Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Description, the Prescription for Vibrant Writing

You might not know me well enough yet to know that I am a reader (as well as a writer). I am fascinated by the written word, the way authors purposefully select specific, vivid language to convey an impression or paint a picture. If the description is good, it's like magic - I am transported into the world the author wants me to imagine and the real world falls away, at least for a little while. This is the beauty of language. This is the reason I read and I write. 

Blog AssignmentPlease select either #6 or #8 from Practice 11 on page 225 of the textbook.  Your goal is to make me see what you see through your description. You can't do that with nickel words alone, so break out your thesaurus and hunt up some richly suggestive adjectives to make your description come alive. Don't forget to give me a clear topic sentence.

My Response: For years I have been telling my daughter I was the most sane member of our family. She would look at me with an expression that shouted "You? Not a chance!" But it just so happened that we had the opportunity to spend some time together recently and she confirmed that I was right. So, lest you think I am trying to fool you, too, let me set the scene for our family portrait. My parents, God rest their weary souls, were blessed with three daughters. My older sister is the drama queen. In fact, in high school she quite a career as a thespian and decided since it worked to attract attention then, it would continue to be a good tool in her future. Everything that happens revolves around the center of her universe - herself. Take, for example, my daughter's recent road trip to Orlando for a conference. Her car died as soon as she arrived at her hotel. She had made plans to visit my sister and her children who were all in town for a birthday celebration and now they have to chauffeur my daughter around in order to visit with her. I get a frantic call from my sister declaring we have to buy my daughter a new car as her vehicle is irreparably damaged. This purchase has to happen right away (even though no one has yet had this discussion with my daughter) because a transportation disaster will not impede any of the planned birthday celebration activities. Drama. I hate it. No good ever came of it and none ever will. As it turned out, my daughter successfully towed the car home and got it repaired for under $600.00 instead of incurring a monthly expense she hadn't planned. My younger sister, on the other hand, is Lucille Ball in the flesh (minus the red hair). If something is going to go wrong, it will. She has incurred damage to her body just by doing normal things like walking! She even has her very own Ricky, a crazy Latino to whom she has been connected for many years.  She recently purchased a new couch for her house. When it arrived, the delivery men had to remove the door frame to get it inside. That couch was going in the Living Room no matter the cost or effort! So, I can hear you saying that as the middle child there would be no way I could escape unscathed from this odd family portrait. And, as you can imagine, I have my own quirks. I was the rebellious one, the black duck of the family, misunderstood by all. I am the rough one who would "never become a lady." And, true to form, I guess that really has played out in the kinds of jobs I have managed to land - construction superintendent, lawn maintenance supervisor, plans estimator, and building maintenance person (to name a few). But I abhor drama of all sorts, and stay away from activities I know will be injurious to my body and the bodies of those around me. I am, actually, rather cautious and deliberate. The most sane member of my family. Don't you agree?

Your Turn: Sign in and post your assignment in the Comment box. Preview your response so you can see what you need to correct. Make your corrections and click the Post Comment button. Please be sure to post your response no later than midnight of September 8.

20 comments:

  1. I have always been the family member that everyone thought had a 'good head on their shoulders' rather then the odd one which would be my sister. Let me explain, me and my sister are two completely different people. If we stood in the same place you would think twice, asking yourself if we were in any way related. From the looks, personality, goals, and even our styles are different. My family is very big with a variety of different nationalities such as Colombian, Arab, Chinese, and Jamaican. With every background, there are different ways, different foods, etc. My family portrait is very interesting, you could say. My cousins and I all grew up together, my sister would be the 'leader' of the group and we would follow. She's always been the one who didn't listen and did as she pleased. On the other hand, I was the good kid, always did good in school, obeyed my parents, and stayed out of trouble. As we all got older, we became closer. We learned new things from each other, helped each other, simply went from wild kids to young adults. Every family is unique in their own way, but I am proud to be apart of the one I have.

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  2. Over time I find myself reflecting on my career choice (hints the reason for my enrolling back in school). Everyone thinks that working for a fortune 500 company is incredibly amazing. I must admit it has its perks, but the day in and day out stress that comes along with it can be brutal. Picture yourself sitting in a cubicle and at 8 o’clock in the morning and there is an irate customer on the other end screaming and yelling also, belittling you because they feel they are being over charged. I totally understand because things are hard for everyone. Doing that for eight hours straight can be emotionally draining which can take a toll on your physical being especially when you have some valuable information that can truly help their situation. Now there is a plus side, the environment setting at times can be irrational but other times can be astounding. I would compare the setting as a dysfunctional family. We are always are in friendly competition within each of the departments. For example we have this United Way campaign, where we have to come up with creative ways to raise money for United Way each day brings something different. One of the events that plays over and over in my head would the dunk tank event. You pay to dunk any member of upper management hilarious these moments were priceless just knowing that an employee would be able to dunk your supervisor and not get into any trouble. Maybe the ultimate wish of any employee. When it’s all said and done my job is not as easy as some may think, but every job will always have it's ups and down.

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  3. Growing up I've been asked by family, friends, teachers what career I would like to pursue in the future. Indeed I began startle my self on that very important question "what career I would like". Do I want to become a doctor ,forensic science, chiropractor as well modeling was my biggest dream of them all. I prolong this question long enough to decide on becoming a model. for one thing my height was a big factor on my decision. I am 5'10 thus,you can see why my choice was to become a model .with regards to this I started surfing the websites looking for agencies jotting down their information as well as leaving mines.Instantly I got responds from all over. When in fact even places I never heard of, which made the choice on which model school I wanted to attend a lot more easy. My thing is I don't like being to faraway from home because what if something tragic happen (god forbid).But even so my choice had been far out and yet I couldn't complain this was something I want, something I dream. In spite of this my pick was John Casablancas located in Orlando, FL. Since attending at john casablancas doors has been opening up with opportunities from being an extra - to photo-shoots!. the people in this business are more like a second family to me. making sure I have my lines on point down to my make-up being on the proper way. but I love it. for example I remember my first experience doing a runway show .backstage was like chaos. Naked girls random around looking in also waiting to be next for their make-up in new outfit. For this reason everything I though modeling was, was indeed the model lifestyle I wanted to live.

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  4. For years my family has been plagued by drug addiction. Growing up with a mom on drugs seemed normal. Drugs had always won when it came to love, attention and the necessary needs to survive. Sometimes having no food to eat or clean clothes felt like living in a third world country. Living with a parent who is addicted to drugs can have negative effects on you. It makes you feel like you are not worthy of love. There are times when I just wanted to die. As a child, you feel like you are the problem, until you are older to understand what is going on. So, unless you are willing to look past their imperfection or forgive them, you will always remain where you are(stuck). It has taking me years to realize that forgiving is patience and patience takes time. I no longer feel like Tin man from the Wizard of Oz "If I had a heart". I suffered the same things my mom did as I began to have my own family,like, not knowing how to deal with certain situation. Quickly realizing that I don't want my child feeling the same as I did growing up, I broke the cycle. By stop smoking pot and when something is upsetting me or I'm not sure how to handle it I talk with a friend or other family members. I have vowed to remain drug fee (marijuana). So, as you can see, no family portrait is perfect. Meek, humbleness is all the strive for because we all have issues and deal with them in our own way.

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    1. Great description. I love the connection to the Wizard of Oz and the Tin Man. You hae brought your experiences alive through your word choice. Very nicely done!

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  5. I am currently not working. Seeking a solid career for the future is my main goal. My family and myself is my motivation, especially with my recent enrollment to school. I have always loved the arts, even wanted to be an architect for most of my life. I grew up writing, drawing, doodling, crafting and what not. My career goals have a few options so trying to figure out how and what to achieve is the task. A career that could be on-line, in person, working for myself or someone else. An interesting environment is an ideal setting.Sometimes people take a different path to get to where they should've been all along. I feel the struggle in combining family,school and career is worth it.

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  6. My family portrait would be described as an unordinary Hispanic family. Many people always ask me “are you really Spanish”? They can tell by my hair but they always ask “Why are you so dark?” Well, my parents are from Panama which makes us Panamanian. My father is a black Hispanic. By that I Mean he has dark skin, but was born and raised in Panama with Spanish as his first language. My mom has tan skin, and that mixed together made my sister and I a caramel color. I like to describe my family this way because it interests me when people find out that I am Hispanic. I like to describe my Mom as an everyday clean freak. She doesn’t like to see anything unclean it makes her go insane. My mom has always been the parent to let things slide. On the other hand, my dad was always the strict, sharp kind of guy. I have one sibling, an older sister. We are one year apart and are very close for the most part. Many people say we look like twins and sometimes we even play that role. Few things we have in common are fashion, Caribbean food, and staying fit. But, we differ in our personalities. She enjoys the medical field and I prefer tourism and hospitality. I like to describe my sister as outspoken one. She has always been the person to seek revenge, and doesn't take anything from anybody. My family and I have always been pretty close and my parents do their best on trying to keep our family values together so, this is just a small portion of what my family portrait resembles.

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  7. When people look at my family and I they see a happy and loving family. Little do they know about all the hurt that we have been threw. When i was 6 my mom and dad got a divorce. Leaving my mom to do all the work. It was hard for me and my sister to be raised in a divided home. Some nights we would cry our self to sleep thinking it was our fault that they had split up. Other nights we would ask why daddy wasn't there to tuck us in our beds. My mom was and is still a hard working lady. She has always been there for us and gave us everything that we needed. She put us before anyone or anything. Unlike my dad, who remarried only a year after the divorce and had two more kids. Its like he didn't want anything to do with us anymore. We barley saw or talked to him. I guess he was to busy for us. I don't hold any grudges towards him, but i wish he knew how bad he hurt me and my sister. And as for my mom, sister, and I, we are now closer then ever and we are now a very happy family.

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  8. When people hear me talk in Spanish, they're often quite surprised by the way I can communicate so clearly. Regularly I'm confused me as a Caucasian person. My household is a typical Colombian home. Both parents work to provide for our home. They routinely come home at the same time. The wife cooks and has dinner ready by 6, the latest 7, everyone must eat at the dinner table for family time. Children help clean up and everyone goes to sleep. My siblings live far away from home so we try stay in touch with each other. Our family is a very close, we share so many memories and feel when trouble is our life. We all have different personalities but yet we are so alike. My father is a very passive person, never argues, keeps to himself, and always tries to mediate a situation. While my mother is a person who expresses herself even when the timing is wrong, always takes command, and leadership. My sister argues with us all the time and takes control of the situation so it can come out how she wants it. My brother is a passive person, doesn't argue, very easy to get along with, always comes up with a resolution. As for myself, (the youngest) I'd like to consider myself as a passive person in certain situations but also a very opinionated young lady. I do not like to argue but i do like to take control and assume leadership. It's funny how we take bits and pieces of our parents and it goes down the family blood line. I wonder how my children and nieces and nephews will come out, how far will it go?

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  9. My family is definately a one of a kind. Im from Miami FL and so is the majority of my family with just a few in key west,atlanta,south/north carolina and Bahamas. Yes i am bahamian and also indian. My great grandfather passed before i was born. My great grandmother died months after i was born so i never got to see them. Mother and Father were never married my dad moved to Atlanta before i was born so its always been just me and my mom. We moved from miami in 2005 because my mom wanted a better life for me. Miami was alittle rough growing up but i love where im from and all my family there. My grandmother was married to my grandfather long before me but they divorced and she re-married a few years before i was born. My grandfather by marriage has always been MY grandpa but a while back when i found out he wasnt my biological grandpa it broke my heart. But i moved passed it and accepted my real grandfather and have a good relationship with both. My grandma who is one of the lights of my world. Ive always been a grandmas boy and i still am. My grandmother raised me and nurished me while my mom was in school and working so i was wit grandma alot. I have a brother who ive always looked up to. He's 30 now and still lives in miami. My brother was my only friend when i was younger duento the fact that i didnt have any friends when i was a kid. So i would always have to bother him for some fun. I have a Godmother who is just like my own mother. Shes my moms best friend and she has done soo much for me even when my mom wasnt able. I didnt touch on my dad but we didnt have such a good relationship i only went to visit him maybe 3 times in my life and he came down for my graduation. Recently we are starting to better our relationship which is good. Now i have a Uncle/goodfather. He's my godmothers old love and they reconnect and he recently proposed to her an plan on marrying in 2014. Me and my family love him just as much as our own. So i have a beautiful family and i love them dearly. :)

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  10. Every child has a dream job, whether it is becoming an astronaut, fire-fighter, doctor or veterinarian. My dream job, or in other words future workplace is being in a doctor’s office as a Nurse Practitioner. I believe the setting in a doctor’s office can be kind of a mad house especially when the doctor is out of office. Patients are calling to make appointments and the phones are going off the hook. Even watching patients walk in and out of the doctor’s office feeling sick from morning to late afternoon. But, making sure they have the right medicine in order for them to get well, is all that matters. My reasoning for this job is not only my own personal decision but one that was admired greatly by my grandmother. My grandmother passed away about two years ago and became very ill. She had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, this is a cancer usually found in the bones. About a month before she had visited several doctors in Costa Rica no one could figure out what she had; until one day my mother, visiting my grandmother, called a professional cancer medic in one of the hospitals to set up an appointment to help my grandmother as soon as possible. He told my mother to bring her right away so he could further analyze her sickness; it was then that our family found out what she had. But even as a young child going to Costa Rica every summer and seeing my grandmother was great and full of wonderful memories. She would always tell me that she would love to see me graduate as a nurse. She could imagine me curing people so that they could feel new again. This helped me finally figure out my true dream. I can already see myself taking peoples pressure and writing prescriptions for them, aiding them in the right direction.

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  11. My family portrait is both normal and unique. Me and my family is from Florida, but my parents are from Haiti and Bahamas; my dads from Haiti and my mom from Bahamas. Me and my sister(I have one sister)is born and raise in Florida. Im the oldest, my sister is more outgoing than me. Im more of a quiet person. I have more of my dads personality, my dad is more quiet than mom. My sister has my moms personality. But I look like my mom and my sister looks like my dad. I like to think that my family is overcomer people. Because my family overcame a lot of trials and tribulations, thank god. Me and my family like to pray as a family, like the saying says "A family that prays together, stays together". I believe in that quote a lot. That's my family.

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  12. Toys R Us was my first job. But that work place was to kooky for me. Having to deal with disrespectful customers, stocking the shelves early in the morning and arranging the store after it closes. I needed a change of scenery but what undertaking should I choose? I want a profession where I can help people and. I also knew I wanted something in the medical field. But not a doctor that's to much school and to much money. Nor did I want to be a nurse not being sexist but that seems like a chicks job. so I started a career hunt and came across paramedic and seen that Palm Beach State College (PBSC) offered classes in it. so in August 2013 I talked to an PBSC advisor an she informed me that I would have to take general courses and enroll in the emergency medical technician (EMT) program in order to get on track to becoming a paramedic. So now I am in my third week at PBSC looking to the day I become a paramedic

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    1. Lots of facts with too little description. What would your day as a paramedic be like? How would that differ from the ToysRUs job? Be specific.

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  13. My first employment is at JJL. Process Corp. I am currently employed there and have been since 2010. I do an abundance of work daily. From reviewing reports, printing and filing Return of Services, managing calendars. Although, this may be a stressful job, I love what i do! I do need to make a few changes in my life and start working on my written goal. I started PBSC to obtain my AA for Paralegal. This is definitely a baby step towards my main goal, launching an Attorney at Law office specializing in collections. Not only will this be family owned and ran, I will work towards having many franchises around the country opening job opportunities for many people. I plan to become the biggest collection attorney in USA.

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  14. Growing up I always dreamed of being a nurse. I kept that dream alive until about 4 months ago. I have been working at Publix Supermarket for the last 12 years. I must say I love what I do great pay and benefits. I always find myself playing the peace maker or traing someone to do a new job. I always wonnderd why out of all people I was that one person that everyone confided in. About 4 months ago I had a long talk with one of my managers and she asked my had I ever that about going into human resources. I thought about it and replied no why? She then begin to tell me all the great qualities that I possesed for that field of work. I thought long and hard about that conversation and now I'm here my major is now human services. I'm all about helping people and making people feel great in the skin there in.

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    1. Oh, I would have loved to have been able to read about those qualities...could have been some great description there!

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  15. When you meet my family you will see that my family is sweet, loving, peaceful and caring family. I am the oldest child. I have two little brothers, Calvin and Colton. My dad grew up on a farm always having to work hard. He works so much that his hands would be covered in blisters. He’s the one that takes care of our family; he works every day of his outside in the blazing hot sun so we all can have a roof over our heads. My mom on the other hand she does under the table jobs. Her friend pays her money to help clean foreclosure houses. The job fits her because she’s a clean freak, she would go insane if something is not cleaned the way she wants it cleaned, its drives us all crazy but without her nothing would be as clean as it is now. In the end my family and I, we take care of each other making sure we are all safe and happy. My parents would do anything to make sure my brothers and I live a happy, adventurist and successful life.

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