This week we are developing tattoo analyses in English 008. In my sample writing, I shared my admiration for Angelina Jolie. Below is my sample introductory paragraph I will post in my blog. Below that, I provide my sample conclusion paragraph. I like Angelina's tattoos, but I'm an English teacher - I think if you have something important to say, you should write it. I look forward to reading Angelina's memoir.
Tattoos are visual arguments, personal statements. They tell us where a person stands. Here, students have been asked to develop a critical analysis of a tattoo of their choosing. Like in all of their writing, they will consider context. What do they know of the design? How does the tattoo impact the perception of the person wearing it? How does the tattoo connect with the person’s life? Who is the target audience? In answering these questions, writers will pay close attention to shapes, colors, and details. What are the first visual elements to catch the eye? What is the relationship between the image and any text that might accompany it?
Most of my students argue tattoos are an important form of self-expression. OK. What is the wearer of the tattoo trying to say? I know very little about tattoos, but I searched out the tattoos of two of my favorite artists to make this post:
This summer, Cindy wrote of “La Vida Loca.” Her essay depicted the challenges of growing up in a very tough neighborhood. Next to her title, she inserted three dots arranged in a triangle to represent “The Crazy Life.” Cindy grew up in a broken household. When her parents divorced, she found the love and respect she needed from friends on the street. Here in this tattoo analysis she shows her appreciation for the history and pride of her culture.
The first week of the semester we’re going to show some skin. I’m asking my students to share their tattoos – or images of tattoos they would be interested in writing about. Call this a warm-up for a visual analysis assignment later in the year. I’m hoping that thir writing will penetrate the surface. Students will be asked about purpose. What type of message is being conveyed? Who is the message for? How did this tattoo catch their attention?
Here, "guest blogger" Teresa Mendoza shows us some Sinaloa.
My hope is for my students to penetrate the surface of their ideas in writing about their tattoos. "Guest Student" Pilar Carrazco pays tribute to Margaret Atwood.
This week, I've asked my students to share their views on tattoos. In class we've discussed everything from art to religion. We've talked about Kobe Bryant's tattoos and Mexicali tattoo parlors. I'm an old man. I've never thought much about tattoos for others or myself. But, just to get things rolling, I've written about a tattoo out of the past.
What about you? Do you have a tattoo or story? Don't be shy. Show us what you have.
Paz,
Jay Lewenstein
It's been three days since the accident and I still can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I can hear the sound of the train approaching us, getting closer and louder, the wheels scraping on the metal train tracks, the pessimistic look of despair on their faces, and worst of all, the piercing scream that still haunts my ears
My mother, the only parent I know, is both a mom and a dad to me. Both of my parents would work, but even then my father would demand for my mothers paychecks. He'd use that money to get totally wasted, and it went on for a while like this....
In the book “Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility” the most valuable part is when Chuy offered a ride to Yoli on his motorcycle through many places of the San Diego city. no. Yoli thought she hadn’t heard him right...
On November, 1993 both my father and brother started the Richard McGee Correctional Basic Correctional Academy....
For America in the novel The Tortilla Curtain, Being married to Candido is like carrying a backpack full of bricks all day long....
My mother had struggled her whole life to make us happy. Being a single mother of two with two jobs was almost impossible yet it was her daily routine....
My father's addiction has had significant effects in my life. My father's alcohol abuse has made me realize what I want in my life and what I don’t want....
After the bell had rung, I quickly got to my seat, of course being tardy was probably a bad first impression because as soon as I picked a desk to sit at my teacher was glaring at me. He then began to yell at me saying how it was an essential to be on time to his class. This was my first encounter with my economics teacher and I already knew it was going to be a long year. Little did I know that Jack had a specific purpose in my life and although he was scary to me at first, he soon became my strongest adult in my life. As the years went by, I got to know Mr. Little and we became the greatest of friends. Once Jack Little passed away, I had a different perspective on the little amount of time we all have to live...
After living three years in this country, it was important for me to realize that I needed to go to school to learn English. I was feeling like I was illiterate and deaf. When my husband was in work I was afraid to answer the phone, or afraid to go outside. I remember the day when I had my first daughter, I was in pain in the hospital and my new born daughter was crying; the hospital was cold, with a pale color on the walls, and its smell was like alcohol. There were nurses walking on the long and bright hallway. You can hear the nurses talking morning and night. I couldn’t express myself and talk for my daughter that was crying...
