Triggering Towns Analysis for ENG1111 PDF

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Summary

Triggering Towns analysis for ENG1111.

Analyzes a few lines from the text given in class.

Uses quotes and other english terms...

Description

The Triggering Town

1. Paragraph 1, 3-6 “I caution … it is dying” Hugo begins his book by sharing his own personal writing techniques. Although he contradicts himself by saying “don’t communicate”, his intent is for his students to do the very opposite. This challenging piece of advice encourages the writer to avoid communicating information for the sake of it. He even repeats himself saying “I caution against communication” to ensure his point gets across to the reader and his students. Since language in itself was meant to convey information, to be a good storyteller would require abstract thought. He cannot teach his students how to write but stressing the need to practice will help them to develop their own style. This begins with the writer and knowing there are no boundaries. To emphasize the importance of voice in creative writing, Hugo goes on to compare newspapers and poems. Newspapers serve one purpose and that is to inform a specific audience. However, once the writing style necessary to get a point across is communicated it begins “dying”. This exaggeration goes to know how straightforward information does not need a lot of comprehension or spark any interest to the art of writing. Poetry on-the-other hand, uses blank spaces to leave room for creativity from the reader. This aspect of writing and communicating language comes alive in the form of insight and inspiration to the reader.

2. Paragraph 8, 10-12 “The distinction lies … to the language.” Hugo starts paragraph 10 stating that private poets have limited vocabulary, hinting that sharing your work with others can help bolster your writing skills. He then goes on to explain a case where he used the word “stone” over thirty times in his third book. This was mentioned to emphasize the point that a repetition in words show the author’s feelings in his/her writing. If you seem to steer away from your own repetition when you write in order to satisfy the readers, Hugo says that it is basically lying to yourself. An interesting point that was brought up was how Hugo mentioned that famous poets like Wallace Stevens and Robert Frost and stated how they are prime examples of repetition among poets. Frost “tried to make every poem as different as possible”, and he did not succeed. This shows that even the most renowned poets are using their previous works for inspiration. The next paragraph smoothly transitions to the idea of finding yourself as a writer. You want to “find and develop a way of writing that will be yours”. This step allows you to prosper as a writer due to the idea that once you find the writer in yourself, your writing will “generate your meanings.”. This effectively means that once a writer understands his writing style, his/her work will be more meaningful to both the writer and reader. As I write more and more, either for school or for fun, it seems that I have “found” my own writing style, where I am able to express the meaning of the sentences more explicitly. This discovery has only fueled my growth as a writer, and this class is helping me accelerate this growth.

3. Paragraph 15, 16 “All poets I know … ought to” Hugo identities a character trait shared by many famous poets in hopes it will lead “you to yourself and the way you feel”. By this, the fear of the unknown or originality diminishes. Writing about an overworked subject or remaking an original story only touches the surface of creativity. So to make an impact on the world, as many poets have already done, writing about controversies and explaining common topics in depth, is essential. New trends and ideas are created this way to create a less judgmental society. In the end, the ultimate goal is to express yourself using your own ideas and writing style. This is evidently supported by Hugo’s emphasis on task of finding “a way to write” that is unique to yourself. Poets are the best mentor when it comes to challenging the norms of creative writing and succeeding. This is in part due to their lack of concern for other people's opinion. It’s common knowledge that everyone is entitled to own opinions and if you take other’s critique too personal, writing can be a struggle. When the negative comments are taken to heart, a writer could fall into the impossible task of trying to please everyone. Even with positive comments, if they are used as validation, the creator will never experience a satisfactory feeling with their own work. A delicate balance between accepting helpful feedback and compliments needs to be maintained with a foundational appreciation to their own work.

4. Paragraph 18 “If you write often … Get to work.” The small excerpt gives the readers insight about writing as a persistent activity. The section starts off with “If you write often… you will stay in shape”, alluding to the typical practice makes perfect. A typical example of this is going to the gym and working out. As you start to lift weights and slowly increase the weights, you build not only muscle, but strength. This newfound strength allows for growth in other similar fields. If you continue to do something, you improve the more you do it, in this case, writing. Another interesting point stated is “Then a much better poem may come rather fast...work on the earlier poem”. Sometimes a good idea in your head doesn’t translate well on paper, causing you to scrap or put the idea on hold. This seems to be a common occurrence for me when I write. These immaculate ideas come to mind, but the execution is never right. Hugo says that the hard work put into the one poem causes an effect on the writer’s future pieces. This goes to show that even if the execution is not perfect, the effort put into that piece is reflected throughout the rest of your writing. I remember the time that I put in a lot of effort into a short story every time I write a new piece. This memory, in a way, forces me to put effort into every writing piece. Going through this thought process every time I write is the persistent activity in play. This allows for more effortful writing and shapes my writing for the better....