Reading responses
Allegra Goodman, “Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work”
After reading Allegra Goodman’s Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work, I understand she talks of a common phenomenon. The doubt that one gets, not only in writing but in all aspects of life. Goodman focuses on the inner critic in writing. Which almost everyone has experienced, especially writing for a school assignment. For a school assignment, a student would start off with a central idea. When they write to expand their idea is when the inner critic would reveal itself. The inner critic would point out all the flaws in the idea and the expansion on the idea. This would create doubt in the writer and one of two things would happen. The writer would continue writing to beat the critic and make a good piece of work. Or the writer would give up to the critic and stop or write an even worse piece. The latter tends to be stronger than the former, as the critic can strike at weak points in a writer’s will.
This inner critic is also in all things that people try to do. For myself, I have my inner critic myself quite a bit. When I want to go somewhere or talk to someone, my inner critic immediately pops up. Voicing the future problems that can happen with my decision. How flawed my approach is and how the person(s) will think a lot less of me. It’s hard to get past the critic, as I start to have large doubt. I have to force myself to act or I will just forget it and move on. I also have my inner critic with my all-time dream. As I want to get into NASCAR™ and change the sport. I have a large passion to achieve my dream but my inner critic loves to bring up my doubts. How I won’t make it, all my efforts will be for nothing. That I am worthless and I don’t have what it takes to do what I want. This critic is hard on myself, a fight I have and will continue to fight.
The inner critic needs to be fought against in order to make it weaker. But you will never get rid of the inner critic. You can fight against the critic, which will weaken him or her. The inner critic will live on inside you forever. If you think the inner critic is gone, it is merely waiting for the right moment to strike. When you are at your lowest and weakest point. So keep your head high and fight against the critic, the endless fight. As much as you might listen the critic from time to time. Don’t let it overrule your life.
Stephen King, “What Writing Is”
From reading Stephen King’s What Writing Is excerpt, I enjoyed King’s amusing view on writing and its relationship with telepathy. King relates writing and telepathy closely, venturing into the research into telepathy. Then going into the place where he enjoys to read and write the most. His best place, but a place explores how we all have a place like his own. King then performs an experiment or test of his own onto the reader. Revealing evidence to the reader through their own experience of his test.
Through King’s test, I am reminded of my own realizations on reading on my own. That when I am reading a novel, excerpt, etc., the voice is different. I don’t read in my own voice, it’s always in another voice. It may not be the most accurate but it is what I hear when reading. It’s also interesting to see how with the few descriptions King gives the reader, how different the visuals will be. My own visual was plain and based off of my own personal experience.
But through all this visualization, King transported his thoughts to our own. Whether we see it like him is irrelevant. As when we are talking with someone, the visualization will be different as well. I agree with King’s perception on how writing is telepathy. A writer thoughts are put on paper and transferred into the mind of the reader. Simplistic telepathy, but very effective and understandable.
Sherman Alexie, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”
This story is very meaningful to what the expectation for an Indian would have in the world of today. We use the stereotype of Indians as being stupid, drunks and worthless, which is then expected of them by non-Indians. Alexie pointed out in “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”, he found his talent and passion that helped him progress through his childhood. Non-Indian children would say that they also have hard expectations set onto them by their parents or society. But Indian children are put into a stereotype before they can make their own conscious decision.
Alexie explains briefly how this stereotype or expectation affect all of the Indian children. Other children are greatly affected by non-Indians coming to the reservation and setting this expectation on them. They give into the expectation: they don’t work in class, they don’t pay attention to the class and ridicule those that don’t follow the stereotype. Alexie had his father to help him not become part of the stereotype through reading. His newfound passion and talent put him ahead of his class but as he said in his short story “he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on a reservation and is simply an oddity.”(Alexie 364). An oddity to not only the outside world beyond his reservation but an oddity to everyone in the reservation as well. But Alexie worked hard to get out and not be what is expected of him, proving everyone that an Indian can be smart and to save his life from destruction.
This expectation is also put onto other races in our society, for example: an African American. An African American man is expected, from our society putting into everyone’s minds, will be in jail before he is twenty. Through this expectation or stereotype, a young African American child grows up thinking that this is what he/she must do and falls into the expectation. This young child then ends up in a prison for the rest of his/her life because of ignorant stereotypes. These expectations or stereotypes are harmful and degrading to humans that don’t deserve to be labeled negatively when they have had no chance to prove otherwise.
Why must society and all the people living in society feel that these expectations need to be put onto an entire race of people? We can never judge a book by its cover and convict them of crimes they have not committed and give them a chance to prove everyone and themselves wrong. That anyone can choose who they want to be and what they want to do. The world would advance further if we could accept that these stereotypes are wrong and that everyone is different than what they expect or want them to be. Sherman Alexie is one such person that goes beyond his expectation and proved that he can be greater than what anyone expects, influencing other Indian children to follow in his stead.
Malcolm X, "Learning to Read"
I found Malcolm X’s Learning to Read inspirational and an eye opener to what I never knew before. How Malcolm X learned to read is interesting as a prison is an odd place to learn and the last place someone would guess. Then to find out he broke the prison nighttime rules to read until early the next morning. But what he learned through his reading was shocking, not only to him but myself as well. There are many cruel acts that the “white man” has done to every other race.
Society, does an excellent job hiding and almost exterminating all information of the “white man’s” cruelty. I already knew about the African American’s being slaves, but not their evolution to slavery. It’s shocking to realize the truths kept hidden, like the Chinese’s formation of their distrust with the “white man”. Repeating acts of cruelty, disrespect and manipulation created a rift between China and the “white man”. It’s a wonder the world hasn’t had a mass war against the Caucasians by other races.
Malcolm X’s campaign to free the African American’s from the Caucasians, mentally and physically, is honourable. The African American’s have no legitimate reason to be held back by oppression, fear and power. All history should be revealed to the world to know all the truths hidden by the leaders of societies. But Malcolm X was feared by these leaders, fearing his power he had to change African American’s future. So he was killed to be silenced and quench the campaign against them. This is how I found Malcolm X to be inspirational.
Margaret Kantz, "Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively"
Margaret Kantz’s, Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively, goes into how students run into problems with research paper assignments. Where a student thought what they had done was required and got a less than satisfactory grade from it. The problem arises from students simply taking out information or facts from a source and just adding it to their paper. Not analyzing the sources information and their own background of their information. Where originality is lost to the student as facts seem easier and faster to do than find some originality and question something in the sources’ information.
I believe a lot of students do this and struggle with this as they are only taught to take information and facts from the text and never question it. As in English class in high school, students are taught the teacher’s interpretation of the text and they can’t stray from that interpretation. Sometimes, when they question the text and verbally try to express what they are questioning and interpreting, the teacher can react negatively to that. English needs to be a more abstract class where the class questions the text themselves and interprets it for themselves, supporting their reasons with evidence.
But then we have a lot science and technical classes that demand a more factual text and papers, where information gathered must be added for practical purposes only. So students that are going into the more technical and science fields are more used to just getting information, putting it into their paper and moving on. Never interpreting the text or information found and using as a means to support their own information. As it is believed that this information is factual and not wrong, in the consensus of that field. So it is hard for a person in the technical and science field to question information as it will not help them, unless they can prove the old theories wrong. Creating new ones.
It is strange how society frowns upon the questioning of today’s ideas and thinking of new ones, when today’s theories could be wrong. As theories in the past have been proven wrong as time moves on. Society needs to be more accepting of new ideas and ask the new ideas to be tested. To see if they are right or wrong, as there is nothing wrong with new ideas. New ideas that are wrong can sprout more new ideas that can be right.
After reading Allegra Goodman’s Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work, I understand she talks of a common phenomenon. The doubt that one gets, not only in writing but in all aspects of life. Goodman focuses on the inner critic in writing. Which almost everyone has experienced, especially writing for a school assignment. For a school assignment, a student would start off with a central idea. When they write to expand their idea is when the inner critic would reveal itself. The inner critic would point out all the flaws in the idea and the expansion on the idea. This would create doubt in the writer and one of two things would happen. The writer would continue writing to beat the critic and make a good piece of work. Or the writer would give up to the critic and stop or write an even worse piece. The latter tends to be stronger than the former, as the critic can strike at weak points in a writer’s will.
This inner critic is also in all things that people try to do. For myself, I have my inner critic myself quite a bit. When I want to go somewhere or talk to someone, my inner critic immediately pops up. Voicing the future problems that can happen with my decision. How flawed my approach is and how the person(s) will think a lot less of me. It’s hard to get past the critic, as I start to have large doubt. I have to force myself to act or I will just forget it and move on. I also have my inner critic with my all-time dream. As I want to get into NASCAR™ and change the sport. I have a large passion to achieve my dream but my inner critic loves to bring up my doubts. How I won’t make it, all my efforts will be for nothing. That I am worthless and I don’t have what it takes to do what I want. This critic is hard on myself, a fight I have and will continue to fight.
The inner critic needs to be fought against in order to make it weaker. But you will never get rid of the inner critic. You can fight against the critic, which will weaken him or her. The inner critic will live on inside you forever. If you think the inner critic is gone, it is merely waiting for the right moment to strike. When you are at your lowest and weakest point. So keep your head high and fight against the critic, the endless fight. As much as you might listen the critic from time to time. Don’t let it overrule your life.
Stephen King, “What Writing Is”
From reading Stephen King’s What Writing Is excerpt, I enjoyed King’s amusing view on writing and its relationship with telepathy. King relates writing and telepathy closely, venturing into the research into telepathy. Then going into the place where he enjoys to read and write the most. His best place, but a place explores how we all have a place like his own. King then performs an experiment or test of his own onto the reader. Revealing evidence to the reader through their own experience of his test.
Through King’s test, I am reminded of my own realizations on reading on my own. That when I am reading a novel, excerpt, etc., the voice is different. I don’t read in my own voice, it’s always in another voice. It may not be the most accurate but it is what I hear when reading. It’s also interesting to see how with the few descriptions King gives the reader, how different the visuals will be. My own visual was plain and based off of my own personal experience.
But through all this visualization, King transported his thoughts to our own. Whether we see it like him is irrelevant. As when we are talking with someone, the visualization will be different as well. I agree with King’s perception on how writing is telepathy. A writer thoughts are put on paper and transferred into the mind of the reader. Simplistic telepathy, but very effective and understandable.
Sherman Alexie, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”
This story is very meaningful to what the expectation for an Indian would have in the world of today. We use the stereotype of Indians as being stupid, drunks and worthless, which is then expected of them by non-Indians. Alexie pointed out in “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”, he found his talent and passion that helped him progress through his childhood. Non-Indian children would say that they also have hard expectations set onto them by their parents or society. But Indian children are put into a stereotype before they can make their own conscious decision.
Alexie explains briefly how this stereotype or expectation affect all of the Indian children. Other children are greatly affected by non-Indians coming to the reservation and setting this expectation on them. They give into the expectation: they don’t work in class, they don’t pay attention to the class and ridicule those that don’t follow the stereotype. Alexie had his father to help him not become part of the stereotype through reading. His newfound passion and talent put him ahead of his class but as he said in his short story “he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on a reservation and is simply an oddity.”(Alexie 364). An oddity to not only the outside world beyond his reservation but an oddity to everyone in the reservation as well. But Alexie worked hard to get out and not be what is expected of him, proving everyone that an Indian can be smart and to save his life from destruction.
This expectation is also put onto other races in our society, for example: an African American. An African American man is expected, from our society putting into everyone’s minds, will be in jail before he is twenty. Through this expectation or stereotype, a young African American child grows up thinking that this is what he/she must do and falls into the expectation. This young child then ends up in a prison for the rest of his/her life because of ignorant stereotypes. These expectations or stereotypes are harmful and degrading to humans that don’t deserve to be labeled negatively when they have had no chance to prove otherwise.
Why must society and all the people living in society feel that these expectations need to be put onto an entire race of people? We can never judge a book by its cover and convict them of crimes they have not committed and give them a chance to prove everyone and themselves wrong. That anyone can choose who they want to be and what they want to do. The world would advance further if we could accept that these stereotypes are wrong and that everyone is different than what they expect or want them to be. Sherman Alexie is one such person that goes beyond his expectation and proved that he can be greater than what anyone expects, influencing other Indian children to follow in his stead.
Malcolm X, "Learning to Read"
I found Malcolm X’s Learning to Read inspirational and an eye opener to what I never knew before. How Malcolm X learned to read is interesting as a prison is an odd place to learn and the last place someone would guess. Then to find out he broke the prison nighttime rules to read until early the next morning. But what he learned through his reading was shocking, not only to him but myself as well. There are many cruel acts that the “white man” has done to every other race.
Society, does an excellent job hiding and almost exterminating all information of the “white man’s” cruelty. I already knew about the African American’s being slaves, but not their evolution to slavery. It’s shocking to realize the truths kept hidden, like the Chinese’s formation of their distrust with the “white man”. Repeating acts of cruelty, disrespect and manipulation created a rift between China and the “white man”. It’s a wonder the world hasn’t had a mass war against the Caucasians by other races.
Malcolm X’s campaign to free the African American’s from the Caucasians, mentally and physically, is honourable. The African American’s have no legitimate reason to be held back by oppression, fear and power. All history should be revealed to the world to know all the truths hidden by the leaders of societies. But Malcolm X was feared by these leaders, fearing his power he had to change African American’s future. So he was killed to be silenced and quench the campaign against them. This is how I found Malcolm X to be inspirational.
Margaret Kantz, "Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively"
Margaret Kantz’s, Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively, goes into how students run into problems with research paper assignments. Where a student thought what they had done was required and got a less than satisfactory grade from it. The problem arises from students simply taking out information or facts from a source and just adding it to their paper. Not analyzing the sources information and their own background of their information. Where originality is lost to the student as facts seem easier and faster to do than find some originality and question something in the sources’ information.
I believe a lot of students do this and struggle with this as they are only taught to take information and facts from the text and never question it. As in English class in high school, students are taught the teacher’s interpretation of the text and they can’t stray from that interpretation. Sometimes, when they question the text and verbally try to express what they are questioning and interpreting, the teacher can react negatively to that. English needs to be a more abstract class where the class questions the text themselves and interprets it for themselves, supporting their reasons with evidence.
But then we have a lot science and technical classes that demand a more factual text and papers, where information gathered must be added for practical purposes only. So students that are going into the more technical and science fields are more used to just getting information, putting it into their paper and moving on. Never interpreting the text or information found and using as a means to support their own information. As it is believed that this information is factual and not wrong, in the consensus of that field. So it is hard for a person in the technical and science field to question information as it will not help them, unless they can prove the old theories wrong. Creating new ones.
It is strange how society frowns upon the questioning of today’s ideas and thinking of new ones, when today’s theories could be wrong. As theories in the past have been proven wrong as time moves on. Society needs to be more accepting of new ideas and ask the new ideas to be tested. To see if they are right or wrong, as there is nothing wrong with new ideas. New ideas that are wrong can sprout more new ideas that can be right.