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In Karr’s chapter 13 “on Information, Facts, and Data” she highlights the way we are supposed to give information to a reader. She tells us we are supposed to keep it interesting for the reader. Involve an element of psychology. Let the reader come to a conclusion about the character on their own. The best example I can come up with of a book that just beats a reader with facts is the bible. I’m not sure if anyone had to read it for CCD classes like I did but the book of genesis, after all the God made the world stuff, you get into the so and so begot so and so and they begot so and so. It’s a never-ending list of he married her and made 20 children. It’s boring and there’s no way we can remember all of that.
ReplyDeleteFerguson gives us psychological and cultural information at the beginning of chapter 20 when she meets Carlos. She tells us about him arranging the blanket, “We are women and he is taking are of us. We are his guests in the three-foot circle of safety he has stalked out in the wide desert.” From this the reader can make their own deductions about Carlos.
Dawn Bustamante
In chapter 13 “On Information, Facts, and Data”, Mary Karr explains to us how we should go about writing facts and information in our memoir because while those two things are necessary they can easily derail a story if we do not regulate what we put down. What Karr is trying to tell us in this chapter is that we should not go into information overload and leave the readers with a plethora of details that drown out the focus of your essay. She says that the best way to make the information behind your story would be to exercise subtlety when presenting it to the audience by packaging them in such a way that they hold the audience’s interest. “The most skilled writers either package facts so they hold this kind of psychological interest…In these books, you often don’t notice you’re being fed a string of facts…” (p. 124). Once again, this is something we see Ferguson utilizing not only in chapters 20-23 but throughout her book thus far. She is able to spoon-feed us details bit by bit and giving life to words on a page through building the environment around her as well as the people she meets.
ReplyDeleteNarciso Garcia Jr.
In Marry Karr’s chapter 13 On Information, Facts, and Data she talks about how important facts and information are in one’s memoir. She compared facts to “the meat and bones” of writing. I liked how she gave us examples of how to give good information without using unnecessary information that, like my personal memoir, can make it repetitive and boring. She states on page 124, “Some facts hold so much drama or psychological interest, they prompt natural curiosity and desire to know more.” From what I interpreted from what she states is that basically, if we use true information and facts correctly then our memoirs will become more successful because the audience will want to know more or be hooked due to their interests being peaked. The example she uses on page 125 about the basketball player is my favorite part or what I liked about the chapter due to how she used an example to the information she gave us earlier to give us a better understanding of what the proper way of using facts is like. Ferguson does an excellent job at providing appropriate factual information when it comes to her characters. Her book contains many interesting characters that are best described through their actions. The latest and best example that I could give would be Carlos in chapter 13.
ReplyDelete-Marco Garza
Mary Karrs chapter talks about the importance of information, facts, and data which i agree with and disagree at the same time. It depends what type of memoir your writing about if the details i n your essay are painful it might be difficult to put on paper. These facts are crucial because the story becomes more reflected to the reader. The accuracy of the events and the depth behind it and emotion help resonate to the audience. Thats what Karr is trying to get at be real through your writing be emotional, tough, angry, sad, happy, and strong be all those thing but be you. Karr is explaining how being all those things helps it become more interesting she is saying don't loose the reader with just a bunch of information make them follow along.
ReplyDeleteFerguson does that throughout her book how she feels when Ventura dies and how the mood shift we see that all out there. she brings her characters out of the book and gives them life and not only the characters but the placed as well. The information she provides to us make is believable to the reader.
abigail vasquez
In chapter 13, Karr describes the moments and methods she uses on collecting data and information. She explains that the information being provided must be compelling for the reader and for the author. Information added must have a personal reason for the author. For example, she uses a statement of the age of the individual that is being wrote about. By adding in their age, she is making it more personal by delivering more information on the individuals being taught about. As such, the information adds meaning to the author and the reader. This is echoed in Ferguson’s memoir. As the final three chapters, everything being added has purpose. As the ending of her journey and tale, she is describing everything with details that add more to her observation. Overall, Ferguson provided various amount of detail and additional information in her writing to give the final three chapters the power it needs to sustain itself. Through this, Karr describes that by adding said information, the chapters themselves have a deeper layer of knowledge and understanding.
ReplyDeleteDavid Leal
Karr’s chapter is short, straightforward, and streamlined and I appreciate that. It talks about how to include pertinent information/facts without sounding like an instruction manual. I see this as another opportunity to incorporate poetry to my writing, another chance to find the right lyrics for the piece. You have to find the right information, though, because like the last chapter that we read, finding the right information is crucial. Simple, sweet, and surely tougher than it sounds, but completely doable. To be honest, I was surprised that she didn’t mention Nabokov in this chapter.
ReplyDeleteThe last of Ferguson’s chapters are heartbreaking. She wraps the book up with Valentin’s issues trying to get his hands on his green card, their marriage and the problems that come with it, the inevitable border and all its implications, and her thoughts about everything around her. To tie her back to Karr, Ferguson knows exactly what she’s doing and does it well. Her attention to detail is enviable and, at least for me, leaves little room for doubt. Again, I have my hesitations when it comes to border patrol agents, but I am extremely biased. Despite these differences, I’m glad that she shared her experiences with us.
-Angie Acuña
In Chapter 13, Karr discusses how to provide information in a way that doesn't bog down the story and make it feel clunky. For example, one story has a son describing his father's bounty in a way that shows the emotion that he feels and what is going on in his mind as he describes this. This works much better than just giving long descriptions of something that takes up many paragraphs and detracts of the story. I believe that any genre of writing is strong when information is presented in a way that it doesn't just feel dumped on the reader, but rather incorporated into the actual story where it flows well. A long backstory about someone or something may be interesting to read, but there are many ways to tell it effectively rather than just write several pages about it right in the middle of the story.
ReplyDeleteI feel Ferguson often goes into strong detail about things not necessarily important to what is going on at the moment, but I think it works due to her style of writing. Not once do I ever feel like she is breaking the flow when she starts describing the background of something.
Michael McCormick
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