Blog 1, Outcome 1

The text I choose to use is "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote.

I believe that Truman Capote's purpose, audience and structure all affect one another. There are many speculations as to what the purpose of writing this book was. Capote wanted to create an unbiased, non-fiction novel that mocked modern journalism's lack of literary talent. Perhaps Capote wanted the readers of The New Yorker to broaden their horizons to a place outside of the big city or perhaps he wanted wanted to share his stance on the death penalty. The structure of this book encompasses and emphasizes the purpose of this book. If  Capote's purpose was to show big city folk a world outside their own, that crimes and death happen elsewhere and that these towns are not always able to shake them off. The way that Capote goes into great detail about the town of Holcomb and the people living there is to prove that purpose.

"The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call "out there." Some seventy miles east of the Colorado border, the countryside, with its hard blue skies and desert-clear air, has an atmosphere that is rather more Far West than Middle West. The local accent is barbed with a prairie twang, a ranch-hand nasalness, and the men, many of them, wear narrow frontier trousers, Stetsons, and high-heeled boots with pointed toes. The land is flat, and the views are awesomely extensive; horses, herds of cattle, a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples are visible long before a traveler reaches them."

If Capote's purpose was to oppose the death penalty, he structured the book by showing the background of Dick and Perry. You can tell by the lengthy descriptions and anecdotes of Perry that Capote truly wanted his audience to see that he wasn't just a cold blooded killer, but that he was a person that had had a terrible life and was probably very mentally sick.
One could impose that the way he structures the book, and how he divides up the amount of detail and description per topic could rank which was Capote's true purpose. Whether it be showing New Yorkers a new place or showing the injustice of the death penalty, he certainly made an impact on people by writing this book. Whether it truly was a non-fiction novel or not.

Blog 2, Outcome 1

The text I choose to use is "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. The synopsis is below:

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

I believe that this book is an incredible example of the purpose affecting the structure of the book. As one can assume from the synopsis, this book is about a young girl who is stealing books. And the main purpose of the book may appear that it is simply about her story, but upon closer inspection this book is discussing the power of words. Whether they are used for good or for evil.
Using the setting of Nazi Germany to show the deep, dark evil of words and their destruction, it juxtaposes the enlightenment and saving power it possesses for Leisel. Literally, writing her story saves her from dying when a bomb was dropped on her street.
The actual structure of this book is broken up into ten different parts. Each part is named after a title of a book that Leisel has stolen. The significance is that each book represented a different part of her life and how each book and the words it contain were connected to her life. For example, one of the parts is called The Grave Digger's Handbook. This is the book she stole while her little brother was being buried and the last time she ever saw her mother. Learning how to read it with her foster father was not just a bonding experience but a battle that she had to overcome.

"Looking back, Leisel could tell exactly what her Papa was thinking when he scanned the first page of The Grave Digger's Handbook. As he realized the difficulty of the text, he was clearly aware that such a book was hardly ideal. There were many words in there that he'd have trouble with himself. Not to mention the morbidity of the subject. As for the girl, there was a sudden desire to read it that she didn't even attempt to understand. On some level, perhaps she wanted to make sure her brother was buried right. Whatever the reason, her hunger to read that book was as intense as any ten-year-old human could experience."

So the fact that Zusak decided to set up the book not just chronologically, but in a way that describes the significance of every single word that flew into Leisel's head while reading her precious books. This in turn makes the reader feel the power of words that Zusak was trying to convey.

Blog 3

Over the past semester I feel as if the one technique that I have mastered would be diction. While writing the Travel Narrative I felt most comfortable and most proud of my work.

After a hard day at school where I've been bumped into, josteled by different people, scolded by my various teachers and choked down a pitiful lunch I finally make it home.
Entering the door I'm immediately greeted by my two dogs. The black one jumps and digs his claws into my hips and legs vying for my attention while the other smaller white one wags her tail ferociously and is hoping for me to give her a quick belly rub. I give them their allotted time of attention, kiss my father's scruffy cheek and head upstairs.
As I approach my room I see all the decorations on my door and how badly it's in need of repair. A long time ago I scowered magazines looking for pictures to cut out and tape to the door. I had abandoned that project long ago but I'm far too lazy to take it down or fix it.
I swing open the door and let my over-loaded backpack fall where it may. It feels as if I've taken a literal and metaphorical load off my shoulders. I look around my room at the array of clothes strewn about and my desk which is covered in makeup debris.
I plummet face first into my bed. My bed is what I call a 'canoe-bed'. The springs are so worn out that the middle caves in and the edges are still taut. I flip over onto my back and pull my iPod and headphones out of my pocket. I slip the little white plastic ear buds into my ears, pull the covers up and over my head and press play.
I set a quick alarm on my phone and let the music seep through me, making my eyelids heavier and heavier until I slip into a light slumber.