The effect of the personal experience is to make the reader shocked. It is astounding that someone would do that to another person, regardless of someone’s ethnicity. Her anger distances me at first, however as the piece progresses, it draws me in because of the difficulty that Hispanic women have to wade through on a daily basis.
The effect of here opening paragraph is to attract the readers attention. I personally think her anger distances me from her writing because it very alienating and I don't necessarily agree with it.
I agree with both Sydney and Nate, the effect of the opening paragraph is to shock the reader and attract their attention. I agree with Sydney, at first her anger is distancing, but continuing with the piece I am able to understand her anger and difficulties.
By starting with a scenario as such, the reader is intrigued and pulled into the piece. However, once the reader is pulled in, they are pushed back out by her anger. This distancing effect is only temporary because as the essay moves forward, her anger becomes understandable.
I agree with Oliva in that the opening paragraph is to shock and gain the attention for the reader. I was immediately horrified that someone would make fun of a complete stranger based solely on their ethnicity which is such a huge part of their identity. I was immediately drawn in due to her anger because it is understandable.
I agree with what everyone else has been saying about the opening paragraph's purpose to shock and attract the reader, but it also can be to connect with the reader. This drew me in because I can connect with being judged based solely on ethnicity and have felt that same feeling that she has felt before, and it draws me to read more of her writing.
Using a situation at the beginning creates an emotional attachment with the reader as well as reader sympathy toward Cofer. The reader sympathizes with Cofer feeling trapped in the situation and also understands her frustration as she feels that no one else in the situation understands what she is going through.
Though the anger is distancing at first, the anger sets the tone to get a full understanding of the previously mentioned situation. with this better understanding one get attached to the author yet thrown off at the same time
The opening paragraph definitely drew me in with the way it ended. The emotionally charged writing was rather enticing. The anger however, as warranted as it was, ended up distancing me from the piece.
I find this opening paragraph quite interesting because of my personal experience with hispanics. My father is from Puerto Rico and although he has lived in the US since he was 17, his accent has not gone away and it is still quite strong in the perspective of most of my peers. Cofer is not an unordinary case and this happens to lots of foreigners who have distinguishable accents. I find it rather amusing because so many Americans strive to seem exotic while people who we consider exotic try to fit in with and act like the citizens of the country they live in. This paragraph certainly drew me in.
I agree with what Mick said. As a kid with Filipino parents who emigrated from the Philippines, I sort of experienced Cofer's upbringing, feelings, and desire to belong. I found the intro very relatable, and intriguing. The anecdote is amusing because of how her serious trip broke into song, and I wanted to listen to the "Maria" song. The ending left me interested as to what she meant with "Island" (where she was from) and what her experiences of being culturally and racially different were that made her feel so frustrated.
Cofer's anger in the opening paragraph drew me into the story because she showed that she feels strongly about her message. I think the effect she desires is to capture the attention of the reader, and based on everyone else's comments, it seems that it worked on all of us.
She gives tiny details of the scene and her emotions that definitely give off an angry tone. It is very effective though in bringing in an audience, especially of women who would be most uncomfortable about the situation. For me, her anger in the introduction sparks an anger in me. It is a challenge to empathize instead of stereotype when she shows that she is an amazingly well educated woman yet is still treated as less.
I agree with many of the previous comments, you are shocked by her anger and it distances you from the writing briefly as you contemplate the first paragraph, and wonder if it is the beginning of a rant. But as you progress through the story she identifies the source of her anger, witch then pulls draws you in as you connect with what Cofer is saying and understand why she was so upset.
I wasn't drawn into it as much because I can't exactly relate to her situation. She doesn't really give off an angry vibe until near the end of the paragraph, and by then you're just starting to put the pieces together on what had just happened.
Agreeing with most of the previous comments I have read, I would say that her anger in the first paragraph is shocking, yet it also grabbed my attention. Her anger towards the man was a bit strange to me until I realized how uncomfortable she must have felt and how rude it was of that man to do that to her. When she said, "the island travels with you," I was very interested to hear some of her experiences and how her Latina culture has affected her.
The purpose of this paragraph is a sort of hook. It is a personal experience she shares with us with no explanation in order to make us wonder why she feels the way she does. This distanced me from her writing because I immediately labeled her as an easily offended person.
The effect of the personal experience is to make the reader shocked. It is astounding that someone would do that to another person, regardless of someone’s ethnicity. Her anger distances me at first, however as the piece progresses, it draws me in because of the difficulty that Hispanic women have to wade through on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteThe effect of here opening paragraph is to attract the readers attention. I personally think her anger distances me from her writing because it very alienating and I don't necessarily agree with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Sydney and Nate, the effect of the opening paragraph is to shock the reader and attract their attention. I agree with Sydney, at first her anger is distancing, but continuing with the piece I am able to understand her anger and difficulties.
ReplyDeleteBy starting with a scenario as such, the reader is intrigued and pulled into the piece. However, once the reader is pulled in, they are pushed back out by her anger. This distancing effect is only temporary because as the essay moves forward, her anger becomes understandable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Oliva in that the opening paragraph is to shock and gain the attention for the reader. I was immediately horrified that someone would make fun of a complete stranger based solely on their ethnicity which is such a huge part of their identity. I was immediately drawn in due to her anger because it is understandable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone else has been saying about the opening paragraph's purpose to shock and attract the reader, but it also can be to connect with the reader. This drew me in because I can connect with being judged based solely on ethnicity and have felt that same feeling that she has felt before, and it draws me to read more of her writing.
ReplyDeleteUsing a situation at the beginning creates an emotional attachment with the reader as well as reader sympathy toward Cofer. The reader sympathizes with Cofer feeling trapped in the situation and also understands her frustration as she feels that no one else in the situation understands what she is going through.
ReplyDeleteThough the anger is distancing at first, the anger sets the tone to get a full understanding of the previously mentioned situation. with this better understanding one get attached to the author yet thrown off at the same time
ReplyDeleteThe opening paragraph definitely drew me in with the way it ended. The emotionally charged writing was rather enticing. The anger however, as warranted as it was, ended up distancing me from the piece.
ReplyDeleteI find this opening paragraph quite interesting because of my personal experience with hispanics. My father is from Puerto Rico and although he has lived in the US since he was 17, his accent has not gone away and it is still quite strong in the perspective of most of my peers. Cofer is not an unordinary case and this happens to lots of foreigners who have distinguishable accents. I find it rather amusing because so many Americans strive to seem exotic while people who we consider exotic try to fit in with and act like the citizens of the country they live in. This paragraph certainly drew me in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Mick said. As a kid with Filipino parents who emigrated from the Philippines, I sort of experienced Cofer's upbringing, feelings, and desire to belong. I found the intro very relatable, and intriguing. The anecdote is amusing because of how her serious trip broke into song, and I wanted to listen to the "Maria" song. The ending left me interested as to what she meant with "Island" (where she was from) and what her experiences of being culturally and racially different were that made her feel so frustrated.
DeleteCofer's anger in the opening paragraph drew me into the story because she showed that she feels strongly about her message. I think the effect she desires is to capture the attention of the reader, and based on everyone else's comments, it seems that it worked on all of us.
ReplyDeleteShe gives tiny details of the scene and her emotions that definitely give off an angry tone. It is very effective though in bringing in an audience, especially of women who would be most uncomfortable about the situation. For me, her anger in the introduction sparks an anger in me. It is a challenge to empathize instead of stereotype when she shows that she is an amazingly well educated woman yet is still treated as less.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the previous comments, you are shocked by her anger and it distances you from the writing briefly as you contemplate the first paragraph, and wonder if it is the beginning of a rant. But as you progress through the story she identifies the source of her anger, witch then pulls draws you in as you connect with what Cofer is saying and understand why she was so upset.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't drawn into it as much because I can't exactly relate to her situation. She doesn't really give off an angry vibe until near the end of the paragraph, and by then you're just starting to put the pieces together on what had just happened.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with most of the previous comments I have read, I would say that her anger in the first paragraph is shocking, yet it also grabbed my attention. Her anger towards the man was a bit strange to me until I realized how uncomfortable she must have felt and how rude it was of that man to do that to her. When she said, "the island travels with you," I was very interested to hear some of her experiences and how her Latina culture has affected her.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of this paragraph is a sort of hook. It is a personal experience she shares with us with no explanation in order to make us wonder why she feels the way she does. This distanced me from her writing because I immediately labeled her as an easily offended person.
ReplyDeleteI am only commenting here so that if any more of my students decide to copy answers off of this blog post, they can see that I am fully aware of it.
ReplyDelete