Vonnegut

1. What stands out to you most in this interview?
Listening to the interview, he talks more about his experiences in the war. I expected this interview to be about his writings and his life as an author. I suppose I was wrong.

2. What experiences led Vonnegut to write Slaughterhouse Five?
What I get from him, is that he's saying "I'm a writer, and I was in the war. I guess I should do this." It makes sense, but there's a sense of disappointment as I think that there wasn't a lot to his thought process. Most writers I see spend an immense amount of time putting meaning into everything that they type, but I guess that's the beauty behind Vonnegut's writing.

3. Prior to reading Slaughterhouse Five, what would you like to ask KV?

"I've read another one of your popular books before, called "Mother Night." Comparing Mother Night to what I've seen so far of Slaughterhouse 5, it seems as though you wanted to do more during World War II. Do you think you did enough as a soldier?"

Pitches

Write out three "pitches" for three different Ampersand articles that you might write for this year's publication.

1. The format that works for me is always the story format. Essays bore me, speeches anger me, and discussions make me feel obligated to interrupt and respond. If I wrote a story about my experiences, I just feel like I would engage more people in my article.

2. Maybe it could be done as a script? Like a script for a show? I feel like that would be an interesting turn for our writing.

3. What about a comic book form? I recall reading a very well written book in Diana's class called The Complete Persepolis. The life story of an Iranian woman from childhood to her present life. The entire book was done in a comic book form, and I think we might be able to do something similar.

Articles

Post links to three or more example articles that could provide inspiration for your Ampersand article. Along with each link, write at least one paragraph in which you explain what that example provides for you in the way of inspiration, a good model to work from, a guide, etc.

500 Greatest Albums of All Time by The Rolling Stone

Who better to make an example of than The Rolling Stone? Known throughout the country as one of the most respected music magazines in the U.S. The Rolling Stone has had thousands of issues all with incredible and intriguing articles about everything from the hottest music to the best movies. The Rolling Stone is pop-culture with class.

Part of why I respect this particular article (or articles) so much is just how the authors write about each of the albums included in this list. The way they write just makes me think that talking to them in person would just be the most amazing experience; listening to someone speak with such formality and intelligence.

Social Animal by David Brooks of The New Yorker

Another "duh" moment in writing examples. The New Yorker is another esteemed magazine that flawlessly provides the public with high level writing every month, along with entertaining one-panel comics. While The Rolling Stone writes on a high level that the everyday person can just pick up and read, The New Yorker writes three levels higher. You can probably assume that each writer from The New Yorker has been to and graduated from college, which just makes the magazine even more of an accomplishment for all those involved.
Sailor Awarded Silver Star by J. Harry Jones from The Union Tribune
I really like this one because of the fact that it doesn't sound like an article, it sounds like a story. I personally think that the story format is the best way to write something simply because it can keep the readers interest so easily. And with the topic of this topic and the way it's written, it sounds like the kind of story that would be told to a child as they were going to bed for the night.

Interviews

Post links to two exemplary interviews that you can use as models for your mentor interview.

Under each link, describe the writing techniques that the author/interviewer uses to create a finished piece of writing that both accurately portrays the interview subject as well as results in a polished work that the reader can enjoy.


Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland

This interview has a nice introduction that sounds just like any "Rock-umentary." It starts off listing their most popular album followed by their current tour and performances. I really like this one because it's simple, it's quick and easy to follow. The first thing you see on the page is a picture of the album that is being discussed in the interview, followed by some key words that are that album and a few of their songs. The interview itself is set up in a fashion that think is ideal. It starts each question and answer starts with the name of who is speaking, bolded and a font size bigger.
"ACountry: Hi Jennifer, how is your day so far?"
I feel that this is the best way to keep a reader in an interview article. Another thing that I like is that they just let the words that are said stand on their own. They don't need to edit the answers they get to achieve any sort of effect for their article.

Simon Pegg from Spaced

This is actually very similar to the other article that I chose. I find myself pondering that if all interviews done with a celebrity instead of someone like a politician. Nonetheless I find this interview interesting, and I think the reason for that is because it actually sounds like an interview that I would have. In fact, it does sound like the interview that I had with my mentor, Mrs. Strong.

Consider the structure of the overall piece, what information is in the beginning and/or end, if an introduction is used, if there is additional writing throughout the piece, if there are references to any follow up questions, physical formatting, etc.

Life: The Book

1. What are you most proud of in your Life: The Book writing? Try to describe this is detail!
One of the things that I am most proud of is the fact that I was able to finish this project on time. I started a bit late since I was having trouble gathering information from credible sources, but I was eventually able to find a few that had accurate and detailed information which helped me start my article.

2. What are some changes or new ideas that you have developed in your writing through the course of this semester?
There isn't anything that I've thought of myself that I've incorporated into my writing, but I have taken all of our writing tips and put them in all of my pieces, even those that aren't required by the class.

3. If you had a little more time to work on your writing for LifE: The Book, what would you do differently? What would you change about your writing?
I would probably expand my article and the plot, I really liked the story I had and there was some of it that I wanted to put into my article, but unfortunately I didn't have the time.

4. How has the additional element of publication in a book affected the way you approach writing?
Honestly, it really didn't change the way I wrote my article. I have written pieces that were published before, and I decided to keep it mostly the same, with the exception with the class requirements.

Dying for Dixie

What was/were the root cause(s) of Michael Westerman's death?
Seems to me, that it was simply the fact that Westerman's killer was always told in some way that he needed to hate what the Rebel flag stood for. He clearly states that he doesn't know the complete history of the flag, all he knows is that he hates it, even in Westerman's case, it's apparent that he doesn't fully understand what the confederate flag means "The flag was a symbol of him. He was a rebel, a darefevil, outspoken. He'd do anything." So the end result is a dead rebel, and a confused black youth. Westerman and his killer are the ones that created the incident, the German desk clerk is a helpful perspective from the outside. While the author is also an outside perspective, he is required as a journalist to keep an unbiased and open mind.

Challenge: In a natural and thoughtful manner, connect the dots between this reading and the readings/topics that we have covered in the past month (for example, we have already seen that Madison's concept of representatives in Fed. 10 is present in the middle school meeting).
If I had to guess, I'd say that it boils down to the fact that people, as an individual or a whole, aren't able to make a completely unbiased opinion/decision. Which is why we have a combination of group collaboration and individual opinions for the house of Representatives, while still "unfair" to a certain degree, offers the least amount of bias in a decision involving a large group.

Embed a video clip, news article, podcast, example of photojournalism or other form of media that shows what you believe the lasting effects of the American Civil War are.... today!

Below your embedded media (or quotes from an article), explain why you choose this example, what specific effects it highlights, and in general, your broad beliefs about what the Civil War might mean nowadays.

I couldn't embed the video but I still found this.

I chose this example because it shows another way that citizens of our country still argue and bicker with each other about what's right and what's wrong. Honestly, I love that we have the freedom to do that. I love how someone on one side of the street can cheer for the Saints while the house across can cheer for the 49ers. I don't like, however, that people feel it's necessary to go and offend someone's religion because the feel it's "correct." I guess it all depends on what you believe in, but freedom of speech can only go so far.