Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Just Another Girl on the IRT Essays

Just Another Girl on the IRT Essays Just Another Girl on the IRT Paper Just Another Girl on the IRT Paper Essay Topic: Film Just Another Girl on the I. R. T portrays the life of a black teenage woman and her struggles through pregnancy. Unlike other films, such as New Jack City, Leslie Harris film presents a different perspective in which women play an active role. The film emphasizes that women are not the mere properties or possessions of male characters but show an outrageous, audacious, courageous, or willful behavior (Walker). At least during the first part of the movie, Chantel personifies this attitude perfectly. Chantel is highly energetic in character, outrageous in her clothing choices and in the slang she uses. On the subway, for instance, when a young black man tells her that he is an actor, she laughs at him in an excessive way. The man could be telling the truth, but she does not care. She is very smart, funny, cool, and even pretty, therefore she is immensely self-confident. Her attitude proves to be extremely daring and insolent. Sometimes leading to openly rude or disrespectful. For example, this audacious behavior is portrayed when Chantel is working at the gourmet delicatessen. When asked a question, Chantel answers a rich white woman in an impudent manner. She does what she wants to when she wants to, in a mixture of spontaneous outbursts of intelligence and immaturity. Chantel displays a courageous personality when she does not tell her parents about her pregnancy and goes alone to visit the gynecologist. At the end, even her friends are unaware of her hiding it. This could also be interpreted as a sign of her lack of maturity and experience: she is very tough but, when confronted with a concrete problem, Banos she becomes afraid and denies it. Despite her apparent self-confidence at the beginning of the film, her dreams start to fall apart. Her willful character is clearly visible from the fist scene. Being seventeen and amazingly smart, she wants to graduate a year early, go to college and become a doctor. Her goals are set. However, her lack of refinement and good manners gets her into trouble more than once. At school, the teacher cannot finish his History lesson because she wants to discuss AIDS instead. Because of this outburst, Chantel is sent to the principal He insists that she should behave more like a young lady and that she is not ready for college yet. Chantel tells the camera, in a close-up monologue, that she is ready and that, as she has good grades, there is nothing the principal can do. This is yet another example of Chantels willful attitude. Her goal of becoming a doctor shows her will to gain knowledge. Even though she is smart, Chantel, like her friends, is ignorant about birth control. They have a discussion on a park bench in which ridiculous ways of avoiding pregnancy are discussed. This scene is potentially a reflection on the misguided beliefs that many teenagers have. Chantels monologues through the movie constitute a technique used to directly address the audience. This adds fun and juvenile spirit to the film, in contrast with some powerful scenes, such as the birth one, add a dark aspect to the movie. It is ironic that someone with Chantels intelligence, charm, quick responses and willful power should end up participating in such unwise, self-destructive actions. In context, her reactions seem reasonable. This is how many people would react to fear and the disappearance of their dreams. This film clearly differentiates between womanism and feminism, and emphasizes the as purple is to lavender analogy.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Using Writing Bursts to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm

Using Writing Bursts to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm Using Writing Bursts to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm Using Writing Bursts to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm By Ali Hale Many of us want to write fiction but rarely manage to get round to it. We struggle to find a free hour to write in – or the energy to write. Doing writing bursts is a great way to get going when time is short and motivation flagging. What is a writing burst? I came across the concept in Robert Graham’s How to Write Fiction (And Think About It). Mini-exercises are scattered throughout the book, and Graham explains: Every class I teach begins with a 10 minute writing exercise which I call a writing burst. I give a stimulus and ask the class to start writing, keep writing for 10 minutes and not to worry for one second about the quality of the work appearing on the paper. When the thought of sitting down and writing a whole short story is daunting, it’s much easier to find 10 minutes. Open your notebook or word-processing program of choice, write the burst at the top, then set a timer – and write without stopping or looking back. How do writing bursts help? I use writing bursts when I have very little time in the day to write, but wanted to feel I’ve achieved something. They’re also great for establishing a creative mood at the beginning of a longer writing session. You can use the material you produce as a starting point for longer pieces. One of mine became a thousand-word â€Å"twist in the tale† short story that I’ve submitted to a woman’s fiction magazine. The bursts help you to generate new or unusual ideas – I come up with more creative and interesting concepts than usual, because I don’t stop to self-edit. Where do you find them? There are plenty of sources for writing burst prompts. The Writers’ Book of Matches, by Writers’ Digest Books, is a collection of â€Å"1,001 prompts to ignite your fiction†. The Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing has some similar exercises, as well as photo prompts to help spark your writing. Competitions which give a first line can be used as writing bursts. Famous quotes can work well, so long as they’re short. Phrases or lines from a story you’ve read that inspire you are also good starting points. What variations are there? If you’ve tried a few writing bursts and you’re starting to get bored, the concept is open to any number of tweaks. When ten minutes starts to seem too rushed, you could lengthen the burst to fifteen or twenty minutes. If your ideas seem stale or trite, try writing with a friend: use the same prompt and swap the pieces that emerge. Alternatively, use multiple prompts – pick two prompts at random and figure out how to use them both. If you’re writing a novel or extended piece of fiction and have ground to a halt, use a prompt to get going again. You can always cut the scene out later – but it just may give your story the new life it needs. Some writing prompts After completing a solo camping trip, a woman gets her film developed and discovers that several photos are of her †¦ sleeping. (From 1,001 Prompts) â€Å"That was the moment I wished I could remember what we’d been taught.† (from How to Write Fiction) â€Å"She’s been told.† (from How to Write Fiction) â€Å"When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.† (Samuel Johnson) A man sneezes painfully. He looks into his handkerchief and finds something that looks like a microchip. (From 1,001 Prompts) â€Å"The place is very well and quiet and the children scream only in a low voice.† (Byron) Pick one of the prompts now – you can afford ten minutes – grab that blank page, and go! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouComma Before ButList of 50 Compliments and Nice Things to Say!