Author: Evie (Page 4 of 4)

Evie Althkefati

Professor Edelson

English O450

February 17, 2022

The scene takes place at the basketball court, and this is where I am. The basketball court is in one end of the school, a region that is designated for games to help avoid noise from the games disrupting studies going on in classes. Also, the scene is large enough to accommodate several hundred individuals comfortably. I am with a friend called Luke who has invited me to watch him practice. Luke is tall and of chocolate color. He is of medium weight taking his height into consideration. He has large palms that hold the ball and enable him to play with ease. His hair is dark and he has a good smile. Luke is also strong, and he always exercises his muscles before practicing. He is stronger than most other basketball players that he plays with, and this gives him an edge in the game.

At the scene of the event, it is evening, about 6 pm. We had agreed to meet at 5.30, and that was the time we met. Since we met, I estimate that we have been together for about 30 minutes, and this is why I know that it is about 6 pm. Secondly, I know it is around 6 pm because of the lighting around. Although we are indoors, the light shows that the sun has set but not fully done so. Usually, the sun sets around 6 pm, and this is what makes me know the time. The season we are in is fall. We have just come from summer and temperatures are starting to change. However, the temperatures are not so low that the season can be categorized as winter and there is no falling snow. Secondly, the temperatures are not as high as they were during the summer season. I do not have warm clothing on the scene, but I can feel that the warmth is not as it was several weeks ago, and that is how I know that the season is fall.

At this scene, my body feels relaxed and joyful. I do not have any worries about issues that would make me anxious. Hence, my body is at ease. Also, there is no pain or illness in my body that would make it feel uncomfortable by any means. The joyfulness that I have in my body comes from watching Luke play basketball. I love watching basketball being played, and it excites me every time. On the scene, I can hear several sounds at different times, and they are all being caused by Luke. One of the sounds I can hear is that of him dribbling the ball. Every time the ball hits the floor, it makes a sound. The second sound I can hear is that of Luke’s footwork. His movements through the basketball court result in his feet stamping the floor at different times, resulting in some sound being made. The third sound I hear is when the ball hits the board or the basket rim when Luke is trying to make a score.

I can smell some bleach. This helps me know that the area was cleaned at some point not too long ago. The scent of the bleach is not too strong, but it is present at the scene. The light at the scene is coming in from two major sources. One of the sources is the door. The other source is the windows that are high up the walls of the building. There are windows on every side, and they contribute to lighting up the room. However, as much as the room is full of light, it is dull. Considering that it is evening, it is understandable for it to be dull as the darkness approaches. The light does not cover every part of the room. For example, the corners are not well-lit, but the center of the room, where the pitch is, is well-lit.

To my left, there are mostly chairs, and they extend towards the back in a way that is raised. In essence, if someone were to sit on the chairs at the back, they would sit closer to the roof of the building than one who is to sit at the chairs found at the front. Also, there are stairs that lead towards the chairs at the back and still allow an individual who would be at the back to move forward. To my right, there is a door that leads to the premise. My right side is the only side that does not have chairs for individuals to sit on. Instead, it has an open space, and then a door that acts as the entrance to the building. The door is large, the size of the warehouse doors, and it has been open for the whole time that I am in this scene.

Evie Althkefati 

English O450

February 7 2022

Belonging to Communities

I am a member of different communities. One of these communities is my family, where I am one of the children. The other community is that of students, in which I am acquiring knowledge that will promote professionalism. The other community I belong to is that of youths, who are also referred to as young adults. Out of these communities, one that has shaped my understanding of language in a way I did not expect is that of young adults. In the community of family, the greater focus is on understanding rather than on the words being spoken. When it comes to the community of being a student, greater focus is on professionalism. However, as a young adult interacting with other young adults, the focus has been on fitting into the community and using a code of language that other young adults can also understand and relate with. 

I learned the different languages by being exposed to individuals who were in these communities. For a community like family, the language I learned took place without my knowledge, as it was progressive over the years and began when I was young. Therefore, it was difficult to take notice of how it happened. In education, the language learned was through listening to teachers and interacting with authors from the different books over the years. I still continue to learn more in this community as I progress. When it comes to the language I have learned due to being a youth, the learning process was from interacting with other youths who speak the same language and slowly learning about the meaning of the words. As Klass states, I have learned these languages to the point that they no longer sound strange in my ears (Klass, 1984). As a member of the youth, one of the words I have learned is dope, which means awesome. The other word I have learned is GOAT, which means greatest of all time. It is often used to describe individuals who have had influence on other people’s lives. Another word I have learned is sick, which means that a concept, idea, or activity is awesome.

Evie Althkefati

English O450

February 8, 2022

Response to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

A concept from the writing that I find confusing is what fuku is. Initially, when the author is writing about fuku, he presents it as a form of power that has negative consequences. Fuku is shown to be “a curse or a doom of some kind” (Díaz et al., 2007). As I read this, I came to the conclusion that fuku is a power of darkness that affected individuals in the past, and the writer is trying to show that individuals in the past believed in the negative consequences of this power. Later on in the reading, the author presents information to show that fuku had a personality. For example, he states how “everyone knew someone who had been eaten by a fuku” (Díaz et al., 2007). Through this, the author brings about the idea that the fuku is either a creature or individual because it has the ability to do what creatures or individuals do. Therefore, there is confusion in understanding whether the curse or doom was a creature that was after making people’s lives unlivable, or if fuku was only a belief about the sources of darkness that had been constructed by individuals.

A concept that the author has not explained in detail, which brings about curiosity and an extent of confusion, is the relationship between the superstitions shared and the place of science. The author places much focus on superstitions and religious beliefs about fuku. However, when it comes to science, he only mentions it in passing, by stating that Oscar believed in sci-fi. The issue that is hard to understand in this case is how a whole community could believe in superstition at a time when science was developing in the region. The author mentions that the issue of fuku was evident at least one generation before him. At the time, science should have started helping individuals understand their environment and the different actions, but the author does not write about this other than mentioning it in passing.