Hi everyone,
My name is Rodrigo. I was born and raised in Mexico, but I have been living in the United States for the past 13 years. This puts me in no-man's land. I am a child of two countries, or neither. I am not considered Mexican because I have been living in the US for so long. But I am not American because I was born in Mexico. It sucks.
I started as a Biology major, but eventually ended with a double major in Spanish with a concentration in Hispanic Linguistics and English with a concentration in creative writing, and a Biology minor. But now I am going to graduate school for Hispanic Linguistics.
Since June of last year until the Sunday before school started, I was out of the country. I studied abroad in Costa Rica, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Granada, Spain. I also spent some time in Mexico with my dad. Needless to say, it sucked being back. I went from wearing shorts during December in Mexico, to wearing a sweater, a hat, a jacket, a scarf, and gloves. I hate the cold. It was hard coming back to the real world after a seven month vacation. I love travelling. Experiencing other cultures and their food (I love to eat!) was awesome.
One thing that might be surprising about me is that I play the violin and the guitar. I bought a very pretty, though expensive, guitar in Spain. Now, I say I play them, whether I do it well, well, that's another question.
I love reading. I do believe that Amazon has not gone bankrupt thanks to me and the massive amounts of money I have spent on books. I don't like to lend my books, because, as it always happens, I never get them back. I am not a big fan of e-readers. There is nothing more satisfying then flipping the pages of a book until you reach the very last one, and then looking back and saying "Holy crap, I read all this?"My favorite book, I would have to say, is "One Hundred Years of Solitude", if only because it opened up the floodgates, and started my obsession with Latin American writers.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Heyy!
Hey Class!
My name is Katie James and I am a first year MA student in
the English Lit program. Last May I graduated from Saint Xavier University with
a BA in English and was since inspired to continue on in my education and
immerse myself in the entirely fulfilling yet seemingly
out-of-touch-with-the-real-world realm of academia—I’m not sure of this latter
point is something I completely embrace or if I am in search of more
“practical” work. I think perhaps a year or two off from school to do a little
soul searching after I finish my Master’s is definitely called for.
In terms of my literary pursuits, I am enthusiastically
interested in twentieth century literature and have developed a fond affinity
towards the works of Vladimir Nabokov, John Barth, Robert Coover, Julian
Barnes, and Jeffrey Eugenides, among others. I am a self-declared bibliophile who
looks forward to piecing together a library someday, but until then I find
comfort in sleeping amidst piles and piles of books in my room. To make amends
for my lack of space, I have been in the (slow) process of creating my virtual
library on Shelfari—a website that I would definitely recommend to all you
other bibliophiles who want to keep track of your books and see what other
people own and are reading.
I’m really looking forward to this class and can’t wait to
discuss the readings with you guys!
Greetings!
How it is going class!?
Hey,
My name is Emiliusz. I am a undergraduate student here at UIC majoring in English Brit Lit and if all goes well, I will graduate in December, 2012. I do not have a fruitful history to share with you guys, sorry! But, I will say this. I am here to learn and use the knowledge I learned to guide my life in one way or another. English has been my inspiration from the day one (about 3 years ago, when I stated College) when my first English professor showed me the "Golden Apple" of the English language which I happily took a bite from. Now, I am paying the price because I am not a lover of books, but strangely enough I love reading some of them and losing myself in them. I do not have a favorite non-fiction book as of yet, but I have one particular book-fiction-that I felt like I was completely immersed in, mind and body, and that book's name is Paradise Lost by Milton... then again, The Faerie Queene was there, some Shakespeare; let's say that I enjoy immersing my self in all these old crazy books. The crazier things get the better! I dislike boredom... especially when there is no imagination involved, therefore, imagination, some vulgarity/obscenity like in Beaumont and Fletcher's Maid's Tragedy, etc., humor, and most importantly a beautiful mythical world is gold to me, repeat, beautiful mythical world. Hence the name eMyTh I suppose, but there is a story behind that too. If you are really interested, ask me in person, bring beer too. :D Kidding! Seriously though, in short I chose this nick because it starts with "e" so it is personalized to my name and myth is just what I love, stories, and aren't books just a bunch of myths? Stories that taste just right with enough added ingredients (untruths) in them? Don't get me wrong, I like good tasting food. Anyway, my name is Emiliusz. I am here, I want to learn. I want to graduate. I want to teach. Those are my goals. Sounds dry... but you have not heard the myth of it.
See you in class! ;)
Hey,
My name is Emiliusz. I am a undergraduate student here at UIC majoring in English Brit Lit and if all goes well, I will graduate in December, 2012. I do not have a fruitful history to share with you guys, sorry! But, I will say this. I am here to learn and use the knowledge I learned to guide my life in one way or another. English has been my inspiration from the day one (about 3 years ago, when I stated College) when my first English professor showed me the "Golden Apple" of the English language which I happily took a bite from. Now, I am paying the price because I am not a lover of books, but strangely enough I love reading some of them and losing myself in them. I do not have a favorite non-fiction book as of yet, but I have one particular book-fiction-that I felt like I was completely immersed in, mind and body, and that book's name is Paradise Lost by Milton... then again, The Faerie Queene was there, some Shakespeare; let's say that I enjoy immersing my self in all these old crazy books. The crazier things get the better! I dislike boredom... especially when there is no imagination involved, therefore, imagination, some vulgarity/obscenity like in Beaumont and Fletcher's Maid's Tragedy, etc., humor, and most importantly a beautiful mythical world is gold to me, repeat, beautiful mythical world. Hence the name eMyTh I suppose, but there is a story behind that too. If you are really interested, ask me in person, bring beer too. :D Kidding! Seriously though, in short I chose this nick because it starts with "e" so it is personalized to my name and myth is just what I love, stories, and aren't books just a bunch of myths? Stories that taste just right with enough added ingredients (untruths) in them? Don't get me wrong, I like good tasting food. Anyway, my name is Emiliusz. I am here, I want to learn. I want to graduate. I want to teach. Those are my goals. Sounds dry... but you have not heard the myth of it.
See you in class! ;)
Hello...
Class,
So a little about me...
I have an open mind about things that I encounter in my life and I enjoy meeting people and getting to know their stories, people are really interesting sometimes. Majoring in English (I hope that gets me somewhere in life). I really want to travel, so I might teach English as a Second Language in another country, I know it'll all fall into place. I have been keeping journals since I was little and I have written almost everything that I have done since then. On my free time I enjoy running, I just ran my first race this past November, 9 miles. My favorite food dish to eat is Enchiladas, my mom always makes them for me on my birthday and I love her for this. I have an older sister and younger brother. Along with running as a hobby, I also like to bake and take long naps.
Something you wouldn't guess about me is I sing.
Looking forward to the conversations with all of you and anything I can help you with, just ask.
-Natalia
_Travels With Charley_: John Steinbeck is a Liar!
Hi, Class!
After hearing in class that Steinbeck didn't actually go on a grand tour across America with his dog Charley I didn't want to believe it. I thought that it just couldn't be true that he would write a nonfiction book about a journey that never actually happened. I think it was wrong to do this. I feel like Steinbeck deceived and lied to me. I realize that writers need to take a few creative liberties when they write nonfiction and that some facts and dates may not be completely correct due to human error, but Steinbeck flat out lied. I think the reason he felt out of touch with America is because he was out of touch, but he didn't make a legitimate effort to get back in touch with America and its people: he just wanted to write another best seller before he died. Consequently, I think Steinbeck's motivations to write Travels With Charley were pathetic and low, for he wanted to give America another reason to remember his name and to listen to his grumpy old man opinions, but he didn't really learn anything new about America. Does anyone else feel this way?
This issue with _Travels With Charley_ reminds me of a play called _Bee-Luther-Hatchee_ that I read when I was an undergraduate. Here is some information about it if you're interested:
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~cmazer/bee.html
After hearing in class that Steinbeck didn't actually go on a grand tour across America with his dog Charley I didn't want to believe it. I thought that it just couldn't be true that he would write a nonfiction book about a journey that never actually happened. I think it was wrong to do this. I feel like Steinbeck deceived and lied to me. I realize that writers need to take a few creative liberties when they write nonfiction and that some facts and dates may not be completely correct due to human error, but Steinbeck flat out lied. I think the reason he felt out of touch with America is because he was out of touch, but he didn't make a legitimate effort to get back in touch with America and its people: he just wanted to write another best seller before he died. Consequently, I think Steinbeck's motivations to write Travels With Charley were pathetic and low, for he wanted to give America another reason to remember his name and to listen to his grumpy old man opinions, but he didn't really learn anything new about America. Does anyone else feel this way?
This issue with _Travels With Charley_ reminds me of a play called _Bee-Luther-Hatchee_ that I read when I was an undergraduate. Here is some information about it if you're interested:
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~cmazer/bee.html
Introduction
Hi everyone!
I'm Caitlin and I'm looking forward to learning more about nonfiction with all of you this semester.
For starters, I am a first year MA student in the English program. I graduated in May 2011 with a Bachelor's degree in English from Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I am originally from Illinois, so it has been an interesting challenge getting used to going to school in my home state again. I decided to take this class because I never took a nonfiction class during my undergraduate career; the majority of my undergraduate course work focused on fiction, especially Victorian literature and Shakespearean drama. I am also not an avid reader of nonfiction because I usually associate nonfiction with newspapers and boring topics; fiction has always seemed to be more fun and entertaining to read. My favorite nonfiction writer is David Sedaris. I have read most of his books, but my favorite is Me Talk Pretty One Day, and this book made me reconsider my views on nonfiction.
Ok, now for my fun fact: Gone With The Wind is by far my favorite book and movie. I've read the book twice and seen the movie at least ten times!
I'm Caitlin and I'm looking forward to learning more about nonfiction with all of you this semester.
For starters, I am a first year MA student in the English program. I graduated in May 2011 with a Bachelor's degree in English from Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I am originally from Illinois, so it has been an interesting challenge getting used to going to school in my home state again. I decided to take this class because I never took a nonfiction class during my undergraduate career; the majority of my undergraduate course work focused on fiction, especially Victorian literature and Shakespearean drama. I am also not an avid reader of nonfiction because I usually associate nonfiction with newspapers and boring topics; fiction has always seemed to be more fun and entertaining to read. My favorite nonfiction writer is David Sedaris. I have read most of his books, but my favorite is Me Talk Pretty One Day, and this book made me reconsider my views on nonfiction.
Ok, now for my fun fact: Gone With The Wind is by far my favorite book and movie. I've read the book twice and seen the movie at least ten times!
Well...hello!!
Hi Class!
I'm Bryan, MA student in English Ed. I grew up in Aurora, IL, about an hour due west of Chicago, and completed my undergraduate studies at NYU where I studied dramatic lit. After graduating (oh so/not so many really...) years ago, I was restless and moved to Thailand to teach English as a foreign language. I planned to stay for about a year but ended up getting a job as a drama & art teacher for over-privileged Thai kids, and four years later I moved back to the States. After a few unglamorous years working in a dental office in lower Manhattan, I realized that I really missed teaching; hence the move back to Chicago and enrollment at UIC. In addition to my English and ed classes, I'm also completing an ELL endorsement and will be student-teaching next spring. Here's my favorite quotation:
"Pretty isn't beautiful, mother, pretty is what changes. What the eye arranges is what is beautiful." --Stephen Sondheim
I'm Bryan, MA student in English Ed. I grew up in Aurora, IL, about an hour due west of Chicago, and completed my undergraduate studies at NYU where I studied dramatic lit. After graduating (oh so/not so many really...) years ago, I was restless and moved to Thailand to teach English as a foreign language. I planned to stay for about a year but ended up getting a job as a drama & art teacher for over-privileged Thai kids, and four years later I moved back to the States. After a few unglamorous years working in a dental office in lower Manhattan, I realized that I really missed teaching; hence the move back to Chicago and enrollment at UIC. In addition to my English and ed classes, I'm also completing an ELL endorsement and will be student-teaching next spring. Here's my favorite quotation:
"Pretty isn't beautiful, mother, pretty is what changes. What the eye arranges is what is beautiful." --Stephen Sondheim
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