CNF exercise #1 - Karlyn

 Everybody has that one thing, that group of people, that one place that means the world to them. For me that thing was dance, that place was that studio, and those people were my family. I was at that studio almost everyday of the week for 9 years. Which is why it was so hard to have to leave that place, and those people last year. There were six of us who were graduating, we were all a big part of this studio. Helping out whenever we could, teaching some classes, working hard to make all of our pieces the best they could be. The photo on the left was taken on our last class at the studio. It was a bitter sweet night. It started with most of us walking into the room in our sports bras, because our instructor didn’t like it when people wore them. She would always say that it wasn’t professional to wear them, but this night we all decided to wear them just for fun. When we came in she laughed at us, and we just went on with our class. By the end of the night we are all still happy and enjoying our last class together, nobody had cried yet. That is until our instructor began talking about how much our help and presence at the studio was the best and that she was going to miss all of us. She began to cry a bit, then some of the other girls started crying. To get our focus on something else we took some fun pictures of all of us together, then when it was finally time for us to leave, we formed this group hug. When I got home I was crying, for the past 9 years I’ve gone to that studio. Monday through Thursday nights plus Saturday mornings, for 2-5 hours, and that was the last night I would ever do that.

            This past year I have been missing dance a lot, it was something that I did for 15 years of my life. Now that I’m not doing it, it’s strange. Whenever I’m on break, I always visit the studio. About a month ago I visited all them, and I was even invited to do a class with them again. It made me so happy when my instructor told me she had just been thinking about me, because I hardly ever missed a class. That place was a home, a safe place where I could express myself in the best way I know how. I was there whenever I couldn’t dance cause I had broken my toe, or sprained my ankle, I was even prepared to go when I had just gotten a second degree burn on my wrist. I was able to do the thing I loved, with people I consider to be family, in a place that is now one of my forever homes. Being a part of a dance team like that is always going to be something I am so proud of.

CNF Exercise 1 - Mikaela

The image to the left is of my older cousin, Shanon, and I when I was around 3 years old. Every time I saw Shannon I would beg her to french braid my hair. She always happily obliged and would tell me to go and grab a fork because as it is said in the Little Mermaid, a fork is for brushing hair. Shanon is my oldest cousin on my Dad’s side and the only other girl. When I was younger I watched everything that she did very closely, dreaming of the day I could grow up to be just like her. 

The picture to the right is of me french braiding my younger cousin, Lydia’s, hair this past summer while in Hawaii. When I grew older Shanon taught me how to braid hair and I now have become like her, always happily braiding my little cousin’s hair.

On my mom’s side of the family, the granddaughters outnumber the grandsons, 5 to 3. However, Lydia and I have only brothers. The day the picture of Lydia and I was taken, she looked at me and said, “Mikaela, you are like my big sister since I don’t have one”. I realized more than ever, that I was Lydia’s Shanon. Her sister. Her role model. As she grows up she will come to me for advice that feels too awkward to share with a mother, and she already has. She asks me about boys and what clothes look good together, and how she should wear her hair. 

As I grew up, I realized I was very different from my older cousin Shanon, and she was not someone I could confide in. I still love my cousin and enjoy being able to see her, but I hope that as Lydia continues to grow, she will be comfortable coming to me with anything. These sets of pictures are very important to me as they remind me that just as I once had my cousin to look up to, I am now that cousin that little eyes watch upon, wanting to be just like me. I hope that I am a solid role model for Lydia, the sister neither of us has ever had.  Just as Lydia said, we don’t have sisters, but we do through each other.

Journal # 5 - Mikaela

Part 1: 

The reality of the impact of the coronavirus is really starting to set in for me this week. When announcements were first made, my mom asked me to leave my apartment at school to come back home. I figured this was a quick passing and that in about a week I’d be back at my apartment with my friends. But as this is my third week at home and I am now really realizing that this is not something that is just passing quickly. Doing work while at home has been incredibly challenging as our internet has been crashing without warning and we can’t get anyone to fix it yet. 

More than anything though, this season of life has shown me how important it is never to take anything for granted. For instance, while stuck in quarantine my extended family and I have been coming up with creative ways to entertain one another. My family is very close and not being able to see each other freely has been very odd. So at least once a week we get on a group facetime call with all 17 of us. Each call we have a different theme. Our most recent was revisiting our trip to Hawaii over the past summer as we pretended to be back in the warm and beautiful weather. 

Part 2: 

“One of the great pleasures of writing creative nonfiction is the opportunity it gives you to go from thought to thought, and from one place and time to the next” (page 196.

I felt this quote was very important for me to remember before writing a creative nonfiction piece. Generally when I think of nonfiction I think “blah, this will be boring”. But this quote reminds me that it really just brings true stories into light which is in fact very entertaining to relive and hear. 

Comments for Lindsey and Dylan: Walt Whitman Presentation April 2

For your comments on Presentations:

Write about something well done.  What did you learn from this group?  What part of the Presentation seemed the best?

Is there constructive criticism that would help this group?  What might have been more clear?  What part of the Presentation seemed the least polished?

Post comments for this group below this post, please, as we all need feedback, and it's valuable.

Walt Whitman, Poet.

Comments for Alex (and Maddy?): Henry David Thoreau Presentation April 2

Write about something well done.  What did you learn from this group?  What part of the Presentation seemed the best?

Is there constructive criticism that would help this group?  What might have been more clear?  What part of the Presentation seemed the least polished?

Post comments for this group below this post, please, as we all need feedback, and it's valuable.

Creative Non-Fiction writer H.D. Thoreau.

CNF Exercise 1 - Alex Harris

Alex Harris

English 2267 Creative Writing

3/30/2020

The Painting on the Wall

(Ansel Adams Photograph)

Ansel Adams - The Tetons and the Snake River

As a child I like to think that I was particularly imaginative. I could and did spend whole afternoons up in my room, or in my backyard pretending to be on a grand adventure. These adventures were by and large inspired by the books that I had read, the toys that I owned or the movies that I had seen. However, one of the earliest inspirations I can recall is of one of the works of Ansel Adams. This photo hung in my living room for most of my childhood, and I actually thought that it was a painting at first. The idea of such a fantastical place existing in the real world had never occurred to me; I had lived in Central Ohio for most of my childhood and the most mountainous place I had ever been was Lancaster. I had no knowledge of photography as an art form, and just assumed that Adams had created this place from his mind. I remember one day sitting in the living room waiting to go somewhere, when my mother walked into the room. The specifics of how the subject came about have long since faded from my memory, but I remember mentioning how much I liked the “drawing”. My mother was confused about what I was referring to, and when she realized what I was talking about told me that it was actually a photo of a real place. I was blown away. A place as cool as that could exist in the real world? If that was real what else could be? Did that mean that the story books we read were real too? Looking back on the moment it was ridiculous, the notion of a child. However the sense of wonder I felt still amazes me to this day. Whenever I see a spectacular landscape in the back of my mind I feel this moment, the imagination of a child discovering the world was more spectacular than he could have dreamed.

CNF Exercise 1- Lindsay Euans

        

    Gilmore Girls to me is more than just a television show (which by the way is on Netflix), to me it is an escape and as the show would say, “It’s a lifestyle, It’s a religion”. This show came out in 2000, which is actually the year I was born. I grew up with my mom and sister always watching the show and came to love it myself and continue to binge it. Coronavirus social distancing gives me the perfect excuse to do so again now. From wearing t-shirts to represent the show, having coffee made by one of the cast members, seeing that cast member sing in a coffee shop, books about the show and by cast members, and having more memorabilia, you could say I am fairly invested in the series. 

            Back in 2016, the show was revived on Netflix in a four part series that my mom, sister, and myself set aside the day it came out to binge watch it all and have a whole day dedicated to the series and eating foods like the characters do in the show. There is quite a fan base behind this series that gets together for festivals and social-media question and answer sessions that keep the legacy alive even after 20 years since the show aired. 

            When I am watching Gilmore Girls, I am taken away from the scary things of the world and distracted from things like the current pandemic. It brings me a sense of comfort and feeling like I have a place to belong when I feel a little alone. It may seem a little crazy to feel this way towards a television show, but it is a special place for my family and I to go back to and connect with. My sister and I are always quoting the show and are already starting to show my nephew the ropes of what this show means to us, even though he is only three weeks old. The fictional world of Stars Hollow, Connecticut is a place that I can pretend to be when I need a sense of direction in my life. There are places in the United States that give the vibe of what Stars Hollow is all about, and I hope to get around the country to see them someday. I look at these scenes and feel home when home does not feel too close in the real world. I see characters that feel like friends and family. I see the best parts of myself and what I hope to be in life.

 

CNF Exercise 1 -- Ciera Yamarick

As I reminisce upon this picture, I see all that's in and around its edges. It takes me back to the days of summer where life was simple and soft while the sounds of the city roads still echo around the grey walls of my bedroom. The warm breeze engulfed my being as I gazed upon such beauty that can't be found in cornfields or alleys. In front me lied this tower of glitter and decadence that was surrounded by the lives of people from all corners of a bookshelf. I see the groups of friends being in touch with their community while couples felt the heartbeat upon each other's chests on the dry grass. You go a little bit farther to the right of the image and it would pan out to a man proposing to his girlfriend as the Eiffel Tower lit up in sparkling fireflies. It's a vulnerability to look into the complexity of moments caught rather than moments online. The essence of human touch and presence has faded into a societal expectation, but it's quickly turned into a privilege in these recent days. Being able to hop on a plane to Paris and be swallowed within masses of people to see wonders as such remain in the photos on our phones instead of our line of sight. We are left to have nothing but appreciation for such breeze through our spines when we touched and saw what we used to so easily acquire. To follow the reality we live now to get back what we used to have needs to become normal. But for now, I sit with my phone in hand looking at photos like these where physical community was once thoughtless.

CNF Exercise 1 Dylan Pangborn

 The Most Popular Portrait

As a child, I found myself spending a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. The two of them had spent their lives as farmers and lived modestly. This modest lifestyle made one thing in their house stand out as unusual. Hanging above their fireplace was a large framed portrait of a thin man with glasses and a pitchfork standing beside his rather plain wife. As far as I was concerned it was a perfect representation of the two old souls who lived here, their stern yet not angry expressions molded by years of hardship and tiring work was something I had a become accustomed to. It had never even occurred to me in my child’s mind to ask about the painting. I was immediately satisfied with my own explanation of the portrait being a rare purchase of something that was not essential and happily moved along. It was not until years later when I had finally started going to school that the painting I had seen nearly every weekend was thrust back into the front of my mind.

Sitting in a grade school art class was not exactly the place I imagine I would have the first taste of my reality being dismantled, but it was nonetheless. Our teacher was holding up printed out copies of some famous paintings, Starry Night, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, and then a picture that confused me to the very core. Why on Earth would my art teacher have a copy of the portrait of my grandparents? It turns out that the painting was Grant Wood’s American Gothic and instead of being found only in the home I had visited frequently in my early years it could probably be found in thousands of homes. Perhaps if I had asked my parents or grandparents about the picture instead of just going with my original explanation I could have spared myself the existential crisis. I’m not bitter or embarrassed though because now every time I happen across the painting in the wild I will always be rushed by the memory of my childhood mistake and loving grandparents I’ve lost.

 

CNF excercise 1- Mitchel Hendricks

So this image is from one of my favorite video game franchises, Infamous. This comes from Infamous: Second Son. The franchise is built on this system of karma. This eagle represents the good karma or in the game it's known as "True hero". I have a jacket with the same eagle on the back of it. Ever since then, I've always thought of myself as a hero in my own ways. Whether it was helping my girlfriend, a stranger or whatever. I always try to live up to what this symbol means and to try to be strong for others. Plus I love theme around it and when you think about it, it makes you think about your actions and how it affects you and the others around you. I remember playing this game and every time I play these types of games, I always play the good playthrough first then play the evil playthrough second. So when I reached true hero, it made me feel this feeling that you are just this beacon of hope to the people in the game. In the game, as you are walking the streets you can hear people shouting your name, calling you a hero and even helping fight the bad guys. If you are infamous, people in the game will say you are horrible and tell you how you killed their loved ones and even try to attack you. So when I'm a true hero, I just have this good feeling like never before and feeling like you have people even if you are in a virtual world.

This is the ranking system from the game. Each side represents a different side of karma. On the left, is the good karma. On the good karma side, you see the blue bird start to grow and fight the red bird and eventually growing into the majestic eagle that represents "True hero". On the right, is the bad karma. On the bad karma side, you see the red bird take over then kill and eat the blue bird. The red bird then grew into what looks to be a vulture. So now that vulture represents "Infamous".

Lindsay- Journal 5

The Coronavirus is definitely a crazy thing in life that I adjust to in new ways everyday. My biggest challenge with this pandemic is trying to find a schedule and focus on school amidst all of the chaos and stress around me. I am still having to remind myself that life is still going on and that school still needs to be a priority for myself. My workplace had to close down due to it not being an essential in everyday life, as I work at a thrift store in my hometown. This has also contributed to me not being able to feel a sense of normalcy and focusing in my life with school being transferred to all online. Coronavirus has also reached my county and that makes things feel more real and scary so I have not been leaving my house too much if at all. My sister had a baby at the beginning of March, three weeks early as he was due March 29th. I'm so thankful she could have my nephew before things got really crazy with the virus so that my family could be with her and my brother in law in the hospital. Rules are changing everyday with the hospital facilities and who is allowed to accompany the mother giving birth so I am very glad that my family did not have that as a worry at this time.

A specific quotation from the book that grabbed my attention was, "...essayists always insert themselves in some fashion in their own essays" (182), in relation to how writing creative nonfiction requires a personal presence. I chose this quotation because I do think that no matter what form of writing we write, you can always get a sense of yourself and whoever the author is. This is something special about writing and reading that I love, because it gives the opportunity to say what we need to and want to without having to actually speak. Sometimes speaking behind writing makes thoughts flow and come out with more ease. Writing and reading are such great ways to understand humanity and what other people experience, like with the prompt in this journal about our individual experiences with the coronavirus pandemic.

A question that I have regarding the reading is, why did the authors use the comparison between traditional essays and creative nonfiction so frequently in this section? It has sort of made it difficult for me to truly discern what creative nonfiction should be away from an essay.

This is how I'm feeling amidst all of the coronavirus chaos. By the way, highly recommend Frozen 2 on Disney Plus!

Journal 5 from Duncan

The corona virus has personally impacted me in several ways. The first being that I lost my job due to the closing of most restaurants in Ohio. This has left me trying to find a new job because I will have to pay for summer classes in a little less than a month. This has also made other daily expenses such as gas and food much more significant. Another way is my grandfather is 92 years old. If he catches the virus he has almost no chance of survival and this has put a lot of stress on my family and I.

In the chapter on creative nonfiction, I found it interesting that aspects of poetry can be implemented to enhance the story. I also found it interesting that it can be as short as 100 words.

Journal 5 by Braeden Mills

During the My biggest challenge is the inconvenience of online classes. It has been the worst experience thus far. I’m a very hands on and an in-person learner, so moving everything online has done nothing but hinder my learning experiences. 

“Students in introductory creative writing courses often refer to their nonfiction essays as ‘stories,’ and that makes sense inasmuch as telling a good story is typically a key element of a successful piece of creative nonfiction. However, there is one crucial difference: stories are fictional, or made up, whereas essays, in the words of Michael Pearson, have ‘a genuine obligation to factual truths.’”

When writing, a lot of times, new writers like myself tend to struggle writing creative nonfiction because we get so caught up with it having to be true. Here, it’s basically saying, just tell a good story, but tell it using details from your past experiences. 

What are some hardships you guys face when writing creative nonfiction? 

Journal 5 Karlyn Finnerty

Part 1:

The corona virus hasn’t changed my reality all that much, except for the fact that I am living at home again, and not in my apartment in Marion. There was a quick scare in my family for a few weeks when we thought that my stepdad had the Coronavirus, because he had multiple symptoms of the virus. He was lucky enough to be tested, and we found out yesterday that his test was negative. This was a big challenge for my family, because my stepdad has two boys and if the test didn’t come back positive he wouldn’t have been able to see them for a long time. We are very happy that his test came back negative, so the boys could come back, and our lives could return to a somewhat normal situation.

Part 2:

“ ‘Only through rigorous and ruthless questioning of the self can we hope to arrive at any kind of truth.’ “

In the section called “Telling the truth” it discusses how to write about true events, even though the full truth of things can often times be complicated. Whether it’s remembering events of the past, that someone may not remember fully, or remembering a situation differently than what actually happened because of wishing things had been different. This can complicate the writing process, but that’s why creative non-fiction writers do a lot of research, and question other people about the events they are trying to write about in order to know they are writing the the truth.

Why do you think that the truth is so important to creative non-fiction writers? Is knowing the truth an important factor in your life?




There may be two sides to a story, both of them can be the truth.

Journal 5 - Alex Harris

Part One.
One of the ways that my reality has changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic is in my day to day life in regards to scheduling tasks. My job is in the food service industry and as a result, was one of the first places to be closed down due to Corona. Between that and the fact that all classes have been converted to an online format I have found myself struggling to maintain any form of schedule from day to day, which means that I have difficulty retaining any feeling of normalcy during these chaotic times. Not needing to be anywhere at any time, and even being encouraged to stay at home has meant that I often find myself aimlessly whiling away the hours. I'm also finding it much more difficult to track and keep on top of my responsibilities and assignments. For example, the other day I had an a quiz due in one of my other classes, but I wasn't tracking it until it was nearly due, and I almost didn't have enough time to complete it. It's important to do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19, but it's also important to do what you can to reduce the negative impact that self-isolating has on your psyche. To that end, I've started trying to be up at my usual time, as well as immediately assigning myself a task to try and complete as soon as I wake up, in order to maintain a sense of order.

My question to the class is: What steps are you taking in order to maintain your emotional well-being and feeling of normalcy in the face of the current state of the world?

I found myself inspired by Max's book recommendation. This movie is also not a good idea to watch if you're freaking out, but I found the insight into the way the CDC operates in times of crisis, and its themes of panic being almost worse than the pandemic itself fascinating.

Part Two.
"Perhaps most important, is a mode of thinking and being, an attempt 'to test, to make a run at something without knowing whether you are going to succeed'" (183).

This quote is something that I think is incredibly important to us students, both as young writers, and as young people going out in the world. The idea that, regardless of if you accomplish something, the most important part is that you tried. I personally have had projects that I have given up on before even attempting because I was sure it would't turn out how I wanted.
I find this idea to be a lot like this class in general: many of the things we have written about in this class are not things that I would have normally attempted, both because it's outside of my usual comfort zone, and because I wouldn't think that they would turn out any good. However being 'forced' to write them for this class has meant that I have had to write things that I'm not sure will turn out the way that I wanted. Some of the pieces I haven't liked, but some are works that I'm fairly proud of, and that have pushed me to expand my horizons.

Journal 5 by Steven wappenstein

Hello everyone,

The Coronavirus has changed many aspects of my life, one way it has changed my life is by forcing me to be at home most of the time, which is a bummer. It also has made me much more cautious at my work environment, a local grocery store, as the stores are/ will be major points where the contagion can be. I have adopted a few methods to try and prevent myself from getting the virus. Washing my hands, then after washing my hands using hand sanitizer, then wearing plastic gloves, and then after that refraining from touching my face.

“And don’t stand on ceremony. We are accustomed to being on our best behavior in the formal academic essay. Figuratively speaking we fold our hands in our laps and speak in a moderate tone of voice, making sure not to alienate our audience.”

This quote reminded me of my sophomore year of high school in biology class. Our biology teacher had been gone from the class for at least a week from what I could remember, after having a substitute teacher for a while the actual bio teacher came back to class and explained why he was gone. So he describe how he was recovering from how his neighbor, which he was good friends with, had killed himself. The teacher gave his students a moment of brutal honesty, he didn’t try to sugar coat what had happened, he didn’t try to make what he was talking about interesting. He just didn’t “stand on ceremony” when he told his story, even though I am sure the school administration would have preferred him to do so. He showed his students his humanity, something teachers rarely show to their students.


In light of everyone probably being a little depressed about the corona virus, I thought I would make a meme here:



Caption: corona extra sales drop as a result of people thinking the virus and the beer were related... Wait, this was supposed to sound like something out of the onion, how the hell was this a real news story.

Journal Five From Max

Part One:

The biggest change that the corona virus has made in me is with my compassion. In the earlier stages of the diseases spread through Ohio, beginning with those three cases in Cuyahoga County, I was a being a little bit selfish. Being young and in good health, I didn't feel like it was a direct threat against me. I had even planned on going to a Bernie rally which was taking place in Cleveland at the time. I really needed someone to give me a reality check, and thankfully, my grandpa did. I live with my grandparents and my grandpa is a 70 year old man who suffers from poly cystic kidney disease and a very weak immune system. When I told him I was thinking about heading up to Cleveland, he said, "Well bring hand sanitizer, cause if I catch this thing, I may just die."

He was completely joking when we he said this with a smile on his face, but with the widespread infection that has occurred all over the country in the past couple of weeks, that statement has been cemented into my conscious. I realized that a contagion like this spreads, because selfish people like me don't realize that being low risk doesn't mean you're not involved in the danger. I implore everyone to be more compassionate to the people you live with during this pandemic. Being stuck in your house can be depressing and mind numbing, but right now the world may as well be covered with gasoline. It's up to us to try our best not to light it.

I highly recommend this book if you want to prepare for the worst.
Don't read it if you're already freaking yourself out.

Part Two:

"Blurs Boundaries Between Genres 'Creative nonfiction...brings artistry to information and actuality to imagination, and it draws upon the expressive aim that lies below the surface in all writing'" (182, FGIB)

This is an excerpt very early on in our reading over break that really shows the importance of creative nonfiction as a medium. The most common misunderstanding that I've seen with creative nonfiction is that it is simply just retelling what happened. It's impossible to get wrong, because you have all of the facts. Hearing this infuriates me, because the language we use completely changes the gravity, emotion, and impact of a piece. This completely discounts the skill and craft that go behind composing in this genre. The thing that I find so fascinating about creative nonfiction is it's ability to take the facts and siphon a story out of them.

I think it would be odd not to relate my question to these claims. Do you guys agree that there is more involved with the artistry of telling a story rather than the events surrounding it? Also, should the author try his best to remain "invisible" and not meddle with how these facts are represented? I wonder if any of you guys have ever felt that an author has gotten in the way of their piece. Please do tell.

Journal #5 - Ciera Yamarick

Part 1:
My reality has changed in a way where I've become even more aware about the workings of health care professionals and my part in helping the situation. My father is the Director of the ER at Riverside Methodist hospital while I have 2 sisters who are nurses in the Neuro ICU at the same place; needless to say, the medical career path runs in my family. I've grown up around their work, but recently I find myself wanting to help the stress of their situation as much as I can. I see my father going into panic mode as people are going to him for protocol and my sisters getting worried too about how everything is going to work out. They're doing everything they can to keep people healthy, so I should use my abilities to do the same. I'm following the rules of the lockdown and following what is told to us, at least to lower the risk of catching the virus and passing it to my family. The isolation isn't always good for my mental health, but abiding by to what we're told is the new reality that we have to adjust to. I'm someone who dislikes when having things out of my control, but even the slightest of routine changes can help. These measures are the responsible thing to do, and it's given me some peace of mind when trying to give any grace to health care professionals like my family.

Part 2:
"One of the great pleasures of writing creative nonfiction is the opportunity it gives you to go from thought to thought, and from one place and time to the next" (196).

With this genre, it's refreshing to have flexibility with its' structure. As the textbook talks about, high school definitely emphasizes the idea of a 5 paragraph format for non fiction writings especially. However, with this you can create a unique structure with short paragraphs or long paragraphs and singular sentences to get your idea across to the reader. I find myself being drawn to a formulaic way of writing, however this genre challenges such way of thinking. I think of things to be done in one way, when in reality there are many different processes. This will help me branch out as a writer to create my own structure instead of following a 5 paragraph format.

Question: How far is too far when telling a truth or opinion in creative nonfiction?

This just shows the different components of the genre, and how these writings can push the limits that other forms of writing may not.

Journal 5 from Mitchel

Part 1: It hasn't really changed all that much for me. The biggest thing that's changed really is my work just shut down for 2 weeks.  Besides that, everything else is normal.

Part 2: It wrestles with the "stench of ego" trying to reveal the writer's true self without seeming narcissistic and proud. To me this quote sums up what a writer is while writing a novel or a book. Writers everywhere try to put themselves in their books without making it all about them.

My question is how is it going for everyone else? What seems to be your favorite part so far?

Dylan's Journal #5

Part One:
From the very onset of the Coronavirus pandemic I tried to keep myself in a less selfish than usual state of mind. Even if my odds of survival were good as a relatively healthy young man I knew that those with weak immune systems and the elderly were not so fortunate. I made sure that even though I had to interact with the public because the gas station I work at was to remain open, I would be extra mindful of washing my hands well and disinfecting what I could so as to do my part in preventing the virus from being transmitted.

I think one of the most eye-opening and disappointing realizations I've had due to the pandemic is the tendency for Americans to act very brazenly in the face of serious matters. This refusal to accept the gravity of the situation is predominately what lead to the "Stay Home Order" because nobody took the expert suggestions seriously. On a day to day basis I encounter people who think the whole think is no big deal and the shutdown is stupid.

Part Two:
"If I can't display at least a minimal understanding of the subject about which I am writing, I will lose the confidence and the support of the people who must provide access to the experience."

This quote about the importance of research in creative non-fiction struck me as I began to think about how in past decades the process of getting works published would by nature subject the piece of writing to a great deal of scrutiny. However, it is my belief that in the internet age research from the writer's perspective has become more of a moral/ethical question than one of how will I get someone to print this. I'm sure everyone has had a relative share some crazy "article" posted by an online only newspaper that hides behind the guise of satire. Articles like that can often be so dangerous because inevitably the publisher of such works cares very little about the factual truths and hold their writers only to the standard of writing what gets the most clicks. With so much shoddy information so easily accessed there is an article on any subject to confirm your beliefs, because it seems like in today's age that's what matters, not the truth, but making every person feel like what they think is correct.

My question to the class is: Where do you find yourself leaning in the Bacon v. Montaigne debate? I personally prefer to read the Bacon style writing with argumentative succinctness.



Our testing for the virus has not been very efficient compared to the rest of the world.