Hello AP'ers,
For homework this weekend, you had the assignment of reading Joan Didion's essay "Why I Write", in your own words, I would like you to state as succinctly as possible...why does she write? What does writing do for her as a person? What effect does mentioning her "not being a thinker" in college, have on the overall essay? And, what is the overall purpose of Didion's essay? Please type your response in the comments sections for full credit. My apologies for posting this much later than I expected. See you on Tuesday!
Ms. Mack
Didion writes to answer all of her curious questions in detail. Writing gives her the opportunity to express her thoughts, ideals, and emotions onto paper in an articulate way. Her “not being a thinker” shows that writers don’t have to be extremely intelligent or intellectual to be writer and it also makes writing more relatable. The overall purpose of Didion’s essay is to shine light on the process of writing, its benefits and how it has helped her.
ReplyDelete-Suzanne Quon
She writes because she wants to. She is a writer. She writes because that is who she is. She was not a good or a bad writer, but just simply a writer. She writes to figure out her thoughts and the things she is looking at. She writes to analysis the things that she sees and what it means to her or maybe someone else. She writes about the pictures that are in her mind and organized it in words on a page. Her imagination is her inspiration to think and write. The words written down are the things that she cannot say out loud. As she writes that is when her mind starts to developed further on and expand her imagination. She doesn’t know what she is writing about until she starts writing. It sets the childlike tone to her about not thinking. She was developing as a writer in college and back then she was not being a thinker because all she writes about is what lies before her. It develops her thesis.
ReplyDeleteShe writes because she gains ownership over this particular field of study because she is an expert. It allows her to understand the significance of why she notices small details in the world. Writing helps her organize her thoughts in this way, and observe the world. Writing allows her to understand herself and explore powerful events in her life. When she says that she is not a thinker in college it establishes her ethos as not being a stuffy intellectual and gives the reader a greater understanding of her background. Her essay's purpose is to express the reason that she writes to people who are not authors.
ReplyDelete1) Joan Didion writes in order to find out what she's thinking, wheat she's looking at, what she sees and what it means.
ReplyDelete2) Writing allowed her to discover herself, to express herself on precisely her own terms.
3) Didion's mentioning of herself "not being a thinker in college" establishes a level of ethos (and to an extent, pathos) with the reader as it puts her on a level closer to her general audience. Her reasons for writing can then more closely relate to her readers.
4) The purpose of Didion's essay is to show how anyone with a desire to write can be a writer. The desires can be very simple.
Personally, i think she writes because it is simply where she feels comfortable and what she knows best. Writing is something that allows her to mirror the environments she finds herself fascinated with, like the Panama Airport. Personally, the "non-thinker" comment made the essay a little bit weaker, because i felt that she was rambling on throughout the essay, and that comment sort of finalized that thought in my mind. The essay is written to appeal to a younger audience; in its "young and relaxed" style of writing. Other than that, i think the essay is meant as an informative kind of defense. Didions' seems slightly defensive when it comes to her reasons for writing, primarily evident in the first sentence.
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda mad. i typed that whole thing and then typed in my google account and now i have to rewrite it. I won't make that mistake again. But here is the answer...again.
ReplyDeleteShe writes because it is what she knows best, and it is what she is familiar with. As a person, writing allows her to reflect and allow others to see how she sees the world, like the Panama Airport excerpt. The "non-thinker" comment made the essay weaker for me, because i felt that she was rambling and that comment finalized that thought in my head. The essay's purpose was simply to inform and defend herself. Her writing style seems young and defensive; much like teenagers are of their lives. This defensive demeanor is apparent in her first sentence. It seems like she has the mind of a young adult, but aims to write like a seasoned veteran author.
Joan Didion writes in order to properly articulate the pictures in her mind into text. By using grammar in various ways, she is able to "show" the perfect image in her head to her readers. For her, writing is allows her to express the pictures in her mind that can keep her occupied for years. By her mentioning she is "not a thinker" it creates the idea that she is not heavily invested in theory, but is instead invested in the pure tangible world. The overall purpose of the essay is to explain that writers can write for many various reasons, but that her own reason is that she is instead more concerned about expressing the pictures in her head, not some complicated theory of writing.
ReplyDeleteArianne Dela Pena
ReplyDelete11/23/2009
why does she write?
she writes because she enjoyes putting words together and coming up with a sense of opinion. With writing, she is able to figure out what it is she is really thinking and what she sees and the meaning of the topic/subject she is writing about.
What does writing do for her as a person?
Writing allows her to see the answer to her questions.Writing is her guide to the unknown.
What effect does mentioning her "not being a thinker" in college, have on the overall essay? And, what is the overall purpose of Didion's essay?
By saying she is not a thinker, it shows that she just write what comes to her mind, and she doesn't analyse it, similarly, this might be what she is implying regarding her essay. The overall purpose of the essay is to show that to write is to not think but pour out your ideas in paper, and becoming part of the piece of writing.
Didion writes so that she can answer the questions that her mind makes up about images in her head or that she sees. By writing she is able to put down all the thoughts that came into her head. By no being a "thinker" in college she explains more about how she came to being a writer and that anyone can simply be one if they have the feeling for it. The overall pupose of the essay is to show how someone who had not much direction in college came to be someone who had a passion for her career.
ReplyDelete-Emma
Didion writes because that is what she does, she is a writer. She writes in order to figure out her thoughts and interpret what she sees in the world. Writing allows her to understand herself and express her thoughts. When she claims that she is "not a thinker", it shows that anyone is capable of writing essays. All good writers do not have to be pretentious scholars. She says that in order to connect with the reader and show that she is similar to everyone else. The overall purpose of Didion's essay is to explain what motivates writers to write and what inspires her.
ReplyDeleteshe writes because writing is the way for her to express her thoughts and what is inside of her mind. she is able to express the pictures and unique thoughts and connections she makes when she sees things. as she writes, she graduately discovers her own thoughts and personality, and she also discovers the reason why certain things happen. it is just her way of thinking. mentioning her "not being a thinker in college" shows that she thinks differently than others, and she does not really follow the standard way of thinking in the society. therefore she thought that she was not meeting the requirement, but it is not true, because as she becomes a writer, she begins to discover that her thinking actually makes sense. therefore mentioning her "not being a thinker" in college provides background of her personality and characteristics. the purpose of the essay is to tell her audiences why she writes, and what does she get out of writing. she walks her audience to discover the characteristics of a writer, and also to let them feel the power within the words.
ReplyDeleteChristina Si
um...i hope my comment shows up on this.
ReplyDeletechristina
Didion writes to see what exactly she is thinking. By writing down her thoughts, she is able to visually see the ideas in her mind. It makes it easier for her to describe her views. Didion had trouble thinking intangible ideas and beyond the obvious. Through writing she is able to better understand her thoughts and the process in which she conceives her thoughts. She reflects on what she reads and comes up with questions that point out specifics that she is trying to identify. By mentioning, “not being a thinker” in college, Didion implies that she does not have much intellectual sense. Is seems she has no ambition and her ability to succeed in English did not seem very likely. Explaining the difficulties she had in thinking beyond the obvious emphasized this idea. Didion’s essay is meant to show how writing is used for a variety of reasons and not just overly sophisticated literature. Didion shared her use of writing to convey her thoughts. She used certain, effective examples to prove her point.
ReplyDeleteWriting helps Didions convey the outlooks of her own life. It presents her with the ability to focus and imagine what’s going on in her life because she isn't able to do this when she’s not writing. Didions mentions she is "not a thinker" by doing so, I believe this strengthens the relationship between her and her readers (non-writers, teenagers and anyone who has an interest in writing but are afraid because they feel they have no experience) because it makes the readers realize that anyone can be a writer and it also gives the reader a sense of "hope". The overall purpose of this essay is to address the various reasons why she writes and perhaps it will also influence her readers to write as well.
ReplyDeleteDidion writes to see what exactly she is thinking. By writing down her thoughts, she is able to visually see the ideas in her mind. It makes it easier for her to describe her views. Didion had trouble thinking intangible ideas and beyond the obvious. Through writing she is able to better understand her thoughts and the process in which she conceives her thoughts. She reflects on what she reads and comes up with questions that point out specifics that she is trying to identify. By mentioning, “not being a thinker” in college, Didion implies that she does not have much intellectual sense. Is seems she has no ambition and her ability to succeed in English did not seem very likely. Explaining the difficulties she had in thinking beyond the obvious emphasized this idea. Didion’s essay is meant to show how writing is used for a variety of reasons and not just overly sophisticated literature. Didion shared her use of writing to convey her thoughts. She used certain, effective examples to prove her point.
ReplyDeleteJoan Didion writes because it is the only way she knows of to express herself and the complex ideas and stories she forms in her mind. Writing allows for her to illustrate those ideas and form them into something interesting and give herself a feeling of completion and contempt. I think that by mentioning that she was "not a thinker" in college shows that writing came to her naturally and that other subjects caused her to think to much and might have not been so easy. I think its effect on the overall essay is that she is trying to say that writing should not have to require much thinking because you are just saying what is already in your mind, and expressing it in words. I think the purpose of her overall essay is that she just wants to say that writing does not have to be hard and that it is really like exploring your own mind.
ReplyDeleteThe reason as to why Joan Didion writes is to express these pictures that are in her mind and allow her readers to see what she sees. Writing allows her thoughts to be seen on paper as well as those reading to see what she wants them to see. Its something she's comfortable with and enjoys doing. The bit about "not being a thinker" is a way for her to tell her readers that they dont need to have all this education to do something they enjoy, just to simply write. This brings a sense of relativity to her readers because she puts herself in the situation of an average person who just enjoys to write. The purpose of this essay was to show that anyone who holds a picture in their mind and wishes to see it written out, can be a writer.
ReplyDelete1) Why does she write? What does writing do for her as a person?
ReplyDeleteThe author, Didion, writes since she knows that she is a writer and nothing else. She understands that writing is the only activity she can simply do with her experience and talents. Writing, for her, was an attempt to understand herself and her place in the “world of ideas.” Although she could recognize certain ideas such as literary imagery, she cannot think in a general, abstract manner but only through specifics. By writing, she can understand her own ideas by building specific details into her own literature. Writing, thus, allows her to comprehend her detailed images that arise in her mind and become creative.
2) What effect does mentioning “her not being a thinker” in college have on the overall essay?
By explaining that she wasn't a “thinker” in college, she characterizes herself to be frank in her ability to think in an abstract manner to associate intangible ideas. It provides an ironic effect that contradicts her ability to even comprehend her own ways of thinking which delves into specific details that she believes have been already generally considered. By almost demeaning herself into a “less” capable thinker, she also provides a sense of personal understanding that can be reflected by the audience. It shows the audience how she has grown from a person, who was aspiring to learn how to think from an abstract perspective of ideas, to a writer that understands that she doesn't have to understand ideas to create literature.
3) What is the overall purpose of Didion's essay?
Didion's purpose is to explain the complexity in the uses of writing and its own purposes in giving a writer the ability to create literary concepts. She attempts to explain how a writer can use this form to impose their own self onto their readers and the arrangement of words, through grammar, can shift the meaning of the writing. The essay shows the potential that writing can have on both the writer and the reader, and by simply arranging words differently or adding new words of concepts, writing ultimately possesses infinite power. Just as a picture's meaning is altered by simply shifting its angle, writing can shift to change an image in a person's mind and essentially tell you what is going on. This message is best shown in the manner by which Didion shows the varying effects on her story's sentence when she explains that the sentence “I knew why Charlotte went to the airport” sounded incomplete when compared to the other: “I knew why Charlotte went to the airport even if Victor did not. I knew about airports.”
Joan Didions writes because it is her method of expressing her interests and to form a greater understanding of herself. Grammar intrigues her with its characteristics described as “infinite power,” strengthening her fascination with writing. As a person, writing has formed a way for her to comprehend herself and analyze all her qualities in a way which is comprehendible. Not only does she absorb this “self-comprehension,” but she also feels acquitted to express herself in an infinite and individualistic manner; related back to “infinite power.” By mentioning her college status as a student, Didions furthers her point that writing is a natural desire that assists her in self-expression. I believe that the overall purpose for this essay is merely another form of self-expression, illustrating her views regarding her favorite activity that is writing. =)
ReplyDelete-PJ Rodriguez
She writes to express what she is thinking. Thoughts that cannot be spoken but written out. The ways to express her different thoughts out is the grammar she uses. The grammar that can simple be change can change the whole structure of the meaning. The purpose is that there are different writing styles that are meant in writing that there is one goal one purpose but the way she writes is just to write.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why Joan Didion writes is because this is the only technique that allows her to capture her thoughts and allows her to understand herself, as well as allowing others to see the world through her perspective. Writing allows Joan to capture the pictures in her mind in text form. As a person, writing allows Joan to express herself about the way that she sees the world and to understand the way that she thinks. She mentions her dilemma about not being able to deal with the abstract, but towards the end of the paper, the reader can see her transformation from obscurity to clarity once she is able to capture her ideas in words. When Joan mentions her “not being a thinker” in college, it gives the reader an insight into her life and explains the reasons why writing is significant for her. I think this enhances the essay overall because it is crucial for the reader to understand the struggles that Joan went through in order to discover the type of person she is. The overall purpose of this essay is to show people that it does not matter if you are a “good” or “bad” writer, all that matters is that you are passionate about words and grammar. Also, this essay is intended to explain to others the reasons why she writes and how this has changed how she views herself.
ReplyDeleteJoan Didion writes becuase it is her way of catching her inner thoughts onto a piece of paper. Writing allows her to catch images in her mind and articulate words on pieces of paper. She emphasizes that people don't need to be intellectuals in order to be writers. For Didion is a writer, and she clearly wasn't a thinker in college. The overall purpose of the essay is to prove that there are many different writers out there, and each writer has their own purpose for being a simple writing. Didion simply writes to find out what she's thinking, which makes her a unique writer.
ReplyDeleteDidion writes to transfer the things she sees around her into meaningful words and sentences that will burn a specific image onto the page. For her, writing allows her to not only show what she sees, but it also leaves room for her readers to make their own interpretations. When she mentions, "not being a thinker," it establishes some pathos and ethos because she is relating herself to a broad range of people. In addition, it tells the reader not to try and look unnecessarily deep into her writing. Didion's purpose in writing this essay is to establish why she writes and explain that it can be for anyone. Also, she wishes to show that all of her writing draws from every aspect of her life and from the places she travels to.
ReplyDeleteJoan Didion writes in an almost diary like way. She does this in order to translate her visual memories into words. This process allows for her to experience these memories again and again. When she mentions her “not being a thinker” in college she is communicating that experience is not required to be a writer. She is also relation to her audience who may not be literary scholars. The overall purpose of Didion’s essay is to convey that the only requirement to be a write is life experience and a passion for your topic, no matter how simple or complex.
ReplyDeletenevermind the first one worked actually. now you have double the sean to read. =D
ReplyDeleteTheo Smith
ReplyDeleteI did this on paper because i had no internet that day.
Joan Didion writes because that is what she loves to do, she doesn't write to argue, she doesn't write to try an enlighten people she writes because she has stuff that she needs to stay. She writes because there are images in her mind there memories and thoughts that she just wants to get down on paper for later use. When she writes, it also helps her to effectively analyze those images and those memories. She writes because she is a "writer."