For Doctor Mitch

A blog is a personal web space where you can record your opinions, thoughts, feelings, ideas, and creative expressions on a given topic. A blog is what you make it: a scrapbook, journal, photo album, opinion column, micro book, sketchpad, or soap box.

(1) Rationalization.  Consider Frost's "The Road Not Taken."  A common (mis)interpretation of the poem is that it's about taking the nontraditional path.  However, it seems to be more about a poem about rationalizing one's actions, as described in the video below.  After reviewing the video, comment on this tendency of humans to rationalize actions.  Why would this narrator tell a story where he/she clearly alters events? 

(2) Entry – Creative Nonfiction: In the preface to nonfiction (p. 2803 of your text), the editors tell us that creative nonfiction illustrates that "no direct duplication of reality is possible in language, that all writing is affected by the author's point of view" (Baym et al, 2014, p. 2803).  Do you think that is true?  Can there such a thing as a truly reliable narrator?  Consider the excerpt from Danticat's Brother, I'm Dying that you read this week as you prepare a response to this question.  How is this point made (or not) in Danticat's writing?

(3)Entry – Conclusion: Write a summary and evaluation of how well you met the goals you set for yourself in the first week of class.