Reading Response

      In the short story "Wallet" it had good detail in the words. I like the short story because I thought it was funny and realistic at the same time. I know it's it fiction but the way the author uses their words and the details, it seems like it could be something that happens. I found this story to be funny because it has an old man as the main character and he, to me, is a trickster. I like the fact that this is a short story and it still has great detail in the wording. 

      The detail in this story is important because it helps the reader understand and visualize what the author is saying. For instance the man put losing Florida Lottery tickets, expired coupons and a fortune cookie that isn't really fortunate in a phony wallet. I also liked that the man was old and he ran away when someone tried giving him his wallet back. I thought that was funny and comical. 

     In this short story, I gathered that an old man was getting tired of getting pick pocketed and he finally had an idea to catch the thief. When he followed through with his plan, it kind of fails him. Like when he bends over and the thief takes the wallet. Then people chase down the pick pocket and get the man's wallet back, then the man is embarrassed because it's a phony wallet with stuff in it that no one would carry in a wallet. Then at the end of the story, the man and his grandson drive off laughing. I thought that was irony and comical. I would recommend this short story to anyone who is looking at reading something just to read. It's short, simple, and easy to understand and comprehend. 

Baking a Cake

    I found the chapter "Baking a Cake" very interesting. I thought it was interesting because the author used a pretty neat metaphor that made sense. I feel like a lot of authors make metaphors that don't make sense and it leaves the readers confused and asking questions. I thought the way she made writing like baking a cake was different but neat at the same time. I like this chapter because it was short and to the point. Not many authors can do that. 

    I found the metaphor awesome. I thought the way the author combined baking a cake and writing was different. For instance, she said that you need certain ingredients to bake a cake. You also need certain ingredients to have a successful writing piece. I like that she said without certain ingredients, the cake isn't going to be any good. So without certain words, or grammar, or certain literature ingredients in your writing, it's not going to be the best. I also like in the beginning of the chapter how she said that you can have all the ingredients, you just need to mix them otherwise you just have a bunch of goop. 

      I also found this chapter interesting because, I never thought about how realistic this metaphor is. She says that you can hard and the cake will turn out. Me not being a writer looked at this as a helpful hint. I find that to be true as well. I feel like when I put time in my writings and do research and have all the ingredients, it's rewarding. I get good grades and it makes me want to try my hardest all the time. Just like she says in "Baking a Cake", it's hard at first, but in the end it's worth it. 

Tocquevill Reading Response

   In the poem "Tocqueville" I found it very interesting. I thought it was the most detailed poem I have ever read. It had great details in words that I could actually picture everything that was said. Some of it was brutal and not pleasant, but it was still detailed and I liked it. I don't normally like to just read poems, but this one, I read more than once. It caught my attention right after I read the first few lines. Also the story behind it was eye catching in my opinion. It wasn't a very pleasant or happy story, but like I said it was still eye catching with everything that happened and all the detail that was used. 

   I also found this poem to be interesting because of the length of it. I don't think I ever read a poem that was as long as "Tocqueville." That's another reason why I wanted to read it. Maybe because I don't like poems, but when I was looking through this one, it seemed more of a story to me. And I would much rather read a story than a poem. I am also interested in military and what's happening over seas. This poem explains some of it and it's very detailed with the wording and the structure of it. 

    This poem is by far my favorite poem out of all of the other poems' I have read. It catches the reader's eye and after the first few lines, it kind of "sucks you in." Meaning you don't want to stop reading it, and in my case I wanted to read it over and over. Like I said, this poem is like a story and I like that about poems. I would rather spend my time reading stories rather than poems. I feel like everyone would enjoy this poem and I highly encourage readers' to read this poem.