Blog Response 3- 9/3

1. Out of all four of the readings from Writing and Pace, Jamaica Kincaid's, "On Seeing England for the First Time" used thick description most effectively. The way she began her story by describing the first time she saw England on a map as little girl painted me a great mental picture of what exactly she experienced. "... it lay on bed of sky blue-the background of the map-its yellow form mysterious, because though it looked like a leg of mutton, it could not really look like anything so familiar as a leg of mutton because it was England..." This description made myself feel as if I were sitting next to her in that class. She thought of England as a perfect place, one place that she loves and can cherish when she saw the map of the country.  Although, when she actually visited the country, her entire perspective changed. She gave the audience descriptions that the people were mean and ugly, the weather was terrible and the food was even worse. The last sentence in the story can sum up how she views England as an adult, "...My views of England, starting with the map before me in my classroom and ending with the trip I had just taken, should jump and die and disappear forever." 

2. From the two readings in College Composition at Miami, I read "The Church Uptown" written by Ian McGuiness. I really enjoyed reading this short story because it wrote about the deep history and roots in Miami. I liked how he did his research on the church and gave accurate information but still kept me tied into the story. The way McGuiness described the church made me feel like I was looking at the church, "A tall, old, brick structure peers out of a cove of trees on High Street. Its well kept garden of bright flowers and out-of-place architecture alert the common passerby to its presence." He also gave good imagery about uptown and how new it is compared to the old church building that is sometimes perceived as "out of date."