Journal #4

It was amazing. The piece of meat was sweating with deliciousness. When it came out it was sided with garden fresh vegetables and good wholesome mashed potatoes. When it got to my table I breathed in the intoxicating aroma of well cooked prime steak. I got my fork and knife and dug in to the slab of meat. It felt like butter when I cut it. There was absolutely no fat around the steak. I was just perfect. The middle was filled with a little bit of pink, just as it should be. This steak would melt in your mouth. You could eat it if you had not teeth. It was so deviously tender but had just the right firmness to it. I paired a piece of steak with the mashed potatoes and there was an explosion of flavor in my mouth. It tasted like there was perfection rested on top of a cloud of fluffy potatoes. The next on my menu was the vegetables. All different kinds including carrots, peas, squash, and green beans. You could hear the crunch as I bit into them. They were just right in every way. This dinner was probably one of the nicest I had ever had and it would be great if I could have this every night.

Journal #3

1. Cite three specific examples of Hodgman’s descriptive imagery that you find to be particularly effective.

“One specific Purina spokesman told me that poultry by-products consist of necks, intestines, undeveloped eggs, and other carcass remnants.” “The cheese chews like fresh Play-doh, whereas the meat chews like Play-doh that’s been sitting out on a rug for a couple of hours. “White-flecked mush and bag after bag of stinky, fat-drenched nuggets.” All of this made me nauseated when I read them so I thought that they would be good for my argument.

2. What do you think Hodgman’s purpose was in writing this essay? What overall message/meaning do you take from the essay?

Her purpose in writing this essay was not to show that she ate the dog food. She just wanted to see what she and many other pet owners were feeding their dogs and what was truly in that. She discovered that some products are fine and even healthy to your dogs but others can be harmful. The overall message in this story is to really find out what is in the food you buy whether it is for you or your pet. Pay attention to what you eat so you can live and happy and healthy lifestyle.

Journal #2

1. How are the moths in the essay’s opening different from the moth at the campsite? What do the different moths represent?

The moth in the beginning just died because its life was over not because of anything else. The moth that died in the fire went out with a bang but also sold its life short. The moth in the beginning was playing it safe and the moth at the campsite was living on the edge.

2. What lesson does the moth provide that Dillard takes back to her students?

That being a writer consumes your life. That you need to be willing to make sacrifices not matter what they be for the things you want to do most in your life. That some things trump other things in your life.

3. How many references are there to fire in the essay? What’s the larger significance of fire in the essay?

The first reference is when she is reading a book about candlelight, the second one is when she feels warmth or comfort like being by a fire, and the last one is when the moth flies into the fire at the campsite. There are definitely several references to fire in the essay. The larger significance of the fire is that life can consume you in something if you’re not ready for it. If you can't handle something it might take you over just like the fire took over the moth.

4. Address how each of the following quotes connect to Dillard’s overall point.

a. “I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”

-Jack London

b. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

-William Butler Yeats

c. “A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us.”

-Franz Kafka

1. This relates to the story because Jack is talking about how he wants to go out with a bang instead of just wither away. He doesn’t want to waste his life but use it for everything that it is good for.

2. William is saying that life has to be spontaneous and exciting not tedious and boring. You only get one life, so live it to the fullest and don’t waste it.

3. Franz is saying that education and learning something new should open our eyes to something new that we haven’t experiences. The axe is kind of like a chisel and every time we learn something new we get shaped a little bit more into the person we will one day be.

Journal #1

He didn’t know that this would be the last drive that he ever took. Jeff Franklin was a very wealthy man with a good life. He had brown hair, was relatively tall, and was always the partier. The one thing missing in his life was a wife to stand by him through thick and thin. Jeff was in a coffee shop one day checking on his stocks. A waitress came up to him and asked him “What are you gonna have today”. He said “The usual, Linda.” Linda was the owner of this coffee shop that was right across the road from his hilltop mansion in Washington. He goes there about once a day so Linda knows Jeff fairly well. She brought back one French Vanilla coffee and two glaze donuts. They were Jeff’s favorite. He thanked her and then went back to his reading. What Linda didn’t know was that Jeff secretly liked her but never really showed it. He always thought to himself if Linda was the right woman for him. Jeff got the check, payed, and then left the shop for the day. The next day was the same; he came in, got his usual, and then went his way. Each day thinking when it was going to be the day to ask Linda out. The next day he went to the shop and asked Linda if she would join him for dinner that night. She said “I would love to.” She, like all women, went home and talked to all of her friends and told them all about Jeff and that they were going to go out together that night. Jeff made reservations for the fanciest restaurant is town and put on his nicest clothes. Linda got all dressed up and did her hair, makeup, and put on her nicest shoes. Jeff went to Linda’s door to pick her up. Jeff, being the gentlemen he is, opened the door for Linda and they were on their way to the restaurant. While they were driving there wasn’t a silent awkward moment. They had so much in common that they talked the whole way there. They had a very nice dinner. They couldn’t believe how much chemistry they had together! Once they were finished dinner Jeff went ahead and asked Linda out for a second date. She of course said yes. Jeff paid and then they were off. While Jeff was driving he was distracted by the beauty that he saw in Linda. He couldn’t believe he had known her all of these years and didn’t think about asking her out sooner. Sadly, they didn’t make it home that night. Because Jeff was paying so close attention to Linda he didn’t notice the drunken man behind the wheel of another car heading rapidly towards him. The crash killed both of them instantly but when their bodies were found they were holding hands. You only need one day to find true love and realize that that was the person put on the earth for you. Unfortunately their time was cut short but I believe that they are somewhere together. Because every road comes to an end no matter who you are doesn’t mean the ride doesn’t have to be sad. Live everyday to the fullest like Jeff did and you will have no regrets.