It is clear you enjoyed reading this book and believed the setting to have a large effect on the book’s message. Although you have a clear understanding of the book you stray away from the prompt by going into details about the characters. Although characters may be affected by the setting it is important to then discuss the setting multiple times to keep the reader thinking about the setting.  

DOS Summary and Analysis

Arthur Miller

• Born 1915
• very Jewish
• wrote the “The Crucible”
• married Marilyn Monroe

Setting

• Brooklyn, New York around 1960
• Rooms are without ceilings and there are holes in the walls that are used when Willy is dreaming about the past
• The neighborhood used to be small with few neighbors but has expanded and now is very crowded represented by ominous angular shapes

Plot

• Willy comes home and is daydreaming, admits to difficulties driving (same day Biff came home)
• Willy argues with Linda about Biff, Biff and Happy discuss their crazy father and Willy daydreams again
• His vision is in the back yard with Biff, Happy, and Bernard, Biff admits to stealing football and Happy tries to gain attention by saying he lost weight, Linda talks to Willy about his sales, and you get hints that he flirts with another woman
• Charley enters because he hears Willy talking to himself, they play cards but Willy daydreams and yells at Ben who Charley can’t see and then Willy kicks Charley out
• Linda tells the boys about how Willie tried to commit suicide
• Everybody argues about jobs and responsibilities
• Willie gets excited because Biff says he will ask Bill Oliver for a business job

Characters

• Willie- trying to get approval from his son Biff (his pride and joy) commits suicide after losing all pride and dignityy
• Linda - Willie’s wife, strong woman who knows about Willie’s suicidal attempts, is willing to kick out her first born son Biff
• Biff - first born son, he is the favorite, does not like business, cares about his father but was broken when he discovered that his dad cheated
• Happy - seemingly content with life but hints at unhappiness when he fights for attention by lying about weight and marriage
• Ben - uncle who went to Africa and got rich

Close Reading 3 Thor

Commentaries are designed to keep a wide range of people interested. This is done in David Weigel’s “Thor: The Dark World The Crocodile Dundee II of superhero films—in a good way!” which describes the new Thor movie and provides Weigel’s opinions. Although listening to other’s ideas  can become boring, Weigel does a great job of using powerful syntax, strong diction, and interesting details to keep his readers hooked.

Throughout this article sentence lengths vary keeping the mind engaged. Some sentences are short and to the point, “And then Thor.” must he say more. Keeping a sentence this choppy, especially for a first sentence, forces the reader to pay attention. The message is still unclear but interest is drawn just by stating that Thor came next. Other sentences are long and with out breaks, “ If the naïve God of Thunder was always going to be betrayed by Loki, better to do it while calling his evil brother “adopted” (he was!) and getting shot out a Helicarrier.” this creates a rolling effect; the reader is continual reading here to understand Weigel’s opinions. This is such a stark contrast to other short sentences that attention must be given, as was Weigel’s intention because this sentence is based off of his opinion.

Not only does the length matter when attracting a reader, the word choice that fills the sentences must fit too. Weigel uses strong descriptive words like “pomp” and “odious” making this commentary almost elevated. The only issue with calling this elevated diction is the multiple made up words such as “Norse-ish”  and “Thor-iverse”

which leads to the conclusion that this may be informal diction. He uses words that are commonly used in conversations.

Although the rest is important one of the major skills that Weigel uses to keep readers entertained is detail He includes outside information to help connect what he has to say, writing “Iron Man, the 2008 film that launched the franchise, introduced a character who wasn’t terribly well-known outside the comic book shop, but it starred Robert Downey Jr. right when America needed him back.” to put the reader in the mind set of marvel. He also uses details from the movie like “The elvish assault on Asgard pits the elves’ spaceships against what appear to be magic, flying canoes armed with cannons, and elvish laser guns against … spears. “ to add to his point that this movie is a great sequel.

Through David Weigel’s talented use of syntax, diction, and details, this commentary is intended to entertain. The reader must continue on even though he writes solely from his own opinion. Once a writer perfects skills like these there work will never be boring.

Classroom Discussion

For the past few weeks we have continued to learn the skills needed to read literature closely. Like the strange acronym STIFS for poetry. This is very much like DIDLS but focuses much more on imagery because of the nature of poems. 
Also we have been discussing Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman". This play is interesting to me and the rest of the class because it makes you almost bipolar, one second you pity Willy and the next you think he is the worst man ever. Because of this emotional roller coaster we have been discussing tragedies and what it is. As a class I think at the moment we are saying that this is tragic but not a tragedy. But we may be mistaken because we seemed unsure of the situation upon leaving class Friday. 
I am enjoying these Socratic discussions because I think that we come up with many original ideas this way. I  am excited to see what we will have to say tomorrow and I love relating this play to other works of art. 

2008 Question 3 Response 3C Analysis:

Your introduction is confusing, “In the book The Kite Runner, it is discovered that the character Baba is also the father to Hanssan, who was his servant’s son.” I reread this a few times and I think the trouble in this sentence is the word also, what are you comparing this too? Furthermore, it is worded awkwardly. The first sentence sets the tone for an essay and this sentence is showing that you are unsure of what to write. As you continue with the essay it is obvious that you are filling space, we know what a foil is so explaining that Baba “emphasizes the good qualities in Hassan.” is unnecessary.

As you continue you keep your argument very basic with short sentences. If you expand on your thoughts a bit more, your essay will be much better. Also you may think about rewriting the introduction and try to talk about foils in the conclusion, not about the theme of the story.

2008 Question 3 Response 3B Analysis

This has a great introduction paragraph. I know that you are planning to talk about Celle’s father as the foil and it gives a short and simple synopsis of “The Color Purple”. The next paragraph starts off powerful, talking about the direct actions of Celle’s father and their impact on Celle, “With none to turn to, Celle has no means of coping with her fears; therefore she believes that she should sucumb to a man’s demands.” You make it clear here that her father’s rape made her who she was, a servant to men.

Next you go off topic about her husband. Although it does show Celle’s lack of will power against men, it does not show how her father is her foil. It is important on these timed essays that the question is read multiple times while writing because this paragraph it would have been easy to tie her actions in with her father. Also, you introduce Shug in a way that makes her seem as if she is Celle’s foil, “When Celle meets Shug her entire life changes.” This is confusing when you are trying to show how her father is the foil.

Overall you did okay but just remember to stay focused on the question, you can rant about other characters to friends and family after this paper.  

2008 Question 3 Response 3A Analysis

This is a well written essay. As I have not read the story I thought that the summary was a great way to explain the foil in this story, although at times it was a bit detailed. I am impressed with the evidence you chose to support your choice of Huang as Lindo’s foil, with sentences like “Because of Huangs treatment to Lindo, she found the power within herself to not just accept this forced marriage, and do something to change it.” This sentence gives a direct example of Huang’s evil acts that contrast with Lindo’s self empowered resolve. Also, you seem confident in all aspects of this essay and because you are sure of your opinion, the essay flows. The only suggestions that I would give would be a more intriguing introductory paragraph because it drags on near the end and I would shorten the summary slightly for similar reasons.

Summary and Analysis of the American Dream

Edward Albee:

• Born in 1928
• Mistaken as a theater of the absurd playwright  
• Adopted and ran away from his adoptive parents
• “ I am not a gay writer. I am a writer who happens to be gay.”

Setting:

• An apartment living room with the layout of furniture described in detail
• Although set in the 60’s the play happens presently

Plot

• Mommy and Daddy sit across the living room from each other waiting for their visitor(s)
• Mommy talks about her trip to the hat store, in which she runs into the Mrs. Barker who informs Mommy that her hat is not beige, but wheat
• Mommy throws a tantrum and ends up with the same hat
• Mommy says she can get satisfaction but Daddy can not and complains about Mrs. Barker and compliments her crippled husband
• Grandma then enters with her wrapped boxes
• Characters chat and argue about old people, Mommy’s lunches as a kid, and Mommy living off of Daddy’s money
• Daddy then has a sexual experience with Mommy about opening the door while Grandma watches
• In comes Mrs. Barker a professional woman
• All characters are confused about the reason for the visit except Grandma who is constantly silenced by Mommy
• Daddy goes to break Grandma’s t.v. and Mommy goes to get water for Mrs. Barker while Grandma tells the story of Mommy and Daddy’s abused “bumble”
• Mrs. Barker is confused and Daddy and Mommy cannot find anything, not even the water
• Mrs. Barker is called to help find the water and Grandma opens the door to the Young Man who is searching for money
• Grandma has him help bring her bags downstairs and they talk about Uncle Henrys Day Old cake and his emptiness
• Grandma sends him into the apartment and she stays in the audience
• Mommy is upset for a moment that Grandma is gone but then she flirts with the Young Man
• Grandma asks the audience to change their ways

Characters:

• Mommy is controlling, superficial, and abusive
• Daddy is “whipped” by Mommy, is straight but was forced to change his reproductive organs, and is wealthy
• Grandma represents the old American Dream, she is the only person who thinks clearly and can travel between the stage and the audience, she also is sarcastic.
• Mrs. Barker is a professional woman, the chairman of Mommy’s woman’s club, and works for the Bye-Bye Adoption Service company
• Young Man represents the New American dream, hollow on the inside but has an attractive appearance

Albee’s Techniques:

• no narration, but Grandma speaks to the audience at the end
• no point of view due to lack of narration
• comedic tone that plays lightly on the darkness of the actions in the play
• From the personalities of the characters you can imagine what they look like but Albee does not state many physical characteristics except about the nicely wrapped boxes and the attractiveness of Young Man
• Symbols:
• Young Man- American Dream
• Boxes - values of the Old American Dream
• Grandma - The Old American Dream
• Hat - Superficialness

• Malapropism is used with the bumble instead of bundle when describing the “bumble” of joy, implying the foolishness of the adoption

Quotes:

“You can’t get satisfaction; just try. I can get satisfaction, but you can’t.”(62)

Here Mommy shows that Daddy will never be happy because he can never achieve satisfaction, physically since the procedure, or mentally since marrying Mommy.

“Well, that’s all that counts. People being sorry. Makes you feel better; gives you a sense of dignity, and that’s all that’s important . . . a sense of dignity.” (64)

Grandma explicitly states the Old American Dream values and is appreciative of Daddy still holding on to some of them. But she leaves as she knows that her views are no longer valued by this generation.

“Daddy? What did we call the other one?”(126)

Here Mommy and Daddy cannot remember the name of their previous child who is assumed to have recently passed. This shows their lack of real care for anything like Grandma’s departure scene.

Theme:

Edward Albee’s “American Dream” warns that the current generation of Americans has gutted the heart and soul of traditional American values and has replaced them with  a materialistic longing to acquire unattainable satisfaction.

Supporting the theme:

• The gutting of the American Dream can be shown by the literal way Mommy tore apart her adoptive son. Because of the pain she inflicted on one boy his twin brother, the American Dream, stopped feeling emotion.
• The characters’ obsession with looks shows that they are materialistic, for example Mommy purchases the same hat after throwing a temper tantrum because somebody told her it was a slightly different shade.

Close Reading 2: Women's Equality

Hannah Rosin tries to connect to all in “Men Dither While Women Lead in the World”. Although I think that she is being disrespectful throughout this article, she retells Washington’s week in a manner that is understood by many.

By using everyday language she appeals to a greater audience. Her choice in words like “shining” and “macho” demonstrates her want for all to understand the power of women. I support women equality but I think that the words she chose to describe the men were harsh. Obama is trying to fix the issue and of course to news reporters he can only “shake his head and loosen his collar,” he is the person this reflects most on. The women are not as sought out for answers because they are not president and so are not feeling the same pressure.

Rosin’s depiction of men in Washington shows her bitterness towards men as she describes them in an dim light. With descriptions of their faces looking like “... he swallowed a lemon” and “bizarrely smug” it is easy to hate these men who have been running our country for years. Yes, I think that this break in government is stupid and that the men need to get back to work, but I do not think that the image of an egotistical man needs to be shown in a women empowerment work. I think that this imagery would be better used for the description of the women,

Furthermore, throughout this editorial her sentences run long. There are times when one sentence starts and completes a paragraph:

“Oh, and there was one other person smiling in Washington: Christine Lagarde, chief of the International Monetary Fund, who was in the U.S. capital for the organization's annual meeting and who said just about the only sensible thing anyone in town has said all week on the debt ceiling crisis: "I hope that in a few weeks' time, we will look back and say, 'What a waste of time that was.' "”

With syntax like this the reader feels as if Rosin is talking passionately about the situation, which I agree with. I think that the story does need feeling in it and by writing this article with descriptive sentences she does just that.

Rosin’s words and sentence lengths will impact most readers, no matter their education, but I am not a fan of this article. I am not sure why but I get angry reading it, maybe it is the imagery of smug men or the long sentences, but this is not a great editorial. I hope that if she writes another it will be less angry.

Response to Course Material

Juxtaposition. To position things next to each other to show contrast. This describes our class. Reading and comparing articles to Albee's "The American Dream" and each other we have come to a much better understanding about this play. Although the articles are interesting because, the Socratic discussions are more helpful. This is because we tie everything together during these discussions and see opposing opinions. 

Although most people avoid confrontation, I believe it is important in our conversations. We can not hope to improve our knowledge if we are never challenged and so each position adds to our knowledge. The debate about whether Albee's play is a farce or a satire shows this as the conclusion is made that it may be a mixture of both; that his unique play may not fit into one category. 

The human brain is constantly trying to organize every thought, so this work proposes a challenge. The diction is informal but the man behind it is a genius. His use of malapropism with the changing of "bundle" to "bumble" shows his  careful thinking. To an unsophisticated person this can go undetected, just as the whole play's representation goes undetected by those who believe it is a play that is a theater of the absurd play, but to Mrs. Holmes students, who know that it is not theater of absurd, this word play does not go unnoticed. 

Many connection are made in class that I would not have thought of, just think about the doll house. 

2006 Question 1 Response 1C Analysis

You start your response off on a sour note by noting the use of diction and syntax directly. This is not a new technique used by the author, all writers choose their words and order. As you continue to respond you often recycle words and ideas, like when you describe the hawk as “bold” and note the landscape’s “boldness” in the same paragraph. Next you go on to say that syntax is used by Warren “to convey mood, meaning, and scene.” which would be okay if you followed this with an explanation but instead you just talk about the hawk’s swiftness and briefly mention their being no paragraphs. You do not mention the mood at all in this passage except to say that it is elegant, but what do you feel when you read the poem? You also miss the main point of the poem, it is suppose to be a dark poem, not majestic, and you do not mention the human’s role except to say that he admires the hawk. The human has a much bigger role in this poem than admiring the hawk, you should talk more in depth about him.

2006 Question 1 Response 1B Analysis

Your introductory paragraph seems as if you are writing to get your ideas flowing, it is a decent draft but it is unclear to the reader what you are going to talk about. Your first body paragraph still appears to be beating around the bush, you have the right idea but are not using strong words or examples which gives the appearance that you are insecure in your comprehension of the poem. Your next paragraph seems closer to the goal but you should use quotes from the poem instead of paraphrasing, it gives your opinion more support. You start to catch the reader in the third body paragraph by choosing a strong quote and stating that this creates a “grim expectation” and the next paragraph follows this flow as your ideas solidify. Your concluding paragraph is  as rushed and insecure as the beginning but you did hit some major points in the last two body paragraphs.

2006 Question 1 Response 1A Analysis

Your first paragraph is well thought out, briefly mentioning the topics that will appear in the essay while taking a strong opinion about the mood. It is followed by a body paragraph that carries a punch and which explains the author’s use of diction and imagery with strong examples from the poem such as “stalks of time.” Examples like this demonstrate your well supported opinion of a “dark, foreboding” mood and shows the viewer that you understand poem. You have many examples and everyone supports your opinion making this response stronger than many others. Also you finish up with a powerful last paragraph which helps tie everything together and answer the prompt question.

Close Reading 1: My Promise to Change the World

Karen Garrison’s “To Heal the Earth, Put Plastic in it’s Place” is a strong piece that forces the reader to make a change. Garrison uses many of the techniques that we are learning to incite her readers to recycle and reduce plastic materials.

One reason I believe her piece is strong is due to her elevated diction; because she keeps her words formal her argument is taken seriously. Garrison uses words such as “proliferation” and “Polystyrene” to show that her opinion is based on facts and research.

Her elevated diction and syntax help to  keep her tone serious; she wants people to understand the impact of plastic and to use less “single-use” plastic items. In order to achieve this tone she uses short, forceful sentences, “But they cannot stem the tide of plastic pollution.” Also she keeps her article in present tense writing about how plastic “kills” wildlife making the issue urgent.

Topping off her strong editorial is her relevant details. She only uses the information that is useful, leaving out details about the “coastal cleanups” and sharing information about CalRecycle’s hard-hitting prediction on wasted plastic.

Karen Garrison has inspired me to use less plastic and I believe that this article inspires others as well. She chose great words, sentence structure, and information to affect her readers logically so they will change the world.