Chapter 1; Powell and Goldberg

My American Journey

1. While writing this essay I think Powell's purpose was to encourage his readers to never give up at any point in their life. For example, Powell talked about the college he went too CCNY and the college his sister went too Buffalo State Teacher College vs. Harvard and Priceton. I believe his point was to tell his readers that even if you cannot afford to go to these colleges or perhaps you can't get in to an ivy league school it will never make you any less successful than the people who do attend colleges like Harvard and Princeton. Another example that he talks about in the reading is the time when the Army stationed him in Georgia. Powel went to a drive thru restaurant and the waitress came up to his car and said she could not serve him. Powel knew it was because of his color, so he strived even harder to succeed.

2. I don't think Powell was directing his essay to any specific group, just minorities in general. I would recommend this reading to anyone who is against the odds. It is very inspirational and may give people hope that better times are to come.

3. Powell is a talented and inspirational writer. He is a determined person and you can see this through his essay. I have never heard of him before so I can't say that this essay has changed my opinion of him but it has certainly influenced me.

Writing Is Not a McDonald's Hamburger

1. I think Goldberg's purpose was to get us to write down our feeling on paper, express ourselves and not to hold anything back. Through this process we will teach ourselves how to become better writers. I think Goldberg shows this when she tells you to write and let go of everything, it may come slowly and be awkward at times but eventually you will get the hang of it and it'll be like second nature.

2. I believe she was targeting an audience who has trouble expressing their feelings to others, so maybe getting them to write on paper first that will help express their true feelings to themselves first. Anyone who is going through a rough time may benefit from this reading. It may simply help them grieve. I don't think this essay would benefit people who like to share their feelings, it might help people to talk to others and express their feelings to someone else rather than to sit down and write it out on paper.

3. Her subject is writing and how important it is in life. No matter where you go in life you will always have to write, from school, to your job, or even just for fun. As she talks about it you can tell that it not only is a necessity but also a way of expressing yourself.