In this blog post, I am going to choose three topics that I felt stood out the most to me while watching the documentary Where to Invade Next. To better understand this blog, readers can refer back to Blog #9, which is a summary of the film.
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In the short story, Hills Like White Elephants (Ernest Hemingway), we meet an American man and a girl, presumably his significant other, whom are waiting for a train to arrive so they can continue on their trip. While they are waiting, they notice a small corner bar, and decide to have some drinks. They start bickering about whether or not they both should do something that would possibly make them happier in their relationship. It is unclear what it is they are considering or if they will remain together.
In What You Don't Know (Lulu Wang) writes about a time her family lied to her grandmother. In this post, I will discuss whether or not I agree with her family's decision to lie to her grandmother and also talk about a time when I, myself, had to make a choice whether to tell a lie or reveal a difficult truth.
In this blog, I have posted some quotes from the following readings, that really stuck out to me and hold some meaning to myself as a writer. I have also included three quotes of my own that reflect my writing style. Quote #1 “Don’t look back. Yes, the draft needs fixing. But first it needs writing.” (Don Murray) Quote #2 “Be patient, listen quietly, the writing will come. The voice of the writing will tell you what to do.” (Don Murray) Quote #3 “Writing is primarily not a matter of talent, of dedication, of vision, of vocabulary, of style, but simply a matter of sitting. The writer is a person who writes.” (Don Murray) Quote #1 "I write in spurts. I write when I have to because the pressure builds up and I feel enough confidence that something has matured in my head and I can write it down." (Susan Sontag) Quote #2 "Naps are essential to my process. Not dreams, but that state adjacent to sleep, the mind on waking." (William Gibson) Quote #3 "I write my stories in the morning, my diary at night." (Anaïs Nin) Quote #1 "The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later."(Anne Lamott) Quote #2 "Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts." (Anne Lamott) Quote #3 "And writing is about filling up, filling up when you are empty, letting images and ideas and smells run down like water- just as writing is also about dealing with the emptiness." (Anne Lamott) My Quotes Quote #1 "Take a deep breath and let your emotions pour out on the page." Quote #2 "When you fail to find the right thing to say, write." Quote #3 "Don't be afraid to let your vulnerability show in your writing." The Proust Questionnaire.
Introduction In this post, I will be answering questions, which are provided in The Proust Questionnaire. I believe this is the perfect first assignment for my English 100 course, because it will give readers some insight about me, my goals, and my life! __1.__What is your idea of perfect happiness? My idea of perfect happiness is being on vacation, or really anywhere, with my son and my two nephews, where we can relax and not have any stress or responsibility. __2.__What is your greatest fear? My greatest fear is failing. Being a young mom, I have always felt that I needed to prove myself, whether it be at parenting, work, or at school, I never want my son to see me as a failure. __3.__What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? The trait that I most deplore in myself is my lack of self worth. I have always had a hard time with realizing that I am good enough, I am smart enough, and I am a good person. __4.__What is the trait you most deplore in others? The trait that I most deplore in others is selfishness, especially when it comes to parenting. There is nothing more upsetting than watching someone put their needs before their child's. __5.__Which living person do you most admire? The living person that I most admire is my mother. She has been through so much in her life, yet she has never given up. She is there for my siblings and I no matter what! __6.__What is your greatest extravagance? My greatest extravagance would have to be going to see Kevin Hart at Lincoln Financial field a couple years ago. I not only got to see him perform, but we sat on the field. It was worth every penny! __7.__What is your current state of mind? My current state of mind is stressed out, yet content. I am currently caring for three children, working full time, and going to school. While this is a huge load to take on, I am content with the fact that the boys' are happy and I recently received a raise at work! __8.__What do you consider the most overrated virtue? The most overrated virtue is patience. I do not believe in waiting around for something to happen, I think if you want something bad enough, you should go for it! __9.__On what occasion do you lie? The only occasion that may call for me to lie would probably be holidays, when I tell my kids' to believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny. __10.__What do you most dislike about your appearance? The thing that I dislike about my appearance, is my weight. I was always very in shape, but after having a child, I have let myself go. __11.__Which living person do you most despise? The living person I most despise is my biological father. He left my brother and I when we were babies to start another family. __12.__What is the quality you most like in a man? The quality I like most in a man is a good sense of humor. Looks fade over time, but a good personality lasts forever! __13.__What is the quality you most like in a woman? The quality I like most in a woman is loyalty. It seems most women are out to get each other, so I feel that it is important to surround myself with loyal women. __14.__Which words or phrases do you most overuse? The word/phrases I most overuse would be either "dude" or "I'm picking up what you're putting down", meaning I understand what you're trying to tell me. __15.__What or who is the greatest love of your life? The greatest love of my life is, easily, my son, Jayden. We have grown up so much together in the past ten years, and I am so lucky to have him in my life! __16.__When and where were you happiest? I was happiest on September 11th, 2007, the day my son was born. There is no day, thus far, that has made me happier than that day! __17.__Which talent would you most like to have? The talent I would most like to have would be to cook. __18.__If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? If I could change one thing about myself, I would eliminate my anxiety, because I feel like it has held me back a lot in life. __19.__What do you consider your greatest achievement? I consider my greatest achievement to be my current situation. I have a great job, three amazing children, and I am back in school heading toward my dream of being a nurse. __20.__If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? If I died and came back, I think I would like to come back as Bill Murray. That man is hilarious, but also still humble, even after all of his fame! __21.__Where would you most like to live? I would most like to live in Virginia. When I was younger, we went to Virginia for vacation and I fell in love with the state! __22.__What is your most treasured possession? My most treasured possession is my collection of dolphin statues. Every year for my birthday, my aunt would get me a new one. __23.__What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? To me, the lowest depth of misery is the death of a loved one, whether it be a family member or a close friend. The sadness you are left with is almost unbearable. __24.__What is your favorite occupation? My favorite occupation is a labor and delivery nurse. They spend their days bringing life into the world. __25.__What is your most marked characteristic? My most marked characteristic is my sarcasm, for sure! Very rarely am I being serious, but not many people can pick up on my sarcasm, so a lot of people just think I am not very nice. __26.__What do you most value in your friends? I most value the longevity of my friendships. I have been lucky enough to have the same friends for 10 years or more. __27.__Who are your favorite writers? It is hard for me to pick a favorite writer, because, embarrassingly, I do not read nearly as much as I should. __28.__Who is your hero of fiction? My hero of fiction is Wonder Woman. I don't think that this really needs an explanation, I mean, it's Wonder Woman, she's everything I would want a girl to look up to! __29.__Which historical figure do you most identify with? The historical figure that I most identify with is Florence Nightingale. She was a dedicated nurse that was not afraid to put her life on the line to help others. I hope to be as great of a nurse as she was! __30.__Who are your heroes in real life? My real life heroes are first responders and military personnel. Their selflessness and dedication are what keep us safe everyday. __31.__What are your favorite names? My favorite names are Layla for a girl (after the Eric Clapton song) and Michael for a boy. __32.__What is it that you most dislike? I dislike liars the most. It takes more time and effort to lie, so why not just be honest? __33.__What is your greatest regret? My greatest regret is not spending more time with my best friend before she passed away. __34.__How would you like to die? I would like to die in my sleep, peacefully. __35.__What is your motto? "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt |
Brittani MartinThis blog will be used to compose my thoughts about my life and my world! Archives
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