journal quotes ENG 121

ENG121_WK2_Journal_Entry_Quotes_Anchor_Example.pdf

ENG 121: English Composition I

Example Journal Entry: Quotes

Purpose: Use this example student journal entry to explore important elements that make this an

exemplary submission. Hover over the information symbol ( ) or select the numbers within the text

to read about what the student has done well in this journal entry.

Quotes

In the essay, “Good Boy, Beau. Stay,” the writer, Anna Quindlen, uses her dog, Beau, as an example of

how we should all live our lives. She tells us that we should live for the moment. Throughout the essay,

Quindlen includes a lot of concrete language to incorporate the five senses. In one section of the essay,

she describes a pot roast and the dog’s reaction: (1)[“Beau once had a catcher's mitt of a mouth, but if

you throw him a scrap now it usually bounces unseen off his head. Yet put a pork roast in the oven, and

the guy still breathes as audibly as an obscene caller. The eyes and ears are gone, but the nose is eternal.

And the tail. The tail still wags. When it stops, then we'll know” (2010, para. 6).] The concrete language

in this quote is the use of “pork roast” and the dog’s breathing like “an obscene caller.” (2)[That language

creates a very real sensation of smell and sound.] Another instance of concrete language can be seen

when Quindlen writes, (3)[“One summer he was skunked three times and spent weeks studded with

spines after indulging his taste for advanced decomposition by rolling on a dead porcupine“ (para. 4).]

Words like “skunked three times” presents a very imaginable smell and the words “studded with spines”

creates a very real image of a dog that really loves to let loose and enjoy life, even if that enjoyment

stems from dead carcasses and run-ins with prickly animals. I want to use the same kind of concrete

language in my own essay. My grandmother was famous for her cooking. I want to recreate that

delicious smell of baked bread when describing her, and I’ll try to use concrete words like Quindlen to do

so.

References

Quindlen, A. (2010). Quindlen: How an Old Dog Teaches Me Tricks About Life. The Daily Beast.

Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/quindlen-how-old-dog-teaches-me-tricks-about-life-

97257

ENG 121: English Composition I

Comments (color and number coded):

1. There is a great use of quoting here. Not only does the student properly employ APA style, but she has

chosen a quote that shows the author's use of the five senses. This supports the student's claim that

Quindlen includes concrete language to incorporate the five senses. Return

2. The student follows up the quote with an explanation of why the selected quote is important and why it

was chosen. The student demonstrates an understanding of integrating quotes because she is able to

select an appropriate quote that supports her claim and then explains to readers why the quote is

significant. Return

3. Again the student selects a quote from Quindlen's essay that highlights sense impressions and then

explains to readers the impact that those sense impressions have. The student then finishes the journal

entry by explaining how she will also strive to use sense impressions in her own journal like Quindlen

does in her essay. Return