Journal 8: A First American Views His Land by N. Scott Momaday

This writing by N. Scott Momaday really shows the evolution of our country in how it has evolved from the simplicity of man living with nature to what it has become today, in which Momaday believes is the destruction of the environment. He explains how the Indian kills the buffalo because he needs to eat, but he also claims the fact that the Indian can kill the buffalo only for the reason that he has a weapon that makes it easy. I think this makes readers wonder how much our use of the environment today is necessary and what is in excess because of our natural tendency to be greedy with nature.

Journal 7: from Walden; or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

As I read Walden by Henry David Thoreau, I gradually become more and more confused. The way his scattered writing is thrown onto the page, I find it very difficult to follow and I have a hard time grasping the intention of the story. The writing almost feels like poetry, however, doesn’t have the structure and rhythm of a poem. It feels quick-paced and rushed, like he has so much to say and it is pouring out of him and into the story. I feel that with the addition of more breaks, breathing, or some kind of rhythmic pattern to his writing, I would feel much more engaged as a reader.

Journal 6: What Betsey has to Say from Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith

This writing by Patricia Smith felt so emotional and relatable to love. She writes the storm as if it were a love affair with the city, a way to “break the city’s heart” and leave it “pining for more”. The hurricanes are using the city to become more god-like, to leave their mark on someplace, similar to people who want to leave their signature on other people. “I showed you the right way to romance that city,” she says; everything comparable to love, a subject everyone can relate to. There are such extreme emotions when dealing with love and I can see how tragedy and heartbreak can feel like one in the same.

Journal 5: WHAT TO TWEAK from Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith

Patricia Smith uses excerpts from an actual letter from Marty Bahamonde, one of the only Federal Emergency Management Agency employees still in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina. The letter was written to his boss Michael Brown and the use of the letter was effective in showing her point of view. She begins each paragraph with a piece from the excerpt and then supports the statement with her interpretation of what is happening in New Orleans. Her choice of words put vivid images in my head, whether I really understood them or not.

She says, “And the heat singes art on bare backs, sucks tears from parched skin. It’s true there is no food, but there is water everywhere.”

Game Night

It’s pitch black outside but a blinding white light shines down on the green turf. The lines and numbers crisply painted onto the field. People stand shoulder to shoulder on the cold metal risers, the night air sweeping across their faces. The crowd roars as the players make their grand entrance of the night full of power, ready to take on any challenge that comes their way with confidence. They look back at the crowd as they feed off one another’s energy to conquer their rivals. The young students have hope, full of passion and intensity ready to live life and defeat tomorrow’s obstacles.

Home Place--West Des Moines, IA

This image represents my job for two summers in high school. I worked at the Holiday Pool Aquatic Center as a lifeguard and it was one of the best times I’ve had during the summer. I met so many people and always had fun, and the more the lifeguards went out together, the better of friends we became. We always had a good time joking around and talking while getting a tan.

Journal 4: The Ninemile Wolves by Rick Bass

I was interested in the way Rick Bass wrote about the wolves when comparing their hunting to humans. He explains how people think of wolves viciously hunting deer but what he imagines is humans hunting wolves. He doesn’t just see hunters chasing after wolves, however, he sees politicians, men and women in suits, and scientists; scientists who use wolves for testing with drugs, needles and electrical equipment. This makes me wonder who the predator really is. Is it the hunters, or is it bureaucracy-- killing these wolves by manipulation and lies.

Journal 3: from Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams

This essay by Terry Tempest Williams brought many thoughts to mind about how far we are willing to go for our patriotism and our faith to our religions. Williams became aware that this testing had caused cancer in many of the women in her family, however, her reactions were restricted by her religion’s beliefs. Mormon women are taught to be obedient and keep their opinions to themselves, but if obedience means paying the price of death to you and your family, is it worth it to keep your opinions to yourself?

Keeping quiet will ultimately take our lives and the lives of generations to come. Speaking may cause trouble now, but will change people forever.

Song--More Bounce in California by Soul Kid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEVXrv3SJeI

Journal 2: from Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams

Terry Tempest Williams writes about her sense of belonging with nature and especially with the bird refuge in this piece. I could feel the empowering emotion she felt when she found out the burrowing owl’s mound was gone. The rage she felt when she realized that all memories and connections she had with the owl’s mound were erased and the men who took it away from her did not understand the relationship between nature and a sense of place that had been established. The men saw the mound as a negative embodiment on the landscape and by her reaction, a simple gesture of her middle finger, she gave that negativity to the men out of anger.

Journal 1: Everything is a Human Being by Alice Walker

Alice Walker begins this piece by taking us through a whimsical journey through the forest. It seems to be a surreal world she talks about, comparing the branches on trees to arms on our bodies, comparing roots to feet, personifying every piece of a tree and drawing our minds to wander to a place where these trees speak to us and express their distaste in our species. This personification provokes sensation. It allows me to believe that these trees share the emotion we feel as humans when, as Walker explains, “loggers’ trucks, like enormous hearses, carry the battered bodies of the old sisters and brothers.”