Lauren Paskett
ENGL 3050
Prof. Conrad
10.2.2012
Crafting the Personal Essay
Chapter 9 Exercise- pp. 101
I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU
Make your own list of the people who make no sense to you. Write about what you DON’T
understand, and how unsure you are about what is going on inside the mind and heart of this
person.
Gays. Cross dressers to be specific. I don’t hate them. I just don’t understand them. It’s
because I’m not one. No one will ever understand where they’re coming from unless they’re one
of them. I have gay friends. Growing up in the theater doesn’t exactly keep you from people like
that. Some of my best friends are gay. I have always applauded their efforts to be true to
themselves. Even the ones who are against “practicing,” but still have that same sex attraction I
understand. There are those who have always had a curiosity or infatuation with the same sex.
Then there are the ones who seek attention. I love surrounding myself with them because it’s
great to know who you are. If you’re surrounded with people who strive to be themselves, it
makes you much more confident to do the same.
But the types that I don’t understand are cross-dressers. The whole thing just baffles me. I
guess I understand that some believe that they are a man in a woman’s body or vice versa. The
typical scenario would be a man dressing up as a woman, going after a man. I guess that makes
sense to me. Wait.. Nope. As I’m going through it, I realize I have it mixed up. It’s the people
that date cross-dressers that baffle me. You date someone who looks like a woman but is a man.
Are they bi-sexual? Are they gay? Are they just plain confused? Or the women who date girls
that look like men? Are they really attracted to the girl, or are they attracted to men? It just
doesn’t make sense. The people doing the dressing I believe have an excuse. They know what
they want, and they dress the way they feel. But normal looking men and women who date the
same sex who look like the opposite sex just don’t make sense to me at all. It’s just confusing.
Lauren Paskett
ENGL 3050
Prof. Conrad
10.2.2012
Crafting the Personal Essay
Chapter 9 exercise- pp.110
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
What in your experience do you find “almost impossible” to explain? Possible, though difficult.
I have been known to be very outspoken. Words fly out of my mouth without thinking
twice. I may offend, I may encourage. It’s a roll of the dice. But the one story, I’ve never told, is
perhaps the darkest and deepest one I’ve ever had. Maybe it’ll offend; perhaps it’ll encourage
women to be wary of the people they spend time with. Either way, I am ready to lay it all out.
The room had a stench of alcohol and sex. Instead of curtains, black fabric hung over the
windows, shutting out light. It showed images of naked women, a true bachelor pad. Different
colognes decorated the dresser, but not enough to cover the stink. A mirror sat on the dresser,
directly facing the bed. Clothes scattered the floor. Someone had removed them, one by one,
preparing themselves for what they, he expected to be a good time.
I lay in the fetal position. My leg hugged my chest. Mascara streaked down my cheeks.
My face stung from the dried tears. The lower part of my body ached. My vagina throbbed as if
my heart were inside of it. I felt like a punching bag, a beat up punching bag. Moving away from
my spot, I noticed the blood: my blood. Tears streamed down my face. After gathering up any
clothes within my reach, I limped out the door. My thighs bowed. This usually only happens
after riding a horse. In this case, the horse rode me.
As I drove away, I kept asking myself. “What have I done? How did this happen?” That
part I had saved for marriage was gone. The childhood innocence I struggled for so long to keep
was destroyed; again. I remembered that I wasn’t able to fight. I was too scared to. I had said no,
but I couldn’t fight him off. Every muscle in my body had frozen. My mind: blank.
Lauren Paskett
ENGL 3050
Prof. Conrad
10.2.2012
Rhetorical Grammar
Chapter 5 exercise 15 pp. 93
Revise the following passages to improve their cohesion. Think especially about reader
expectation and the know-new contract.
1) The Gateway Arch at the edge of the Mississippi River in St.. Louis is the world’s tallest
monument. Eero Saarinen designed the stainless steel structure that commemorates the
Westward Movement.
ANSWER: At the edge of the Mississippi River in St. Louis stands the Gateway
Arch, the world’s tallest monument. The stainless steel structure, designed by
Eero Saarinen, commemorates the Westward Movement.
2) Psychologists believe that color conveys emotional messages. Advertisers routinely
manipulate consumers using color psychology. The pure white backgrounds and bold
primary colors of detergent boxes are thought to influence buyers. Cleanliness and
strength are associated with those colors.
ANSWER: Psychologists believe that color can influence buyers and convey
emotional messages. Using color psychology, advertisers can routinely
manipulate their consumers. Designing detergent boxes with white backgrounds
and bold colors help promote cleanliness and strength.
3) The relentless heat of California’s great Central Valley makes the summer almost
unbearable at times. Over 110 degrees is not unusual temperature reading from June
through September. Bakersfield often records the hottest temperature in the valley.
ANSWER: The relentless heat of California’s great Central Valley makes the
summer heat almost unbearable at times. It’s not unusual for the temperature to reach 110
degrees in Bakersfield, often the hottest spot in the valley.
4) Getting chilled or getting your feet wet won’t cause a cold. Weather is not the culprit that
causes the common cold. Viruses are to blame.
ANSWER: You won’t get a cold by getting your feet wet or chilled. The common
cold is caused by viruses, not weather.
5) The federal witness-protection services began in 1968. The U.S. Marshal Service directs
the program. New identities are created for people in the program. The people are in
extreme danger because they have testified against criminals.
ANSWER: Directed by the U.S. Marshal Service, the federal witness-protection
service began in 1968. This program has relocated and created new identities for
thousands of people in extreme danger because they have testified against criminals.