AboutDebra Duenas Expertise I can answer any questions on grammar and writing, creative writing, or literature. If you are doing it for your English or Language Arts class, I should be able to give you a hand. I can also help with poetry analysis.
Experience I have taught 8th, 9th, and 10th grade English and Literature, and Communications. And, oddly, 7th grade Math! I am presently a school librarian.
Education/Credentials BA in Secondary Education
BA in English
MFA in Creative Writing
Heroism works in contradiction to the voice of mankind, and in contradiction, for a time, to the voice of the great and good. Heroism is an obedience to a secret impulse of an individual's character. Now to no other man can its wisdom appear as it does to him, for every man must be supposed to see a little farther on his own proper path than any one else. Therefore, just and wise men take umbrage at his act, until after some little time be past: then they see it to be in unison with their acts. All prudent men see that the action is clean contrary to a sensual prosperity; for every heroic act measures itself by its contempt of some external good. But it finds its own success at last, and then the prudent also extol.
"Bean Field"
When I was four years old, as I well remember, I was brought from Boston to this my native town, through these very woods and this field, to the pond. It is one of the oldest scenes stamped on my memory. And now to-night my flute has waked the echoes over that very water. The pines still stand here older than I; or, if some have fallen, I have cooked my supper with their stumps, and a new growth is rising all around, preparing another aspect for new infant eyes. Almost the same johnswort springs from the same perennial root in this pasture, and even I have at length helped to clothe that fabulous landscape of my infant dreams, and one of the results of my presence and influence is seen in these bean leaves, corn blades, and potato vines.
Which of the two essays reveals a more romantic, warm, down to earth voice? Why?
Which writer is more focused on nature and which on human behavior? How do you know?
Describe what you did and didn't understand about these 2 passages. Could you figure out what certain words meant even if you hadn't seen them before? If so, what strategies did you use to understand these passages.
Yes, I know theys are homework questions but I've read the two excerpts three times and still can't seem to answer those questions. I really just don't understand what they want me to write. Can you help me?
Thanks so much,
Answer Okay...a few hints for you...but you have to write your own paper. :)
The bottom is the more romantic, warm and down to earth because of the personal nature of the writing. It uses first person and talks about things we can all feel and see and smell. It is familiar. The top one is full of complicated language and concepts...its analytical.
As for the second question, as a teacher, I don't even like it. i think the bottom one is more human and more natural. Technically I guess they probably want you to say the top one is about human behavior...even though what they say about it is a bunch of hoo ha in my opinion...and the bottom one is about nature. But if I was writing this essay I would try to make the argument that the bottom one is better for both categories. Because it talks about home and hearth and feelings and memories and all those things are human in behavior and natural.
The third part, I would focus on the concept of understanding in context...this is that understanding from the words around a word you don't know...
Example...men take umbrage...the prudent also extol...if you don't know the meaning of those words you can't understand the meaning of the paragraph. Whereas the second piece is written in common and familiar language. How does the complicated vocabulary of article one make the reading difficult?
