Eleanor Hilton
Mr. Salsich
English 9
November 12th 2008
Pause
Taking a moment to think about ‘The Way to Rainy Mountain’
When you read something, there is usually a moment just after completing it that you pause. Not many people think about it, but for that pause, for that one little second there are a thousand thoughts and feelings buzzing around your head. For the essay, ‘The Way to Rainy Mountain’ I might not have grabbed all my feelings but I certainly kept a few to think about a bit more.
T.S: Three of these feelings that come to mind when I read the essay are, sadness, happiness, and curiosity. S.D: The first, sadness is felt for the author. C.M: This because his grandmother had died. C.M: He may not have known her perfectly well, but he knew enough to grieve because of her death and take great interest in her culture, “the Kiowa [people]”. S.D: This leads me to my second reaction, happiness. C.M: I feel this because Mr. Momaday ends up learning about his heritage. C.M: “The last Kiowa Sun Dance was held in 1887 on the Washita River above Rainy Mountain Creek” [pg. 316 The Way to Rainy Mountain] he says this with such sureness and belief that I know it is true that he really knew exactly what he was talking about because he had learned it from his grandmother or had researched it himself. S.D: My third feeling, curiosity, comes from page 317, when Mr. Momaday talks about her praying. C.M: “She began in a high and descending pitch, exhausting her breath to silence; then again and again” I find this captivating because when he describes what she sounded like, when she prayed it made me want to know what she was talking about, and who she was talking to. C.M: It almost made me feel like there was another something just beyond her, another place, another time, even another planet maybe. T.S: These three feelings certainly aren’t all of my feelings, but they are the most pronounced.
After reading “The Way to Rainy Mountain” I probably had a very long pause. There was so much emotion in that essay that I’m surprised the book hasn’t exploded. Next time you read something, don’t forget to take that time to think about what you just read, whether it’s just a poem or a seven hundred page novel.
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2 comments:
Excellent title! (but capitalize all important words)
I love the opening paragraph -- so clear and smooth, and no mistakes.
No comma necessary after "are"
The first SD and CM could have been combined into one longer sentence. The same could be said for the second SD and CM. Be on the alert for opportunities like this.
The quote in the second chunk needs to be blended into your own sentence to make a single very smooth sentence. The same problem exists in the quote in the third chunk. Let's work on this.
I love the last CM -- so graceful and strong.
And the ending is SWEET!!
"It almost made me feel like there was another something just beyond her, another place, another time, even another planet maybe." << an AWESOME sentence!!
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