I enjoyed “The First Day”, particularly the way that the narrator skirts the line between the perspective of the day they had as a child and the insight and context provided by their older and more knowledgeable self. This makes for an incredibly detailed piece. One can feel and understand the narrator’s childlike nervousness, the disapproval of the other child’s stares directing towards her mother (and the stares she directs towards the girl in turn), and her childlike insight (as seen by her mother not playing their game properly, while subtle, it does seem as if she’s sure something is off). The context added (“This is my mother:”, the reason why the narrator’s assigned school isn’t to her mother’s liking, the perfume being the last gift from her father to her mother, etc.) brings everything together to make a colorful and in-depth whole.
About
Professor: Jessica Penner
Email: creative.writing.citytech2@gmail.com
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM. I’ll be available through Zoom and will send an invitation via email that you should keep all semester. Try to join my meeting at the start of the hour, not at the end—since I may be talking to other students or have another appointment after the hour is up. If those times don’t work with your schedule, we can schedule a different time. This means you’ll have to schedule an appointment in advance. I suggest you have multiple times in mind, since your schedule may not mesh with mine!
I definitely agree when you say “I enjoyed “The First Day”, particularly the way that the narrator skirts the line between the perspective of the day they had as a child and the insight and context provided by their older and more knowledgeable self. This makes for an incredibly detailed piece”. The author is giving us a grip of what she was feeling as a child, and in my opinion is so cool, because we get to feel what she’s feeling, putting our shoes in her place.
I agree with your assessment of the perspective. It was a key element that shaped the story and definitely captured the world from a child’s view especially the nervous aspect. I also enjoyed the amount of detail put into this work, it almost seems like a child describing their day to an adult instead of an adult writing a book. Like you highlighted the context combined with the vivid descriptions create a whole new experience.
I like your take on Jones’s writing, her perspective does jump back and forth between a nervous kid and a wiser, mature adult. I think that this perspective is what really captivated me and made me so invested in the writing.