I enjoyed most of the reading assignments for this class. I loved "Angel's Ashes" the most, because it taught me that writing is beautifully entertaining when written in the way the author would tell the story in person. I liked "Into Thin Air's" technique of jumping from character to character. It built suspense and gave a panoramic view of a tragic tale. And of course, I loved the David Sedaris pieces. He's brilliant. He can make me laugh out loud while I'm sitting by myself. I love his dry sensibility.
The following is an excerpt from "Crumbling Walls in Crumbling Halls," Assignment #2: Describing a place:
"Her favorite spot was the elevator. This death trap was a small box with two accordion-collapsing chain link doors. The inexplicable rug on the floor smelled like a dog’s intestines rotted away to liquid and soaked through the bottom. On the unfortunate occasions that I got stuck on the elevator with her, Mumsy would wait until the door was closed and she had a captive audience, then lift up her skirt and show me what an old woman with an unfortunate lack of hygiene looked like without underwear on. After that, I couldn’t tell if my nausea came from the shock of what she had shown me or the fits and starts of the antiquated elevator. The space between the elevator and my room was never far enough to escape the sound of her cackling as she watched me scurry away in horror, preparing to flash the next unlucky soul who needed to use the elevator."
This piece was successful in the end, because I found the protagonist to be a metaphor for the building itself. She was falling apart from the inside out just as it was. She was nightmarish in the same ways, decrepit in the same ways, pathetic and sad in the same ways.
Thank you, Professor Dragan, for a great semester, and for helping me become a better writer. Thank you, classmates of ENG-274, for inspiring me with your talent.
