Creative Mode: Mimic Writing

For this excerise, we were instructed to mimic the "voices", or writing styles, of many famous writers and using this, write our own verisons of the opening line of the bible.

So for example, we took the Genesis excerpt from the bible, emotionless and descriptionless, added the author's voice to it, capturing the essence, tone, and syntax of the writer.

This was our basis piece:

Genesis from the King James Bible
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face
of the deep. And  the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called  the light Day, and the darkness He called night. And the
evening and the morning were the first day.

These were the authors I tried to mimic:
-Nathaniel Hawthorne                 (Scarlet Letter)   
-Martin Luther King Jr.                ("Letter to Birmingham Jail")
-Patrick Henry                            ("Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death")
-Neil Postman                             (Amusing Ourselves to Death)
-Sandra Cisneros                        (Only Daughter)

Can you tell which mimic piece I wrote matches which author's writing style?

1.        

1. 

From the vast expense of empty Darkness and Sky, God, in his ultimate edifice of power, created the heavenly lands, tranquil yet magnificent. A face, painted brilliant blue, lapped with waves, was spread across the void. Eternal light swept across the land upon his request. Thou saw the pure, heavenly light, that it was made right, deemed that it ought to be divided from the delicate evil of the night, so that the two, black and white, would touch but never inter collide. Thus the two born twins, of black velvety vile and joyous light, were named Day and Night. At that point, the intervals of hours were firmly divided, with this deed performed, the first day and night were established, and forced to carry their  roles til the termination of eternity.

2.        

2.

 Ever since I was a child, I can firmly remember, my father’s insistence to take my six brothers and I to church every Sunday, rain or shine. Priest Francis taught the young kids about bible scriptures, stories told the great wisdom of Solom or the mystical Garden of Eden. Oddly, my favorite was the one he told of the creation of Earth, how God, I presumed because he  was lonely, created la cielo, Heaven, and la tierra, Earth. God crammed much toil in his creation, shaping the formless land into sculpture, creating light where light was absent. He severed the light from the darkness and laid the sunken vastness down with millas y millas of sparkling clear ocean. God named the divisions la luz del dia and la noche for Day and Night. Sometimes when the Day starts to sputter out rain, I wonder if it’s crying from aloneness, a loneliness that it can’t shuddered off.

3.        

3. 

My fellow brethren, this is the opportunity of which we have become allowed with, to be able to transform God’s creation of the Heaven and Earth into one lit with the light of equality. Right now, as far as I can see, it is as if the Earth were still without form, void in every corner, darkness upon our faces to one another, the oceans drained away. Is this what God intended? To have our fellow brothers and sisters walk among us, live among us, while discriminating one another? The tide of the waters will change and flow through the valleys to become the seas, the void will shape into strong mountains of justice, and God will lead us to bring in new light to this dark, dark land! The Night will never again overcome our righteousness; the Darkness and Day will be separated and all these 340 years we have waited, we will finally be blessed to see the Light.

4.        

4. 

It is hard to imagine such a time when the chains of Darkness and void have not been coiled around our ankles, although I can presume in the near future years, if I may speak truthfully, that these bounds will hold our dispositions down no longer. The Majesty of Heaven, one I revere above all earthly kings, will rise and sever the chains, and wash away the snares of our enemies, cleanse the ground with oceans and seas till only the truth is left. The lamp of God shall light my steps by which my feet are guided and soon after the light will illuminate the whole of the world. Such Darkness and Light will be transfixed apart from one another, but until then we cannot find peace nor hope.

5.        

5. 

There was a considerable amount of contemplation that must have proceeded before the creation of the Heaven and Earth, which in their simplest forms include very complex internal systems. The beginning stages of God’s creation, the land, was, obviously, without form and completely void of any living creatures. The waters were put into the sunken down areas which comprised of most of the terrestrial land (the waters in the Red Sea will later be raised by Moses as described in the Old Testament with modern backings from Ron Wyatt). After the water was instilled, the light was put forth and indeed, it was a relief after the darkness that prevailed constantly. The light was separated by certain unexplainable means of maneuvering from the darkness and God named them, generically, Day and Night. 

 Answers: 

1.  Nathaniel Hawthorne

2. Sandra Cisneros

3. MLK

4. Patrick Henry

5. Neil Postman

 

SOAPSTONE: "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!"

For all of you out there who are not familiar with SOAPSTONE, it is an acronym for writing analytical pieces on short pieces.

It stands for...

S: speaker
O: occasion
A: audience
P: purpose
S: syntax
Tone: well, its tone.

Here's SOAPSTONE applied to Patrick Henry's famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!"speech.

(soapstone, rock...kind of similar)

 Speaker:

Patrick Henry is an undeniably articulate speaker who can rally up passionate patriotism in his audience. Throughout his “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, he epitomizes the ideal courageous, god-fearing patriot. Henry addresses his audience respectfully, but he professionally delivers his points on the ignorance of the colonists towards the English crown. Overall, Patrick Henry is a brilliant motivational speaker who incorporates effective rhetoric in his speech.

Occasion:

Patrick Henry is addressing the speech to the audience of the Virginian Convention in hopes to persuade them to bid war against the English crown. During the time of his speech, America, as a country, did not yet come into existence. The colonists were divided on the topic of war. British oppression was exercised, heavy taxes were issued without representation and British militants were stationed to “protect” the colonists. The period was tension-filled; Henry had to address his audience carefully, persuading not forcing them.

Audience:

The audience of the Virginian Convention was defined as important white men with status in the colonies. As shown by Henry’s many references to God in his speech, the men in the audience were most likely god-fearing as well. Not all of the audience members agreed with Henry from the start, they all had mixed opinions. In example, “I hope it will not be thought disrespectful of those worthy gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite of theirs, I shall speak my sentiments freely and without reserve.” He addresses the audience in a manner that shows respect toward their perspective but simultaneously pointing out their stupidity in opinions.

Purpose:

The purpose of this speech is explicit. Henry wishes to persuade his fellow colonists to take up arms against King George III, gaining independence from Great Britain. He uses various, complex forms of rhetoric and parallelism to persuade the Convention to see from his mindset. Henry induces his audience to sever ties with England and fight for freedom.

Syntax:

Obviously shown from the astute usage of sentence structure and subtle emphasizes on certain motif words, Patrick Henry is a brilliant orator. His sentences are full of short interruptions which pause to respectfully address the audience and create pauses that allow the audience to fully absorb his points. Certain words are emphasized by repetition. He utilizes rhetorical questions, for example, “Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not…?” He uses rhetorical questions to give specific ideas to the audience without forcing them to accept it but rather guiding them to believe it. Henry also incorporates parallel structured sentences into his speech, listing out the offences of the English crown in a manner that magnifies its faults, “We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and implored interposition to arrest”.

Tone:

Henry’s speech is extremely well-thought out. It shows the careful ways he manipulated his words to form direct but respectful remarks towards his audience. His tone is urging. Henry wishes his audience to take up arms against the crown urgently. Throughout his speech he displays passionate patriotism, rising to a climax of it at the end of his last lines, “Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!”

Global Eyes: Nasr City, Egypt

This essay was written as an extension from an MLK piece, "Letter from Birmingham Jail".

I know it's a little outdated because I wrote it during the summer 2013 when the incident happened but I never got the chance to upload it.

Prompt: Read your local newspaper for several days, collecting articles about a
controversial subject that interests you. Using information from the articles take a position
on the issue, and write an essay supporting it. Be sure to document all material you borrow
from your sources.

 

Chaos in Egypt

By Katy Zou

A country that does not seek to separate its religious and military interests from its political aspirations will surely find itself in failure and chaos. The American constitution has shown that separation of religion and political party militaries places order in the governmental structure, ensuring well representation and fair representation for the people. The ongoing power changes and violence brewing in Egypt resulted in strong adherence of politics to the Islam faith and the militarist self-interests meddling with politics. As hard as Egypt struggles to convert herself to a democracy, this cannot be done if certain aspects of interference continue to influence government politics. The Egyptian military, in order to restore order, should not interfere with politics to support their own self-interests or harm peaceful protesters.

The Nasr City protesting event is a prime example of unregulated control of the military. Peaceful protestors in Cairo were massacred like herds of animals when the plan was originally to disperse them peacefully and guarantee safe passage. The specific death toll is uncertain but about more than 400 lay dead and thousands wounded. Doctors, family members, and people attempting to help the injured were shot with snipers and rifles as well. The lack of enforcement power and failure to carry out the actions promised by leaders of the military resulted in the death of hundreds and furthermore muddled the complications in Egypt.

The peaceful protestors who stood ground in Nasr City had every democratic right to be there. Egypt is not a democracy. However, Egypt should realize that democracy or not, violence should not be enacted on peaceful protesting; it can erupt in civil disorder. With the ever-increasing complications of the Egyptian political affairs, unnecessary violence increases as well. The question of whether the military or the protestors opened fire first but either way, the peaceful should not have been killed. It is the duty of the police to protect the people, not kill them. It is the duty of the police to protect the rights of the people, not strip them away. The police force, or military, should stay out of the political sphere of influence, keeping it one sole job as to protect its citizens.

Egypt is in a current disorder of unpredictable chaos and violence. The protectors of the people are killing the people and interfering in politics, greedy for power. In this time of violence and discontent, the best solution would be to protect the opinion of the masses, the opinion of the people. In order to restore the peace, the military must consume itself to protecting the people and remain neutral in politics.

Sources

1.       Coker, Margaret. "Egyptians Brace for More Bloodshed." Wall Street Journal 16 008 2013, A1. Print.

also on webpage: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324139404579014371839426440.html

2.      Entous, Adam, Carol E. Lee, and Julian E. Barnes. "U.S. Treads Lightly as Crisis Deepens." Wall Street Journal 16 008 2013, A1 &A7. Print.

Also on webpage: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323455104579015171553352730.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

3.      Abi-Habib, Maria. "Vicious Backlash Shakes One Egyptian Town." Wall Street Journal 16 008 2013, A6. Print.

Also on webpage: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324139404579015061439067186.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

4.      "America's Interests in Egypt." Wall Street Journal 16 008 2013, A12. Print.

Also on webpage:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323639704579012864220982826.html

5.       "The storm before the storm." (2013): n. page. Web. 19 Aug. 2013. <http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21583718-bloody-confrontation-streets-cairo-damaging-development-and-could-be>.

6.      Mohamed, Feisal G. "Egypt in Crisis: Ten Observations." Dissent. (2013): n. page. Web. 19 Aug. 2013. <http://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/egypt-in-crisis-ten-observations>.

7.      Trew, Bel. "They Struck Us Down Like Animals." Foreign Policy. n. page. Web. 21 Aug. 2013. <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/14/they_struck_us_down_like_animals_muslim_brotherhood_violence_egypt?page=0,1>.

On the Extension: "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society"

This essay was written using Jonathan Kozol's "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society" as a resource while supporting Madison's thesis.

Prompt: Using Kozol’s essay as source material, write an essay in which your
thesis is Madison’s statement, “A people who mean to be their own governors must arm
themselves with the power knowledge gives” (2). Be sure to document any information you
borrow from Kozol.

                                               Literacy as a Mean of Democratic Power

                                                           Katy Zou

America prides herself in the establishment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness- the three virtues of proclaimed democracy. Democracy is characterized by a country run by the people and for the people, where decisions and important matters are governed and elected by the people. Therefore, it is absurd to support the idea of equal life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness when 35 million of America’s residents are illiterate or below the level of literacy needed to function in society, not to mention, unable to make basic political decisions to protect their own constitutional rights.

As James Madison once stated, “A people who mean to be their own government must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives”. Literacy, the power to be informed of decisions and to inform others about one’s own opinion, often times is an undermined weapon of democracy. Literate people are given the power to voice themselves in elections, putting in their ballot’s share. Literate people are able to participate in their country’s decision-making. Literate people are the only people that define the term democracy in America.

Kozol, in his “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society”, describes the ways illiterate citizens are in a way crippled when it comes to the democratic, decision-making process. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, of the 26 million people living in California, 23%, or about 6 million Californians are illiterate. Illiterate citizens rarely vote. Those who do vote are “forced to cast a vote of questionable worth” (Kozol). Their ballot is based on imagery or glitz of the candidate, rather than material of worth or possible future contributions of their candidate.

When more than 10% of our country’s population is unrepresented, how can America call herself a democracy? Voices of minority groups are neglected. The illiterate cycle that circulates generation after generation as shown by Kozol’s second-degree murder case concerning Stephen, creates an on-going rift in America’s society. Some citizens are represented while others have their tongues cut out. In order for America to thrive as a democratic nation, the people must arm themselves with the power literacy gives.

James Madison in a letter once wrote to W.T. Barry, “A people who mean to be their own government must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives”. 200 years later we still hold these words to be self-evident, that in order for the people to deem themselves governors of a democratic state, they, themselves, must hold the power to decide right from wrong. Without the power literacy gives, the people follow blindly, and America should therefore be called by another name.