Thinking About Dialogue

Discuss the dialogue that you over heard:

1.) Talk about the process of eavesdropping:

i. Where did you go?

Around the school; hallways, classrooms,  the gym, the cafeteria, windowseats, wherever we could find groups of people. 

ii. How long did you listen to conversation?

As long as we could, they were usually just small talk trying to break the awkward silence while the small groups walk the halls. 

iii. Who was it between?

We walked around following quite a few different groups, they were all different kids but all most involved guys, with the random addition of a girl or two.

iv. How did it feel to be recording the conversation?

I felt kinda awkward because I know I wouldn't like it if someone was doing it to me, and you never know what someone is going to be talking about. Yet I wish we found someone talking about something more interesting. We got nothing. 

2.) What insights did you gain about the way people speak?

People are rude, the way they speak to each other sounds awful if I guess you don't know them well enough to know they are just kidding around with their friends. They also have terrible language, every second word out of every guys mouth seemed to be a swear. 

3.) How can you apply this to your writing?

I could apply this to my writing in the way that every different age group has different tones and language choice when talking to each other, and that would help me to choice what to use depending on the characters in my writing. 

4.) How is personality and character revealed through conversation/dialogue?

I believe personality and character is revealed through conversation/dialogue with:

- tone

- word choice

- body language

- conversation topic

5.) What happens when more than two people participate in a conversation?

From all the conversations I saw that involved more than two people, two people still did most of the talking, the other just kinda followed, maybe laughed everyone and a while, that's about it. 

6.) What was the most surprising thing you learned about the way people converse?

I wasn't really surprised about anything, I know the way highschool kids talk to each other. I think I maybe would have been more surprised if I was to go somewhere, such as the mall, and listened to conversation of people in all different age groups and were to compare. 

7.) What are the differences and similarities between written and spoken conversation?

The differences between written and spoken conversation to me would be:

- spoken: body language, facial expression can be seen

              : tone can literally be heard

              : usually much more casual, less thought put into word choice and language choice

- written: tone and mood have to be expressed through words

             : expressions and body language have to be described 

             : much more thought and description

             : word choice is more thought out

The similarities between written and spoken conversation to me would be that they both have equal opportunities of telling a story just as well, word choice and mood choice are equally important, tone and mood can be expressed, and insight on characters of the story can be reached. 

Imagery Paragraph

Looking for Alaska: page 7

"God, we'll miss you," mom said suddenly, stepping through the minefield of suitcases to get to the bed. I stood and hugged her. My dad walked over, too, and we formed a sort of huddle. It was too hot, and we were too sweaty for the hug to last terribly long. I knew I ought to cry, but I'd lived with my parents for sixteen years, and a trail separation seemed overdue.

1.) Why did you select this particular passage? Why did it appeal to you?

I found it hard to find a passage in the book I am currently reading, Looking for Alaska, with really descriptive imagery. Though I thought this paragraph did a pretty good job. When I read it I was able to picture the whole situation, from the minefield of suitcases to the overly sweaty hug, and you could feel the situation too, the heat, the sweat, the sadness the family is feeling. It appealed to me because I think John Green, the author did a good job of making you feel like you were really there, or as if you were watching the whole situation. 

2.) What type of imagery is most common in the passage?

I believe the most common type of imagery represented in this passage is visuals. The way John Green has written it I feel asthough I can literally see the whole situation play out, from the very beginning to the very end. 

3.) What is the best snippet of imagery within this passage? Why is it so effective?

"stepping through the minefield of suitcases to get to the bed. I stood and hugged her. My dad walked over, too, and we formed a sort of huddle. It was too hot, and we were too sweaty for the hug to last terribly long."

I know this is the majority of the passage but it all connects to well. I believe it was the most effective because it give you an understanding of everything, the setting, the emotions, the expressions on there faces, the temperature, the sweat covering their bodies. It helps you see the room, see the characters, and feel what they are feeling. 

4.) Is the imagery positive or negative? How do you know? Give some words as examples to support this.  

AND

5.) What mood/emotion is being created by the author in this passage? How do you know?

I would think the imagery is positive, the passage doesn't make you feel awkward, or scared, or worried. To me it makes you feel included, or sympathy for the family. I know this because you get a really good sense of the emotion in this passage, a mix of sadness and excitement. "God, we'll miss you" followed by the huddled group huh shows sadness from everyone and maybe even worry from the mother. Though when Miles says "I knew I ought to cry, but I'd lives with my parents for sixteen years, and a trail separation seemed overdue" shows that he does show sadness, but excitement at the same time. To me, sadness and excitement are positive images for an author to express. 

6.) What is the purpose of this piece of imagery?

I believe the purpose of this piece of imagery is to interperate Miles' transition from his home in Florida to going to Culver Creek school in Alabama, and the emotions, and actions that were shown in his last few minutes that he would spend with his parents for quite a while. 

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Quick Write #4 - Imagery

We couldn't take it anymore, we needed to get away, far away, somewhere where we wouldn't have to run anymore. So we did it, we left, we ran as far as we could till we hit the ocean. "What now?!" I screamed at my boyfriend Josh. He silently continued to pace back and forth, back and forth. "Josh they were right behind us, we need to get out of here" he just looked at me with a panicked expression. An old man with the typical sailor look must of heard our commotion and came out of his boat that was tied to the dock. "I have somewhere I can take you, there is an uncharted island not too far from here that my wife and I own" he explained. "It's no use to us and I would be more than happy to sell it to you". "Sir, we barely have any money, and nothing at all to trade" I replied. "Well how much do you have on you right now?". "Maybe five dollars between the two of us" Josh said embarrassed, heat rising in his cheeks. "That will do". Barely any money at all yet we struggled to get it together, we had just enough. We climbed aboard the boat just in time, sirens getting louder and louder, red and blue lights getting brighter through the fog. A few hours later, there it was, finally. Our island. Our very own island. It looked beautiful above the waves of fog but there was still one question to be answered; why had they sold it to us for only give dollars? This question may never be answered, though what I do know is that it was the worst five dollars we had ever spent. The moment we stepped off the boat the old man sped away faster than he drove the whole way here. I felt a chill down my spine, goose bumps rose on my skin, something just didn't feel right yet I just kept it to myself, me and Josh were finally free I thought, and that's all that mattered. A week in though, that now isn't what matters at all, there is something wrong with this island, something dark. I wish we could get out of here, but we have no way off. No boat, no phone, no shelter, barely any food. We are stranded. 

Reading Tweets - POV #1

Point of view - Miles Halter

1: Goodbye Florida, Hello Alabama #ontheroad

2: Officially a Culver Creek Tiger!

3: Someone could have warned me there wasn't any air conditioning here #toohot

4: Well that was an awkward way to meet my roommate #hi #immiles #inatowel

5: "Die, my dear? Why that's the last thing I'll do!" - Groucho Max

6: "I can't sleep" - Sir James Matthew Barrie

7: I guess everyone has their own weird secret talent #famouslastwords #notalone

8: "I'm going away tonight" - James Brown

9: Life is good #lovinit

10: "Drink to me!" - Pablo Picasso

11: "No, you certainly can't" - John F. Kennedy

12: Apparently I spoke too soon #wtf

13: What did I ever do to you guys? I don't even know you #weekendwarriors

14: "I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring" - Richard Feynman

15: Don't want to jinx myself again but things are looking up!

Reading Tweets #3 - text connections

Text connections

Text to world

when Miles gets freshied

"Freshieing" or "hazing" has become a much larger problem in our world than it was in previous years. What happened to Miles is a pretty good example of that. He was taken from his room in the middle of the night, striped down, taped up and thrown into the lake. What may have started as a harmless "joke" could have ended very badly, which is something I don't think young people now a days really take into consideration. Like they say it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, but really is it fun for everyone? Would you wanted to be hazed? Have you been? A simple prank is one thing, but putting someone's life at risk is a whole nother story.

Text to self 

going to a new school

I can relate to Miles on the fact that I also went to a new school that I didn't know a single person. It was scary but unlike him I at least got to leave at the end of the day and go home to people I did know. Miles decided he wanted to leave his school and go to a boarding school for pretty unclear reasons. A boarding school that didn't know a single person, hundreds of miles from home. Starting at a new school is a nerve racking thing to do even when you are going with a group a friends, but doing it alone is a completely different story. But like him, I found that it really isn't all that bad, you just have to keep an open mind and be open to new friends. 

Quick Write #3 - choose your own

If I got one whole day of being immortal I would do everything I am too scared to do, even if those things don't even have a one in a million chance of killing you in the first place, but at least I would know for sure no matter what happened I would be fine. 

I would have a day full of adventure, I would go on all the biggest water slides and rollercoasters, the scariest amusement park rides. I would go skydiving and base jumping, scuba diving  and swimming with sharks, everything I have always wanted to do, whatever I can think of, I would make that day seem like it lasted forever. 

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/post/32462809486/604-immortal-for-a-day