week two blog

                     Vanished by Evan Ratcliff

I flipped through my book and never intended on reading any of the stories quite yet. I had a big art history test I wanted to focus on and just wanted to get an idea of what I was going to read later. I looked at lengths of stories and even though Vanish looked appealing to me, the thirty pages in length did not. I flipped to the page and scanned the column next to the story. I peaked at the introduction sentence and lo and behold; thirty pages and 45 minutes later, I’m amazed at the reading. I didn’t know I could enjoy a piece like that.

Evan Ratcliff shows four of his many costume changes used
throughout the 25 days he was missing.

Even though it seemed more like journal type writing, he used literary devices to make it a story. There are sections numbered which are each a few paragraphs, and every other he switches from first person to third person. I caught on to the pattern quickly and it made it more intriguing for me to want to keep reading. It was him against everybody else and he creates great emotion through his writing. As I read close to the end, the character felt anxiety, loneliness, and was paranoid of his surroundings. Even I felt these emotions, because he was able to depict each one so well. He uses dialogue and internet posts as well. Also, in the story, when he talks about specific people, he continually talks about them throughout the story as if they were characters.

Spoiler Alert! After he gets caught, he talks about what it’s like to live now as his old self. Every time he says his name or uses his credit card, he feels uneasy. Maybe he’s so used to hiding, that he still feels like he doesn’t want to get caught? The ending is fascinating, as he says that for the first time in weeks, someone had not believed his story. Meaning, after weeks of lying to different people about who he was, once he finally talked about his experience and what he did, the bartender didn’t believe him. I find it interesting and the story was extremely well written!
 To see all of his costumes through the 25 days CLICK HERE!

This video is an interview with Evan Ratcliff and

a general overview of the experience.


       Top Ten State Fair Joys by Garrison Keillor

Three simple reasons why a person should go to the MN state fair.
Sweet Martha cookies, state fair fries, and a pickle on a stick.
(Three out of the many foods I'll be eating this weekend.)



 The writer then takes a normal dad and steps into his shoes. The dad and daughter  walk through the fair and as the writer describes it, I’m picturing my own state fair. I’m going there this weekend and this was a perfect story to read right before. Since the writer is talking about Midwesterners and why we love our fairs so much, makes the essay seem more personal. He talks about his readers as if he is part of the crowd. It’s really nice (and true!) how he talks about people gathering at the fair, and for once, no one is ranked higher or lower to you. Everyone is equal and there is no upper or lower class when in a crowd that big and diverse. They’re all there for the same reason.

I really like the ending to the essay, because, just like any other fun event or vacation, they must come to an end. He makes it sound like anyone who goes to the fair is free to indulge, eat, spend, etc. and not worry about it. But once you come home, no one thinks they’re that person anymore and life goes on. He describes it in a way that we understand. I enjoyed this reading more than I thought.

               New York Times -- Click Here for the article online

From August 30, 2011, I chose the article called Brave, Foolhardy and Just Unlucky: The Lives Lost in a Storm’s Watery Fury. Right away, the intro was a literary device. The writer names several people who died and what they were doing right before hand. It made these people seem more real to me, than to say 40-some people died. As the article continues, the writer uses fragments to describe where people were during the disaster, “Some victims were in cars. In boats. On surfboards. On foot.” Even my computer is underlining these fragments as I type them. The writer makes visuals by describing how people died. It seems gruesome, but it’s for the reader to understand that they didn’t see it coming. He describes people as dying “while sending text messages to friends as the scampered through the storm…while sitting in their sunroom when a chimney plummeted through the glass ceiling…were crushed by a tree while chopping down another tree.”

The article continues and talks about the first rescuer, even when he woke up that morning. The article gets specific of how they rescued victims with great detail, like how the water was shin-deep and the current overpowering. The piece continues with specifics on who the victims were, and how people tried to help. It was an interesting article and the first article I picked was drenched in literary devices.

           My Future Story
       I haven't thought anymore about my story and what I'm going to do. I'm not too worried but I should do some more planning. I'm thinking about looking up an event and narrating a story on one person and how they set up and work throughout the day? I have no idea. This is a short description of my future story part of my blog. I should do more planning.