Discussion and Comment: A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood

Original Post

Quote from “A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood”: “My body was a marvel I hadn’t gotten used to; my arms and legs would sometimes act of their own accord, knocking over a glass at dinner or flinching at an oncoming pitch” (Cooper, p. 122).

I payed attention to this passage because it reminded me of my own teenage years. I remember how quickly my body changed and I could not keep pace with those changes neither physically, nor emotionally. It was the period of transition from a child to an adult, and this body could not fit into the reality, because it was not the last stage of development. Perhaps, all teenagers experienced the same feelings, which makes this quote meaningful for many people.

Quote from my writing: “I would love to see you making your own choices. Whatever choice you make, I will accept, respect, and be happy with it”.

I have chosen these words that my father once told me because they reflect the key idea of my story and are the words that all teenagers would like to hear from their parents. Choosing the career is a serious step and support from family is very important. I hope that such idea would make the readers interesting in reading the story and thus understanding me better. Perhaps, many of them would find something from their own personal experience in this short story.

Post 1

The quote that is analyzed in this post reflects the narrative style of the discussed short story. It is brief and detailed at the same time, which makes it the optimal choice for the analysis. In addition, the descriptions of the shadows that shudder over the walls and the ceiling are familiar to the majority of people. That is why it is not difficult for those who have not read the story to imagine it.

The second quote is very precise. The author manages to give the readers the sense of action by several sentences. The information from this passage is very personal and it helps to show the author’s emotions to the audience. It is possible to claim that the author managed to achieve the goals he/she has set successfully.

Though, there is a minor drawback in the current post. The comments of the author are too short and lack details. Perhaps, if there were more descriptions of the author’s background that he/she mentions, the flashbacks would be more interesting to read.

Post 2

The logic of the post is very clear, which makes it easy to read and understand. The author starts from the general issue like anti-intellectualism and ends with the examples from his/her personal experience. This scheme helps to illustrate and to explain the quote from the short story. The other positive issue that is worth mentioning is the way the author presents the information. The comments in the post start with the introduction, the quote is properly cited, and the post ends with a concluding sentence.

The paragraph that features comments about the author’s essay is also logically structured and for this reason it is easy to understand it. The author has obviously met the purpose of his/her writing and has conveyed the idea of dramatic changes in his/her life to the readers. There is an interesting detail in the discussed quote. The author aims at showing the changes both in his/her physical and mental development. He/she succeeds in supporting these arguments with the specific details in the quote and in the comment.