Spring"

Good and Bad, In Order (To Convince):

1a) “Spring” has 10 paragraphs (with two of them being just one sentence). Reread each paragraph. Is spring mostly presented as Good or Bad in each one? Label it. Then write the order down (e.g. “1. good 2. bad . . .10. bad). Let’s say that just one paragraph is “mixed—good and bad.” Find and label that one too.

1b) Does Holland’s order of good/bad (with one mixed) help to convince you that “spring” is a pleasure? If so, how?

Sense, Rhythm, Sound

2. How does Holland make spring come alive in the three paragraphs beginning "Still, most springs have their moments . . . ." and ending "Spring did come, after all." Quote single words, or pairs of words, or at most, trios of words, that offer the most vivid example of each of the following. Don't re-use any answers:

• smell
• sound
• verb
• noun
• adjective
• cumulative sentence
• short sentence
• assonance
• other device (you pick)

"Driving Beltless"

We the people declare . . . you have the right to remain silent

3a. What personal subject pronoun(s) (e.g. I, we, she, he) does Holland use in the opening paragraphs?

3b. What personal pronoun(s) does she use in the middle paragraphs?

3c. What personal pronouns does she use in the last paragraph?

3d. (Answer in a few sentences or more.) How does using these pronouns help Holland to bring us in to support her “big idea(s)”?

"Crowds"

Let x1 = crowd; let x2 = horde 

4. Following the model in Holland's "Crowds," "Coffee," and "Exercise" essays, each of you must write a few sentences that narrow the definition of your “simple pleasure,” by contrasting it with what it is not. Note: what you say it’s not should be part of what people usually think it is. Remember, most people think crowds include subway crowds, coffee includes instant coffee, and exercise includes rowing a boat.

1a.

1. Bad

2. Bad

3. Bad

4. Bad

5. Bad

6. Good

7. Good

8. Good

9. bad

10. mixed with good and bad

1b.Holland’s order help to convince me because she gave the audience a reversal with the comparison. People would feel bad at first but after that the description of good moments can excite people. And in the 9th paragraph, she said “Then it rains for a week.” After those pleasures happened, the rain was coming. This can make people cherish the pleasant moments.

2. smell diesel exhaust， woodsmoke

sound sirens, church bells

verb clatter and racket

noun tulips pigeons

adjective greenish thin

cumulative sentence

In the country, spring comes with a fine, rich, rank olfactory salute of courting skunks and tomcats and the thrift farmer spreading his fields with barn muck so ruinous it makes our eyes water.

short sentence

Spring did come, after all.

assonance

In this city, invisible park-people put our rows of red  tulips along a gray stone wall.

personification

in spring the nose wakes up and takes notice again

3a. She uses ”we” as the pronoun in the opening paragraph.

b. She uses “I” in the middle paragraph.

c. She uses “we” in the last paragraph.

d. By using the first person point of view, she talks about “driving beltless“ in a way that we all enjoy. It’s not just her that are craving for these type of freedom, we all are. It’s a good way to convince the readers by bringing them into the contents.

4. My definition: People think the process of recording dreams is useless and time-consuming because we seldom get clear and specific results, but recording dream is not for a result, it is a process of accumulation and progress of writing and retention.

My simple pleasure is about recording dreams. It is not just dreaming but memorizing and writing down. Most people might think it is a waste of time and dream is not worth to record, it is just some imagination. However, dream is a reflection of our real life. If you try to explore it, you will find its pleasures.

My definition: People think ‘sleeping on the floor’ is one weird sleeping method that lying down on the floor at the first time they see this topic. This might be a primitive and dirty act to get some rest based on their first imagination of it. Actually, sleeping on the floor is a nice and convenient sleeping style which could help us relax our back and neck by the hard platform of the floor which is covered by soft blanket with yoga mat on it. We will enjoy our nice sleeping experience with our pajamas, pillows and quilts.

Drag racing is not about only speeding up aimlessly, surpassing cars recklessly, etc. It should not been about illegal activity stopped by police. It is more like a sport that can bring us friends, stir our blood stream, and deliver a peaceful state of mind. However, it may be dangerous, even lethal, but at the bottom of our heart, we understand that it is an indispensable part of our life.

The game is about guns and fights, but not about killing, but about competing with others while experiencing being a soldier, using different guns, completing challenges, and enjoying the sense of accomplishment when you prove you are better than others by beating them.