After reading this short story, i kind of have a general idea of what its about. There are three characters that are involved. The first is the american man, next is his partner Jig and the last is the girl who is the bartender. They must have been visiting or traveling because they are not familiar with the area and their surroundings. They are waiting for the train and happened to stop and get a drink at the bar in the station. It was a hot day and they just needed something refreshing. The conversation between the man and jig is very important. I personally think that Jig is pregnant and doesn't feel that the american man will stay with her and love her the same. He picks up her bags and brings them over because she is incapable of doing it herself. This short story is not really clear but it does make you think real hard on what's going on.

I honestly have no idea what is going on in this story. After reading it I felt very confused. I believe the two characters are a couple and they are waiting for their train while they enjoy a few drinks. The girl is obviously stressed about something that the boy wants her to do. The only clue I can find in the dialogue is when they start talking about a surgery. I'm thinking maybe it has to do with something along the lines of an abortion because she is concerned they will not love each other after the operation the same way they love each other now.

Journal 3: Due Monday, July 6

Read and respond to Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." Who are the characters and what are they doing? What is the setting or atmosphere like? What clues does the dialogue reveal about what's going on?

Journal 2

After reading Straub's entry I find myself looking at the task of editing someones paper a little differently. I like how he made it a point to say that you need to be more than just the good friend who says everything looks great but then again you cannot act like a teacher or editor because after all, we are just students and we need to have respect for our peers. There can be a happy medium between the two. Before reading this I might have been too harsh on a paper that I would edit but now I realize that there are many factors that should go into play like: which draft is this? what's the attitude of the paper supposed to be? am I the only person editing this? All of these questions make a difference to how you should edit a paper and I will be sure to keep them in mind during our workshop.

Journal 2

Before reading Dr. Richard Straub's excerpt on responding to other students' writing, my view toward reviving and responding consisted of skimming the writers work and noting simple mistakes throughout the paper. Although I had a sense of the amount of effort that should be put forth in revising paper, those skills were never stressed because average sufficed. After reading Straub's work I feel that average isn't cutting it anymore. By aimlessly reading over someone paper and making simple corrections but not really making a difference cheats the writer from improving theirs skills on paper and well as ultimately cheating myself in my own writing. Straub has taught me to be more focused on what really needs to be accomplished during the first workshop. If I have a plan of what I need to do going into the workshop I feel my revisions will improve significantly. This will not only benefit my peers as writers but will also benefit me every time I put pen to paper.

Journal 2

Before reading that article my opinions on revising another students paper were treating just like another assignment. Get the paper read it quickly make a few helpful comments taht dont really say anything give get on to the next one. After reading straub I realized how much more you can and should do to revise a fellow students writing. I learned that the reader has an important role in the development of the writing. When you revise someones paper you mus talk to them and not be too praising or too harsh. YOU have to have just the right blend of comments to be precise and helpful. Also I learned that alot of comments is always good. I can apply this to my first work shop by trying to be this perfect reader straub talks about on thursday to try and help my classmates write the best paper they can. Thanks for reading youve been great.
JASON NORMAN

Journal 2

Before I read Straub's essay I thought that responding and revising was only surface errors. I thought that the writer was supposed to fix and add to her essays "meat". I felt that revising would only be to find grammatical errors and sentences that didn't make sense or changing the tenses. But after reading "Responding- Really Responding..." by Richard Straub my opinion definitely changed. Not only could my improved editing of my peer's papers help them, it could also help me, in two different ways. When I'm revising their papers, by coming up with new ideas and expanding my horizons, but by them also returning the favor and showing me how i could improve my paper. I can easily apply this to my first workshop by giving constructive criticism, without being harsh or rude. I learned that by me responding to my peers in the right fashion that hopefully they will return the favor by responding to my essays and papers with the same enthusiasm.