The Nature of Nature Essays

"Pop goes the weasel because the weasel goes pop."

Oh, the early 90s how I miss you. Bare with me here as I'm writing this blog without the use of my book or syllabis. Dillard's point is much clearer than Barnes' point. Dillard focuses tightly on a weasel drawing out positive features that we (humans) would consider barbaric. The weasel is free because it only reacts based on its situation. There's no analzying it. Dillard recalled an account of a hunter finding a weasel skull attached to the neck of a bird he shot. Reactions keep/try to keep us alive and out of danger. Thus, the weasel tries to escape but to no avail. Yet, this is the only stress (if we can call it that) a weasel faces.

Barnes' point is much more thematic. It has to do with the love of a mother (or was it a father) of a daughter. This daughter wants to battle a forest fire, I think, although it could just be the coffee making things more creative. Well...i'll write more later on this once I'm fully awake and have battled other commuters.

Brainstorming for Lit. Journalism

Ok, so what should I write about? I have a particular attachment to my town and the surronding area.

After Hurricane Floyd, downtown Bound Brook was devasted. I helped my friend's family clean-up their apartment, but this was 7 years ago. This wouldn't work. The town has just restored the Brook Theater. This could be a possiblitity. I think I saved the article somewhere that details what events will be happening. I could also interview/talk with committee members.

In my town of South Bound Brook, Main Street continues a re-beautification process. With this, an old, asbestos-ridden factory has been sanatized, demolished and rebuilt into condos on the Delware-Raritan Canal. This would provide me with a lot of information.

Also, the oldest church (a Reformed) is under serious financial trouble. This could be an idea. Though, I'm not too attached to churches in general even though it serves a historic landmark for our town.

As Dr. Chandler pointed out, I could write about a particular concert venue that I've been to and played at. The Stone Pony in Asbury Park has particular significance because of Bruce Springsteen. Yet, the town has had a serious decline which until now has lasted from the collaspe of the boardwalk infastructure around the 60s. How has this changed the town, my interpretation of it and the music scene that emerged from it? Several clubs are within the area and I've performed at 3. Has this shaped me?

Thinking about the hurricane, can I draw parellels between today and then? The last pile of rubble, left by the storm, has been cleaned up and is now a Dunkin Donuts. Did the beautification of my town coincide with Bound Brook's clean-up/rebuilding process? I know there are plans to build townhouses next to or within a block of the Bound Brook train station. There's too many choices.

Lit Journalism

Literary journalism is the fruit of journalism. Journalism focuses on general facts and conveys the facts of a story. It encapsulates the bare-essentials of a story; it is a potato.

Literary journalism does what the previous does but also adds a tang of excitement for the audience. It invites the reader to engage on a specific theme or draws a broader picture of a particular issue.

I believe shows like 60 minutes, Nightline, 20/20 etc…would be literary journalism if they were in print (or would they still be considered literary journalism). It allows the writer certain freedoms to explore a particular topic in-depth. Yet, the truth is still paramount.

Particularly, the author can’t round corners. This is still journalism which above all holds the truth and facts high, where as in memoirs and personal essays the truth can be fuzzy. There you can rely on the emotional truth but not in literary journalism.

The writer tries to persuade the audience to a see larger issues rather than having to disseminate from only the facts. I remember reading an article in the New York Times about mining conditions in South America. In that article, they retold stories of a family that suffers hardships in these poor safety conditions.

The larger story is the safety issues with these mines. The vehicle to tell the story was through a family. To me, it doesn’t get clearer than that.

Some Ramlbing on My Work

Hey everyone...sorry, I had been stricken with the flu (or so I think) and instead of pushing myself, decided I should rest, which proved to be quite beneficial. Anyway...here you go, an unedited version of comments I wrote during class.



• What is your story about? Are the details you selected true to that focus?
My story is about my family’s lake house, although not in the describing sense. Rather, I focus on the area surrounding the cottage. I detail the experiences I had while driving up there recently and other features of the landscape, one of which is a gorge that flows into the lake.

I’m still not sure if the details are true to the focus. I want them to be as sharp as possible but feel they need to be polished. While I do believe in what I have written, I don’t think this is the final version. I have modified it a little but have yet to analyze all the words.

• Are there any "facts" which you are uncertain of which you have set forward as true?
All of the episodes I have written have happened at some point in my life. Whether they happened in order or in a collaboration of memories is a question which I may have to dig deeper into. There are many pictures of the area and they help to serve as a journal of our vacations. Also, there is a journal that everyone writes something in while they are up there. I really should have mentioned this in the piece. This would definitely help tie in the lineage that my family has within this house.

• Have you made changes in setting, time, or sequence which are unacknowledged?
This is a question that I may have some issues with. I don’t know if I need to include a time frame for each episode or if I can leave it as a “I remember” sort or period, sometime in the past.

Perhaps this may be the greatest weakness I have with this piece. That I never really forge a time frame other than the present, past and when I was seven. Also, did that flower scene really happen when I was nine. There could be many times that happened. In fact, I think we tried the float various things down the stream a lot. This wasn’t just an isolated incident but rather a continuing saga until my sister became too old to participate in such foolishness. How would I go about doing this as I get ready to revise this again? Would I have to relate the history of us playing at the creek. This could dangerous as I have no clue how to begin this, let alone what I would say. Grr! This sucks a lot as I have way too much to write but want to confine it to the most poignant parts.

• Have you fabricated dialog which you cannot remember (without acknowledging that you do not remember exact words)?
No, I have no dialogue within my piece so I do not need to remember this.

• Have you written your experience - or does your story cast you in terms of a "type" (like Frey)?
This I’m not quite sure of yet. In the beginning, I say I leave behind my technologies which I did. Did I make a conscious effort to leave them? I don’t think so; it just never occurred to me to bring them or at least some of them. I purposely left my lap-top at home but everything else…I’m not sure. I think I grabbed my razor because I like the close shave and the refreshing feeling, not that I didn’t want my electric razor. I had my guitar so I didn’t need my iPod. Is it wrong to say that I left these when I’m obviously leading the reader to believe that they just complicate my life?
The only other section I may be concerned with is the Mennonite section. Why do I think this? Well, I guess because I’m still a boy who remembers seeing these plain people. I didn’t quite know how to react. Should I write my reaction? If so, how did I react? I believe that I was in awe more of the horse-carriage than the people. I was amazed that horses were used in real life and not just in the movies. I mean…I knew of horses from the 4-H fair but only saw them in a contained environment never being used for practical purposes. What does this mean?

• Are there relevant details which you deliberately left out? Why did you leave them out? Anything you are trying to avoid?

There are lots of details. Did I leave anything out? That’s hard to say. I could say yes but then might have to think that it may be my subconscious trying to avoid any dangerous details. However, the purpose of my piece is more of a larger question than a reflection on me. So what is my relation to this place? This is my sun for the summer. I have gone to Disney and Washington D.C., Toronto and Niagra Falls. But my summers are always more fulfilling at the lake. Should I write in these trips? Should I say how, although educational, were not quite the lake.

I Want the Truth!

As readers we all want to be entertained. Some of us want to engage ourselves in the work; others want to take a spectators view. Yet as readers, we want have certain truths.

For example, if I pick up a biography of Richard Nixon, I want to know that he resigned as President before being impeached. I don't want to read that he resigned because of personal issues.

Writers have an obligation to truth. But where does that obligation start and end? Fiction writers have a much easier time with this, as they only need to concern themselves with universal truths. Non-fiction writers have a strict obligation to truth or rather an obligation to present what they believe the truth to be.

When considering a memoir, one must remember that memory is closely tied to it. So where does truth fit in? If we write from memory, wouldn't that be blurring truth. Yes. But, if the intention is that of truth, that is that the writer writes what he believes happened, then truth is present. Even if someone recalls the incident a different way, the fact remains that the incident happened - the perspective distorts interpretation.

Frey blatantly disregarded truth and fabricated episodes. Lying does not involve memory. Lying is a conscious effort to distort or disregard the truth. Taking liberty is one thing, completely ignoring fact is irrevocable.

So what obligations does a non-fiction writer have...to be forthcoming with the reader, recall your story the way you remember not how you wished it happened. Memoirs and personal essays are fuzzy, but the writer must not mislead the reader. If composite characters are used, designate them as placeholders rather than integral components.

Rounding corners may be dangerous in some cases but in others could be perfectly acceptable.

I remember a time I was skating down on Main St. in my town. We grinded a rail outside a store, the owner called the cops. The cop came and...

At this point, I could take to paths: one where we just skated away (which never happened) that showed our blatant disregard of authority. Or, the path where we listened and were respectful to a certain extent (we skated when the shop was closed).

As a writer, I feel obligated to tell the truth or rather what I believe was the truth. While I may have been thinking about skating away from the cop, that never happened. I would be lying and would not be considerate to my reader.

Framing the Audience

Right now if I had to choose which story to publish, I would choose my personal essay. My memoir is still a rough sketch. My essay is not. I feel that the audience will have a connection to the place simply by the descriptions of the land. They will be drawn into the Finger Lakes region and would be able to picture the scenery by the images I portray.

This leads me into the publication I found, Ecotone. This journal is published by the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Their specific goal is to illustrate the deep importance of place in writing.

I feel my piece has a strong connection to place. In fact once I clarify and reformat, the structure will be heavily reliant on place. This area that I wrote about has a strong character and this publication, I feel, will see this place as important. It is a central character. I think I'm rambaling but maybe I'm not.

I will polish this piece by reaffirming and reassesing my connection to this area. I will show how things are drawn to this play not coincidentally but by action. And this place will serve as the center of all my connections.

Connect the Dots: A Memoir Escapade

Music (Listening and playing)

Skating (Skateboarding and rollerblading)

What are the common threads between these two. Well, to say there is one would not be true. But for me, there is one strong connection. These are two possible topics that I may explore for my memoir.

Music has been a big part of my life. The first song I remember knowing is Layla by Derek and the Dominos. My dad was quite proficient at clarinet and guitar. Before Bruce Springsteen become famous, my dad opened for the Boss.

I started my musical career in 4th grade by learning the saxaphone. While I've never mastered any instrument, I can play eight instruments with relative ease. My former band opened for two national acts and played the Skate and Surf music festival in Asbury Park in 2004.

Music has shaped me. I could just sit in Central Park and listen to "The Only Living Boy in New York" by Simon and Garfunkel over and over again. Without music, I would not be as appreciative of life as I am.

Skating also has shaped me. I started seriously on this sometime around 5th grade when I would borrow my sister's skateboard and go to the school. Living close to office parks gave me a place to explore and find new places.

Many run-ins with security happened but luckily no arrests. Perhaps skating gave me a place to release my frustration with life and everyday annoyances. Without skating, I may not have been as active I was in the music scene. There's a link between these two but I would have to explore that.

My father...response

In "My Father Always Said" by MimiSchwartz, the prose is broken up into 6 sections. The first is a introductory section where she describes her experience in Queens and how her father never got it.

The second section focuses a trip their family took Rindheim, germany. In it, describes their experience in the town in general. In particular, they go to their father's old house and discuss with the person who purchase it.

the third section starts to show signs of her father's realization of the Rindheim that he thought existed does not actually exist. The fourth section continues to show the disparties between the ideal Rindheim and the actual one, yet it illustrates a sense of community that existed between Jews.

The fifth is a climactic moment where Mimi finds out that this was her families land. While her father, sees graves that are missing there and knows his Rindheim does not disappear. The 6th sums up the piece and now Mimi has a deeper understanding of what her father meant.

So how do these tie togather? They work by juxtaposing the author with her father. At first the author does not understand the world of her fatehr and vise versa. Yet by the end they come to accept each other's world. Mimi does it by experiencing Rindheim herself and understaning its historical signaficance within the family.

Her father does it by experiecing the real Rindheim and knowing that the town he remembers was only containted to a certain community. This was eventually obliterated.