Here are the guidelines:
- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
I was a little excited when I saw we would be reading about travel essays.My family and I have traveled quite a bit, taking a major vacation every summer for the past few years. Because of this I have read and am always intrigued by travel essays and articles. It's hard not to think of a new city as romantic and is equally hard not to romanticize it when you write about it. I have never tried my hand at travel essays because I have always felt like it would be too cliche. As Moore said, “of course it was different”. The chapter on nature essays was also interesting. My brother and I spend a good deal of time outside, we visit different local parks and walk the trails in those parks a couple times a week. In addition to writing, photography is another hobby of mine. I have just started and am barely learning so I’m not very good but I am always searching for a new place to practice. I like the advice that Moore gives us about not overlooking your own garden and finding something fresh to say. I am excited to try both types of essays.
ReplyDeleteDawn Bustamante
Within Moore’s “Writing the Nature Essay”, we are given various points and tips that the readers can use to help them cultivate their own piece on nature. Among the various things listed and discussed, the overall theme on how to write a nature essay could be the general fact that if nature is the target for a writer, it must be fresh and inspiring. Moore writes, “…but what readers really seek in a superior nature essay is for the writer to show us something new or something fairly common in a new way” (pg. 187). This excerpt can be taken at face value when the work of today that deals with nature is analyzed. Almost the entire world has been explored, and many new species of animals and plant life has been discovered. The option of coming up with something new is becoming more and more scarce. However, Moore states that we can take something old and simply shape it into a new piece; a familiar subject from a new angle. This thought sequence is what makes this section a great addition to anyone writing nature, or other subjects. Through interpretation, Moore suggests that even if something new cannot be found, finding a new angle on something old is just a rejuvenating. This new angle could be the spark needed to kick off a whole new creative process that was not there before. This topic and idea of rejuvenation to nature’s familiar aspects is what makes nature essays worth reading. Every author listed in the section have written about similar things form different aspects, making each one unique. As Moore states, “…while it may be easy to write one thousand words about you vegetable garden, writing one thousand words about just one tomato plant in your garden forces you to get beyond the usual observations and find something fresh to say” (pg. 189). This “fresh” aspect is what should be found in a nature essay for it to be successful.
ReplyDeleteDavid Leal
In Moore’s “Writing the Nature Essay,” I found it interesting and truthful when he stated that readers do not simply want to read about nature’s beauty but how they want to be able to envision nature in a new way. But what really stuck out to me was Moore’s “Writing the Travel Essay,” when he mentioned getting ripped off by cabdrivers, because from my experience, I myself have gotten ripped off in another country because the natives know that us —Americans— forget how currency changes. And Moore made a great point in that there is so many unknown things that people would find more interesting to read about other than how beautiful the scenery looked or how the weather was. And I look forward to writing the travel essay because it is mind-blowing to reflect back and think about how in different parts of the world natives communicate with facial expressions and different hand gestures and how sleeping schedules are different depending on the weather changes, and so much just from what I myself have seen. Thankfully, I have gotten the opportunity to travel to different parts of the world, and I look forward to being able to share my experience, because there are so many other different things to capture than what any person would already assume from the cliches we have been told.
ReplyDelete-Joy Perez
As an ex-boy scout and someone who loves to travel to big cities, I am very interested in both Nature and Travel essays. In Moore's "Writing the Nature Essay" he has two statements that I agree with. They are: "The personal is keenly suited to an appreciation of nature" & "Walking can be like thinking, and the gentle path of the essay can easily resemble those ambling thought patterns as well." As I stated before I agree with these two statements completely merely because I can relate to both of these. In my past academic writing experiences I have often referred back to or used prior locational settings in my works or to create a setting that sets up the direction of which my writing will be going. This has played a major key in my successes and love for writing, I have always been very observant of my surroundings. I am a quiet person but take in a lot of information and constantly thinking. Which also ties into walking is like thinking sentence. Whenever I am walking to class, or at home or even on vacation, though I may not look it, I am always walking and thinking to myself. That is where my creativity blossoms from a cocoon and into something beautiful, abstract, impactful, and colorful. Literally.
ReplyDelete-Marco Garza
Anything seems to catch us as writer’s attention. Especially nature, “We want to see the world around us-birds, fish, trees, clouds, plants [even] mud […]” (Moore, 186). There is a great big world out there that we must explore, and even write about so others can experience all that we see and feel around us. “To do this, you as a writer must observe very closely, and with not just a patient eye but an informed eye” (186). Thoreau is an excellent example of a writer whom just took a minute and inhaled nature per say. In “Writing the Travel Essay”, we are told that writing a travel essay can be as easy as it is hard, every culture is different you travel across the country, or even a couple hundred miles North. This can be a task, some quick tips given by Moore are “[1.] Read as much as you can about your destination 2. There is a difference between a travel writer and a tourist.” (Moore, 194). Prompts as mentioned as well can be helpful to your travel essay. Make your setting interesting by detailing everything around you with analogies. These chapters are insightful for the writer whom like to explore the outdoors and have different adventures.
ReplyDelete-Christina Velasquez
“Writing the Nature Essay” when Moore states, “you as a writer must observe very closely, and with not just a patient eye but and informed eye.” This got me thinking about do I really observe when I pass through park or the backyard? Which the answer is no, observing the way the rose opens up and swirls to face the sun and how when it rains the water falls slowly through the leaves making its way through the whole tree until it falls. We miss a lot of stuff when not observing and just seeing. Moore talks about that and gives tips and steps to take to get better and how to detect certain things rather than just being like everyone else.
ReplyDelete“Travel Essay” it’s refreshing to read about adventures of other people and the risks they endure or to the what people they talk to and the different foods they have tastes. Moore states, “be enthusiastic and curious” this makes me think about taking that extra time to pay attention. To be observant of the area and the people within that area as well and how society functions. Learning about different things is exciting but actually being able to experience what the author is saying is quite remarkable.
- Abigail Vasquez
I’m pretty excited for the nature essay. I don’t spend a lot of time outside anymore (life, school, and work get in the way), but I love being outside when I can. I even smile to myself whenever I step out from a building on campus because I love feeling the sun’s warmth rather than the cold AC inside (don’t get me wrong, though, I love AC too). Moore says, “Nature is about change, interaction, and rejuvenation.” I’m not sure that I (or nature for that matter) change every time I step outside, but I agree with the interaction and rejuvenation parts. I know I always feel better after spending a day at the beach. Something about being covered in sand by my friends just takes my worries away. It’s the travel essay that has me a little concerned. I like to think that I am very lucky to have been to the places I have. I haven’t left the country (besides Mexico, which I just don’t think counts because I’m there pretty often), but I’ve been to a fair amount of states in the US. Problem is that none of those trips have been exactly life changing for me. Most of the time, I’m trying not to get lost because I’m the person who gets distracted and wanders off in my family. I think I’ll end up following tip #5 from page 197 and writing about how the taxi driver I had in New York charged us an insane amount of money. It was worth it, though.
ReplyDelete-Angie Acuña
Based on what I read in Dinty Moore's "The Nature Essay," writing about your adventures requires writing about your own personal experiences in traveling. The reader views the setting based on how you tell of your experience. In order for your writing to be effective, you need to be as detailed as possible in your descriptions. You can't be vague when giving your own description on the environment. When it comes to describing the setting or your travels, the same logic applies with writing about an event that happened in your past. If you write it vaguely, readers will interpret it vaguely. Because describing setting is my biggest weakness in writing, writing a nature essay wouldn't turn out so well for me. At least with where I am at now in my writing. I feel if I grow stronger as a writer and can learn to write more about the setting, maybe my writing in several other areas can grow. I may not be strong in writing a nature essay now, but things can change.
ReplyDeleteMichael McCormick
Chapters seventeen and eighteen focuses on writing and capturing the moments in nature and your travels, both of which I admittedly have a soft spot for since I have been able to go to many places in the country and like to camp or visit national parks. When concerning the chapter on nature, one of the pointers given by Moore is to basically do some research on flora and fauna in order to describe scenery and have an eye for the details to make the words pop out. This is what stood out to me the most since I usually have a hard time describing scenery and while I don’t think I’ll pin down the exact species of something, I will try to avoid the generic descriptions or at least put my own spin on things and instead use words or phrases that I think best describe the scene. As for the eighteenth chapter and the subject of travelling, Moore states that you should avoid over-romanticizing descriptions and instead focus on the reality of things. Similar to what he said on researching the flora and fauna in nature scenery, you should read up on your destination in order to get a better idea of what life is like. Overall, both reading selections sort of did expand my understanding when it comes to describing a location or scenery and not use cliché phrases.
ReplyDelete- Narciso Garcia
After reading Moore’s “Writing the Nature Essay” it is understood from the beginning that this essay is solely based on the appreciation of nature itself. In the reading, when Moore mentions that the path to extraordinary nature writing must not be based on the fundamental knowledge of nature, but instead “in a new way” or in a way we have not seen it before. This really caught my attention. Most of us, or should I say when I come across the thought of nature, the three things that pop into my head is plants, trees, and animals. The thought of it to me is simple, with very few details because I have never thought about really observing its fine points. In the essay, in order to go in to great depth, and detail when writing the nature essay Moore states on pg 187 that “you as a writer must observe very closely, and not just with a patient eye, but with an informed eye” to me this is one of the many tips that were given that stuck with me because I think through this piece of advice us as writers will be able to share what is seen through our eyes with our readers that may not see the same.
ReplyDeleteIn “Writing The Travel Essay” I thought is was interesting to read the stories of those who have traveled around the world and have experienced a variety of new things. Different cultures, different ways of living, and different languages is something I think is very interesting. I do think that this essay would be more of a challenge for me only because I haven’t done a lot of traveling so I have yet to experience a different culture other then ours.
Leslie Luna
So, I recall the class discussion we had over these chapters and I stumbled upon the quote you asked us to analyze. Since I read the chapter the quote ended up making more sense. If you do not try something how can you possible know how to do it or know what it feels like? In other words getting your “trousers dirty’ is the experience you obtain that makes your writing better. While reading Moore mentions that travel is about writing your encounters but not necessarily places that people visit often but instead, for example, visiting a small church that local people visit and writing about it. This is a topic that is more refreshing than something that’s already been written. Travel essays are about how you got from point A to B in a descriptive manner. While the nature essay consists of the present moment. While reading the chapters Moore states that you need to observe and not just see. Observe in great detail your surroundings and don’t just write about nature to explain why its beautiful, write about the birds you see and what surrounds you in a new refreshing way, something that enthralls your readers. He says how a nature essay shouldn’t “ end with abstractly appreciating nature.” I don’t see what’s wrong with that though. Being in Nature opens your eyes in seeing beyond what is being shown. It awakens in you an emotion of peace and tranquility; you are one with Mother Nature at that moment. What’s wrong in writing about this revelation and appreciating it for what it is? I agree with majority of his writing though there are things I don’t agree with. The book “is” teaching us what sells, I understand that but sometimes I think when you write with passion it gets conveyed, you can’t just write all the time with the thought of “selling.”
ReplyDeleteAlejandra Rodriguez
I am not a big outdoor person, nor have I ever considered writing about nature, but I do enjoy sitting outside to read ( for short periods of time ). I do appreciate adventures and taking the reader through something you have experienced on one of your adventures. Nature is a beautiful thing and capturing your reaction to it is something special. Being able to take that and share it with an audience and making them feel what you first felt when you saw whatever it is that you encountered on your journey is a talent beyond words. Moore said, “You are not writing just about birds and trees, seashores and forests, foxes and poison sumac; you are writing about how you respond to those things, how they affect your life, and what pleases or astonishes you... Without your personal, distinctive voice, there is no reason for the essay”, Which is true. Anyone can tell you the sky with blue and leaves were green but no one can put into words how you felt about the green leaves and blue skies. In “Writing The Travel Essay”, Moore introduces the idea of the journey structure, and how most stories of travel contain it. He also says that travel writing is very difficult. I agree because just like the nature essay your experience is your own and as he has mentioned in previous chapters, creating a personal, not private essay is ideal. Because of the fact that your experience is your own, you need to open up the window for interpretation and help the reader feel and visualize your adventure as though they were right by your side on the trip.
ReplyDelete-Starleen Rendon
I enjoyed the reading, “Writing a Nature Essay.” What I gathered from the chapter was that the writer should pay attention to detail. When I say detail, I don’t mean the obvious detail, but the details within the detail. I do agree with Moore that that type of detail helps make a Nature essay, but I know it could as well be applied to other essays as well. Details help with imagery and that allows the reader to be sucked into the world in which they are reading. This type of writing also helps the writer appreciate and notice the little things that ordinary people don’t notice or just take for granted. It’s a skill of observation that can shared by ink for those that can’t or have not experienced it. When I read, “Writing the Travel Essay”, I thought about how Moore’s view was insightful in terms of what is common. I never thought of it before, but most articles I have read are what he describes. He is right when he says, “Of course it was different! Foreign lands are different.” This mindset blinds the individual from seeing what is in front of them since they are mentally comparing it to their home. This type of writing leads to a paper with little to no depth in writing. It becomes a common travel essay that could have been very different if the writer would of looked at another light.
ReplyDelete-Benito Reyes