JN217 Week 2 Blog Forum

Topic 1: "On Writing"
1. My favorite anecdote from the first 50 pages of the book was when King's brother climbs onto the roof and the King family is evicted. My favorite quote was King's take on how writers are formed rather than made.
2. King's older brother climbs onto the roof of their third-story apartment while King watches from the bathroom window. After a neighbor saw his brother on the roof, they were reported to the landlord and evicted.
3. The anecdote resonated with me because it must have been extremely stressful. While the story is presented in a humorous light, concluding with his brother still being alive and living in New Hampshire, it still would have been pretty traumatic for a child. The eviction was another traumatic effect after the fact.
4. "Not how one writer was made; I don't believe writers can be made, either by circumstances or by self-will (although I did believe in those things once.) The equipment comes with the original package."
5. I felt this was an interesting take that stood out to me because writing, although one can always improve, seems to come naturally to some, and at an extreme challenge to others. I also appreciated that King went on to say that many people have these tools.

 Topic 2: Reviews
1. I've thought about reviewing either the new Lupe Fiasco or Kendrick Lamar albums. They're both current and I've liked some of each of their older work. Both artists also often discuss politics and social issues. My second idea from a different genre is the most recent Star Wars. I'm a big fan of the original trilogy but I haven't seen any of the more recent ones.

2. NYT Review

A. Jon Caramanica discusses the overall anxious theme of Lamar's new album. Caramanica then proceeds to tie his broader analysis in with individual songs and lyrics. Caramanica described the album as "a work of reactions and perceptions, a response to the sensations that come when the world is creeping in and you can’t keep it at bay any longer without lashing back." Then citing a song where Lamar uses clips from Fox News that deride his political message and Geraldo Rivera uses it as an example to claim rap is worse for black youth than racism.

B. While Caramanica focused a lot on the content of Lamar's album, he did also discuss the overall sound and instances where Lamar's flow was particularly good. Caramanica did a good job of distilling a lot of information on complex subjects into an easily read and coherent review.

C. I learned that it is similar to news reporting in that you have to get a lot of information into small spaces so figuring out how to concisely package that information is key. I also saw how there can be a good balance between focusing on the content of the music and also the sound, which I think is also important.