Blog Assignment #5 - Reading Michael Pollan "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

• In the memoir of Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma the author reflects what we should have for dinner. As well he is a good example of a successful writing in creative non-fiction. I will choose three strong sentences that gives us a sense of this author's style or focus in his memoir .

1.  "The USDA is being used by the global corporate complex to impede the clean-food movement. They aim to close down all but the biggest meat processors, and to do it in the name of biosecurity. Every government study to date has shown that the reasons we're having an epidemic of food-borne illness in this country is centralized production, centralized processing, and long-distance transportation of food. you would think therefore that they'd want to decentralize the food system, especially after 9/11. But no! They'd much rather just irradiate everything instead." 
2. " This was when I began to appreciate what a morally powerful idea an open- air abattoir is. Polyface's customers know to come after noon on a chicken day, but there's nothing to prevent them from showing up earlier and watching their dinner being killed-indeed, customers are welcome to watch, and occasionally one does. More than any USDA rule or regulation, this transparency is their best assurance that the meat they're buying has been humanely and cleanly processed." 
3. "Joel is convinced "clean food" could compete with supermarket food is the government would exempt farmers from the ticket of regulations that prohibit them from processing and selling meat from farm. For him, regulation is the single biggest impediment to building a viable food chain, and what's at stake is our liberty, nothing less. "We do not allow the government to dictate what religion you can observe, so why should we allow them to dictate what kind of food you can buy?". He believes "Freedom of food"- the freedom to buy a pork chop from the farmer who raised the hog-should be a constitutional right. " 

 I think that the author makes his writing style effective to me because he grabs my attention since the beginning of his piece. He is very realistic and I like to read this kind of realistic themes. I realized that he is objective when he explained the way how farmers do the slaughtering of chickens. 

• How does the author develop a sense of character for him? How do they win over our attention with their story?  

The author writes about a social problem that is affecting us. He shows us what is happening with our meat before it's served in the table for dinner and also he explains that what we have for dinner every day is not just a piece of meat that it comes magically every day to our lives. The author exposes a topic that nobody talks about it. It took me a lot to assimilate what is happening with the animals and with the meat that I buy every day. He captures my attention because while I was reading I was inside the farm in his story. The way he writes is very explicit so right away you traveled inside the story.

• Why do you think this memoir was published and was successful with readers? 

I think this memoir was published because as human beings we have to open our eyes with this situation. This topic is strongly sad and real. It's a problem that we are having but we are not solving. I think this memoir was successful because Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves from the source to a final meal, and in the process develops a definitive account of the American way of eating. 

Writing Assignment #2 "Writing about a place"

I was in the middle of another world 

I still remember the excitement that I had when I saw a flight ticket next to my bed just in the day of my birthday. The long trip destination was to the Galapagos Islands. I was born in Ecuador but I have never been in that mysterious and magical place called the enchanted islands. My dad said “There is no price when it comes to visiting the most wonderful and mystical islands of the world." I answered " I will never forget this special gift because there is no price compared to the happiness I am feeling right now". When I arrived with my friend to the islands I started to feel the mist and the warm wind coming to my face. I saw a couple of clouds with a dark and deep blue that I had never seen before. I recognized from a long distance a huge and old tortoise walking slowly and eating some cactus. I got shocked when my friend said " look that giant tortoise is coming to us" I felt scared because I had never been next to a huge animal without some supervision like right here in NYC when I used to go to the Bronx Zoo I used to touch the camels but always with some animal caretakers next to me. This time I felt surprised when I saw a huge animal coming to us. I breathed and I took out some bread that I had just in case the animal wanted to eat and the magical experience just occurred, I was standing with my piece of bread and a lot of courage but something impressible happened, the tortoise kept walking and it didn't want to eat at all. I was in the middle of another world. There is no place like those wear and mysterious islands. In one day I saw so many species of colorful birds and penguins. I didn't need to go to the arctic to see so many penguins. I felt so happy to be in the middle of a lot of history. There is a unique ecosystem and it is called the "laboratory of evolution" by scientists. The Galapagos Islands were one of the sources of inspiration for Charles Darwin’s revolutionary Theory of Evolution.  His observations of the adaptation of the flora and fauna of the archipelago were crucial in formulating his theory of evolution and natural selection. I will never forget the emotions I felt when I was standing in a volcanic island surrounded by birds, sea lions, tortoises, iguanas, birds, fur seals. I lower my head and I looked the water of the ocean and I found myself in the middle of the paradise, then I turned back and I saw more water but this time I decided to see inside the clear ocean and all I found was another world inside of the ocean. There were millions of marine species. It was like a dream but it wasn't I got to know one of the most wanted places to visit in the world, "The Galapagos Islands". 

     The laboratory for the study of the origins of life, the unique living museum and showcase of evolution has been called for a long period of time. There are situated in the Pacific Ocean some 1,000 km from the South American continent.Ongoing seismic and volcanic activities reflect the processes that formed the islands. These processes, together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal life such as the land iguana, the giant tortoise and the many species of finch that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. There is nothing in the world quite like them. This magical place is surrounded by species found nowhere else. These include the Galápagos giant tortoise.This famous and incredible place was originated around 2.4 millions of  years ago. Some volcanoes are still active. In this peaceful place you are surrounded by nature in its purest. What captures the attention of the people who visit the islands is how friendly the species are with humans. Humans are allowed to touch them if the animal wants. In this place we breathe pure air and also the sky looks deeply blue.  Also is one of the few places in the world without an indigenous population. It’s impossible to forget the trip I went one year ago to which I call the most peaceful place in the whole world. 

Blog Assignment # 4

I choose a photo of Miners by Sebastiano Salgado. In this Photo the people are working in the mines. They are wearing dirty clothes, there are thousands of people like little ants working hard, the people that are in the photo are part from the lower social class. The miners are climbing the mountain little by little to go to another mine. I can see how dangerous is that kind of job, the miners jumped from one place to another and it looks like they are having a hostile time in their jobs. The people in this photo looks sad and tired. Their emotional state doesn't look good because I can see how huge and dangerous the job environment is. There are some details that if you see the picture you can see right away like a men that is alone standing up in the ladder tired, the men its exhausted because he is in the middle of the ladder while others are almost in the top. The photographer relationship with this photo is very sentimental because the photographer was born in Brazil in the state of mines. I strongly think that the author shows how horrible and hostile the miners workers went through in his country. 

Assignment # 3 "Author's Note on the non-fiction Vignette.

I woke up sweating one morning around 1 year ago. My mother said “your phone is ringing!” ringgggg! ringggg! I grab my phone and I saw 7 missed phone calls. Right away I knew something bad had happen because it was my Father calling me so many times at once.  In that moment I called him back and I said “Dad I know something important is happening” and he answered “your grandmother is sick”.  In that moment I knew that I had to fly to my native country Ecuador and by the 4^th morning I was already waking up in the same room in which I grew until the age of 17. My grandmother a 78 year old woman was laying in her bed after having a stroke, everyone present at that moment was crying, the house was not the same as 10 years ago when we were all young and healthy including my grandmother. Together we used to enjoy family times, dancing, cooking, reading and learning about everyone experiences. I opened my eyes and all of a sudden I saw my grandmother and on her all the years that had pass since I left. My aunts and uncles were around her bed crying and talking about her health suddenly my grandmother woke up and the first words that came out of her mouth were “come to me my child, come to me” I jumped to her arms, crying with her and I said “everything will be good grandma am here to take care of you the same way you did with me when I was a child”. That moment was very special for her because she saw me there in her house. Her eyes were shining with happiness and the liberty of having me so close to her. Something was sniffing my feet; it was my so long companion “Pinina” (the dog/guardian of the house). 


1.- What inspired you to write this non-fiction story?
I got inspired to write this non-fiction story because the trip we made with my husband was unforgettable. I didn't visit my country for almost 10 years. The reason why I traveled to my country was because my grandmother was very sick. It wasn't planned but I enjoyed so much. 
2.- Is there anything we need to know to understand the piece?
What I would like my audience to understand is that my presence was very important for the recovery of my grandmother. This happened because she raised me. 
3.- Did you have a writer in mind when you were writing? 
I am a free writing person. I love reading but when it comes to writing I love to be created that's the reason why I have my own writing style. I wasn't thinking in any writer when I was writing. 
4.- How you will be revising this piece for our final portfolio ? 
I will be revising this piece carefully and follow all the feedback and the corrections that my professor gave me. 
5.- Have you written shorts stories before? 
Unfourtunetly I haven't written short stories before but I enjoyed a lot writing the vignette. What was different about writing non-fiction versus writing poetry or essays is that in essays we have to follow certain rules and it always has to be according to the professor's way of teaching. The short stories offers to the writers more free writing and it could have an ending or not but in essays we have to write always a conclusion. I definitively enjoyed more writing short stories because I could be myself and write freely.  
6.- What did you learn from writing this vignette?
I have learned about this vignette that creativity plays an important role in writing non-fiction I didn't got surprised when I had to write the story down because non-fiction is all I thought before. 
7.- How did you write and revise your piece? 
I revised my piece in a long hand with a pen and my dictionary and also using my book of non-fiction writing. 

Blog Assignment #2- Reading Annie Dillard description

I choose Annie Dillard essay called "Total Eclipse". In her work I have chosen three strong sentences that grabbed my attention. The first quote that the author writes is the following: " The sky's blue was deepening, but there was no darkness. The sun was a wide crescent, like a segment of tangerine." I find this quote very effective to me because the author reflects the description of the eclipse in a realistic way, it gives a sense of reality to me. I like how the author describes the sky, the sun and the darkness. It makes me visualize clearly the deep sky and the segment of tangerine which is the sun. He mentioned the tangerine and the reader can imagine perfectly and clearly the sun in front of their eyes. Its very interesting how the words can make you feel in that place. The author developed a sense of place when she describes how deep the sky was looking and how the sun shined. By the other hand the way he identified the sun with the segment of tangerine is very realistic and imaginative. When I read this phrase automatically I was flying to another dimension because the author captures your imaginations and immediately the reader is put into the scene. The second quote that the author exposes is the following: " I turned back to the sun. It was going. The sun was going, and the world was wrong. The grasses were wrong; they were platinum. Their every detail of steam, head, and blade shone lightless and artificially distinct as an art photographer's platinum print." This phrase is effective to me because the author shows a dramatic sense of time about the end of the eclipse. Also, it makes me feel like I have never seen an eclipse before in my life. However, in this phrase the author express a lot of details. She concludes the end of the eclipse in a very strong and deep way. She uses simile in this phrase because she compares the end of the eclipse to a photographer's platinum print. The third quote that the author states is the following: " I was standing in it, by some mistake. I was standing in a movie of hillside grasses filmed in the Middle Ages. I missed my own century, the people I knew, and the real light of the day." I find this phrase very deep because the author's imagination is very extend. I think the author's description of the moment in which the eclipse occurred is very romantic and emotional. She is very exaggerated but that's why the crucial moment of the eclipse grabbed the attention of the readers. It makes me feel like an eclipse is a change in the earth. Also, I find that the author loose her sense of reality to go around to another era. Finally, based in my three selected phrases I found that the author uses an elaborate prose style to express their thoughts and feelings. This writing is very successful to me because I fall in love with her writing, she makes me fly to the place in which the eclipse was occurring. She is the type of writer that makes the reader to keep reading until the end without no pause. I chose this essay because its very descriptive. I liked the way the author made me experienced the eclipse. Her style is very dramatic and I like it.