Author: Gregory Marc

When it comes to the “ingredients” of an educational narrative, oppression is a very frequent ingredient used in these types of stories. For example, in both “The Fourth of July” and “Maybe I could save myself by writing”, the central idea of both was the fact that the main characters were oppressed in their environment, and their environment gave them little to no control over the situation they were faced with. Along with oppression, passion is also a good ingredient that’s often included in articles like “The Fourth of July” and “Maybe I could save myself by writing”. The amount of anger you feel in “The Fourth of July” when Audre Lorde starts talking about the white people is very passionate. By hearing the constant repetition of the word “white” in the final paragraph, you can indicate how exhausted she is with the racism she was receiving in Washington, D.C. Reactions like Audre’s provoke emotion in the reader, which is what readers typically value the most while reading, which is why it would be more than a good idea to insert that ingredient in my own personal education narrative.

 

In my personal education narrative, I would let my reader know my story instantaneously, so they have an idea of what type of genre they’re stepping into. Although I have multiple stories, I have to make sure I choose which story I speak about wisely because I want to have my reader’s attention the entire time. That part is a lot more crucial than most authors tend to believe. There are also a couple of questions that I would like to get answered as soon as possible, regarding my educational narrative. I wonder how long I have to make it, ideally, I think it should be around the same length as “The Fourth of July” because I never got to a point where I wanted to get my eyes off of the page, completely due to its length. It was brief, but powerful at the same time, which is how I believe an education narrative should be, but I’m unsure, hence my need for assistance on this concern. Is it okay to mention more than one story in my narrative? Can I use the profanity I was called in my stories to evoke feelings in my reader? Hopefully, my questions get answered soon with the development of my narrative.

 

Once Mike Bunn said “You are already an author”, I immediately knew what he was trying to imply. Mike Bunn was implying that every human in existence is an author, because everybody not only composes words into delicate bodies of work but also, everybody that knows a language has the potential to write, similar or better to that of a certified author. Throughout my lifetime, I have written multiple essays, hoping that the teacher grading the essay would tell me I have the skill of a certified writer. Although none of my teachers have ever told me that, I quickly began to realize that I’ve always been an author at heart, despite the fact that I have no books out in the world published. Due to the fact that I have the ability to create and compose articles in any form I want (like an author), I know for a fact that my expertise in reading and writing will help me tremendously with my college English course because I already possess the abilities needed to pass the course.

 

The abilities that allow me to pass the course are my ability to break down a text and my ability to make sure I ask myself a bunch of questions while reading the text. However, despite my capabilities, I understand that an author/writer can always get better in their craft. Which is why there is an ability of Mike Bunn that I wish I possessed to reach a higher level of genius. Such as his ability to make the reader feel a certain emotion based on his word choice. For example, on page 15 of the “How to Read Like a Writer” novel, Mike Bunn says, “What is the effect of using the word “antiquated” to describe the firesafety laws? It certainly projects a negative impression; if the laws are described as antiquated it means I view them as old-fashioned or obsolete. This is a fairly uncommon word, so it stands out, drawing attention to my choice in using it”. The technique he used was pure genius, and all he did was increase his level of vocabulary in the novel to evoke an emotion in the reader. In conclusion, everybody is an author, even if they don’t know it. With the power of words, you construct masterpieces with your mind every day and those thoughts don’t have to get published to understand that.