27: Endings that last

Endings…

When thinking of films with good endings a few that come to mind are The Usual Suspects, Silence of the Lambs, and the Wizard of Oz. All of these have very different endings, but are great for the story that is being told within. The ending of The Usual Suspects pretty much makes the movie. This is overall a good film, but what it becomes great with its ending. The ending to this moving is just so shocking and puts a spin on the movie overall. In the Silence of the Lambs it is the last line, "I'm Having an old friend for dinner" that makes the ending so great to me. It is the way that Hopkins speaks this phrase and then continues to frighten the audience as he exits. On the other hand, the Wizard of Oz has an ending that has been used many times. In the end we find out that it was all a dream, but personally I think the Wizard of Oz is by far the most noteworthy. 

When thinking of literature, an obvious one would be The Great Gatsby. Somewhat similar to what stuck with me in the Silence of the Lambs ending, The Great Gatsbys final line is unforgettable. It seems almost impossible for this story to have an ending, but this line gives the reader away to close the page and be satisfied. 

The Ending wraps up the entire story and brings it all together. With one word, one line, one page, or one chapter. The ending confirms the what the story has been trying to sell the entire time. A good ending doesn't have the ability to save a terrible story, BUT a bad ending can truly hurt a good story. I believe a good ending should be satisfying and possibly a bit shocking. Whether or not the ending is shocking, it should deal with the conflicts and changes that have happened within the story and satisfy the reader. 

26: Looking Backwards at Cheating Upwards

From the very beginning of the article "Cheating Upwards" the writer gives a full character description and allows the reader to visualize the setting. The writer uses a lot of description, keeping the reader engaged. Although this is a true event, the author is able to tell much of it as a story. From the beginning the reader is aware of what the conflict is and that keeps the reader engaged to want to read what is going to happen with Nayeem. Throughout the story the setting is constantly described and each new character that enters the story is introduced with a full character description. The author also uses a small amount of dialogue in order to keep the reader to continue to visualize and feel the situation. The author also opens up his article with a very specific event of cheating, to transition into the bigger picture of high-profile cheating scandals. Afterwards, there is a transition back into the opening story when the author meets with Nayeem. Robert Kolker is able to write an informative article, while telling a narrative throughout.

When I read this six months ago I did not pay attention to the way that Kolker wrote this article. I believe I just read straight through, maybe even skimmed over parts, wondering why I had to read another article on cheating. I did not even think to pay attention to why he created such a successful piece, furthermore, I most likely did not even think that it was a successful piece.  During my first reading I did not even care to pay attention to Kolker's use of narrative within the article. After my first term in college, and more specifically taking this LHSP course, I believe I truly have learned so much more about writing and what makes a good piece.  My writing still needs a lot of work, but this class has taught me to be a more sophisticated writer and has given me a more open mind when sitting down to write. Before coming to college, every time I would get an essay assigned I would get extremely stressed out. Not that essays are easy for me to write now, but I feel much more comfortable sitting down to start. Additionally, I have begun to read in a slightly different manner. As I pay more attention to my writing, It is inevitable that I am going to start paying closer attention when reading. Also this term we have spent a good amount of time analyzing all different types of writers and their different ways of writing, and that has given me a stronger background of how to look at writing.