The Last "On Writing" Essay

I want to start out by saying that I never thought Stephan King could write like this. All of his other books are scary, creepy, or just really weird; but from reading this I feel like I know him through this autobiography of On Writing. It feels like he has given me lots of advice when it comes to writing. His advice has been so helpful, for example it is said practice makes perfect and that you shouldn't write it all in one day. Another point was that if you read, you can learn through other writers' mistakes and/or successes. Not only has this book taught me a lot about writing but his advice throughout the book but he has also taught me about reading some writings. Determination, good work ethic, and intelligence are three things that will get you through life easier than others and King demonstrated all of these throughout the book He tells you that even when your work is rejected, you should never give up just keep on improving. King was mentally and physically challenged throughout his life through sicknesses, family deaths, etc. and in every situation he makes the best of it and just continues to do what he loves, and that is to write. I can also take this from him, because, while I don't let a lot bother me, I do not always make the best out of any given situation. I don't necessarily know that my future will consist of writing, but I can use King's example and apply it to my life in anything I do and I can be confident that I will be successful in whatever I do.

The Crucible & The Birthmark

The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story about a scientist named Aylmer who has a superficial way of thinking about his wife, Georgiana. His wife is almost perfect except for the small birthmark that she had on her cheek. This is the only imperfection that Aylmer sees and tries to convince Georgiana to allow him to remove the birthmark, even though it has never bothered her. Well it never bothered her until Aylmer pointed it out. However, Aylmer becomes obsessed with the removal of the birthmark, he even was going as far as to risk his wife's life for it. Eventually, Aylmer gives Georgiana a substance that causes the birthmark to disappear, but it also kills her in the process. This story is an example of natural human flaws and obsession. In both The Crucible and The Birthmark, human flaw is the evident theme. In The Crucible, Abigail demonstrates the human flaw of jealousy by accusing her former lover's wife of witchcraft. All that Abigail knows is that she wants John Proctor for her self and will do anything that she thinks is necessary to do so. In The Birthmark, Aylmer demonstrates the human flaw of conceit by attempting to rid his wife of a simple little birthmark because he sees it as an imperfection. In both cases though, the ultimate goal is not achieved. Abigail does not end up with John Proctor and Aylmer ends up alone, both having lost the ones that they love so dearly.

On Writing #3

In this last section of On Writing, Stephan King focuses more on how to revise and end with your finished project. One of the first things mentioned in this section says, "... but it seems to me that every book- at least every one worth reading- is about something. Your job during or just after the first draft is to decide what something or somethings yours is about." This stood out to me because it is such a simple and seemingly obvious statement, but for me, is so forgotten. When writing, I often find myself getting easily off topic and then I end up being unsure about that I was writing about in the first place! Then when I go back and revise, I do not realize how off topic I am. Also, throughout most of this section, King mentions in some way about waiting a while to work on your next draft. This is hard for me because once I start writing something, I feel as though I am "on a roll" and I have to finish all of it right then. I know see how that can be a problem. If I don’t wait at least a day or so, I will still have the same mind set I had while writing and I won’t catch my mistakes. The last thing that stood out to me was this quote where King says, "I’d gotten going, there was that much. The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better." I feel as though I can relate to this the most because every time I write, getting started is the hardest and most stressful part. I always sit and stare at a blank page for what seems like hours waiting for my brain to start working. But once I finally have my topic and come up with my thesis, ideas start flowing, and, like King said, things only get better.

State of the Union

Watching the State of the Union Address was kind of difficult for me. First of all, my father was commenting on every other word that came out of President Obama’s mouth. Second, as a seventeen year old, it was very hard for me to understand some of the issues brought up; such as business and taxes and foreign exports. I wasn't sure what to think, seeing as how I have never had to deal with any of these things before. But, I tried to relate to whatever I could and form opinions. President Obama mentioned wanting to stop student loan rates from doubling. He also mentioned requiring colleges to cut costs instead of raising tuition. This would directly affect me in the next coming years and I fully agree since college is as ridiculously expensive as it is and having to pay more money would only make things harder. To improve the school system and education, Obama proposed a no- dropout policy. This policy says that each and every student must either graduate or stay in school until they are at least 18. I personally, do not agree with this. Not all students are meant to stay in school. The students that don’t want to, or don’t need to, be there often disrupt the classroom and keep other students from continuing their education. While I did not understand everything that President Obama brought up, these few things stood out to me. I’m sure that the older I get, the more relevant the other issues will be to me. I look forward to one day being able to form opinions on all of the country’s issues.