Arnold Friend: The Cat Torturer

Character: Arnold Friend

Place:  Shaw Middle School on the West Bank

Conflict: Arnold Friend, the cat torturer, goes to school on the West Bank and wants the chemistry kit from his Science teacher.  It’s hard to get the Chemistry kit because it’s for eighth graders and he is a sixth grader – plus the school is low on money, so there aren’t enough kits supplied in the school for him to get.  Not to mention, the school is locked up, which makes it even more difficult for him to retrieve the kit – so, he has to steal it.

First scene: 

Arnold Friend watches his cat, Diablo, through the screen door.  Diablo is catching lizards, batting them between his paws, when a bolt of lightning fries him and the lizard.  Arnold’s eyes crinkle.  The lizard skitters behind a flowerpot, but Diablo doesn’t move.  Arnold kicks the door open and checks the cat’s pulse.  He needs Diablo alive.   

Reflections

I took many art classes in high school and participated in critiques. I was exposed to several environments where piers review each others works. My prior experience with this dynamic has made me appreciate a healthy atmosphere for critique. Our poetry workshop was a nice place to be able to give desired constructive criticism to my classmates. I enjoyed how we began critiques by saying positive things about the piece then followed by specific advice on how to make our poems better.

I appreciated deeply the critiques I received for my poem. I'm in an experimental stage in my writing. I am applying things, like meter and rhyme, to my poems in which I have never done before. I used these techniques to serve a purpose and try to convey a message. From my classmates, I was able to see what was communicated to my reader. Sadly, all my classmate-edited poems were messed up by the rainy week, but I audio recorded my workshop so all was not lost. Workshop was a surprisingly pleasant experience and I don't know why I was so nervous about it.

Poetry Workshop

I found the poetry workshop very helpful. I originally took this class because I know I sometimes lack sparkle and coherence in the creative writing area; so, this allowed me to address certain problems head on. I liked having the input of everyone in the class because it allowed me to pick and choose which criticisms I wanted to use. The class corrections also came in handy when all members agreed that the meaning of my poem was not clear. Now I know what to do to make it more clear.

Correcting other people's poems was also useful because I was able to grab inspiration from those who wrote something that I liked, and to learn from other people's mistakes. All in all, I felt that poetry workshop was useful and productive

Reflections on Workshop

             Poetry workshop was an entirely new experience for me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of my greatest flaws is being fearful of critique. Therefore, I was a bit worried when Dr. Groner introduced us to workshop—just the idea of reading my poem aloud for others to critique gave me an overwhelming amount of anxiety. My fear was that no one would like my poem or that my poem would be weak compared to others.

            Needless to say, workshop was the best thing that could ever happen to me as a writer and I am so happy with how it turned out. It was a pleasant feeling to have when others discuss your work in front of you and you aren’t able to defend your work or respond back. You just have to take it all in and it made me reflect on not just this particular poem but all my other work as a writer.

            Workshop has made me completely change the way I feel about critique and now I am more confident to show my work to others and to be more open. It was a delightful learning experience and I loved how we came together as a class to praise each other’s work as well as providing suggestions to make our work stronger.

            I feel like every college student should experience workshop at least once in their academic career because it serves as a great foundation to hear critique in the most rawest and genuine way. I absolutely loved it.

Poetry Workshop

Poetry workshop has been an enjoyable experience. At first, I was nervous about reading my poem out loud to the class and getting critiqued on it. After the process, I felt almost relieved because I was receiving great feedback to help enhance my poem. This process also allowed for me to become better at receiving feedback from others - especially during class. I wouldn't usually share my work with others unless I really wanted someone to hear it and this process allowed for me to become more comfortable with sharing it. I loved hearing the feedback and interpretations that others had of my poem. I also loved being able to openly comment and critique other classmates' poems in class. I'm glad that everyone was able to share a work they can be proud of to the class. I am developing an interest in poetry and this class and workshop has helped me to  be able to read, interpret and analyze them better. From hearing and being able to critique other classmates' poems, I have learned how to write and improve my own writing and poems. I want to have a workshop for my other pieces of writing now.

Reflections on Poetry Workshop

I have so enjoyed poetry workshop.  I loved that we start each edit going around and talking about something we like about a poem and then making suggestions.  I also liked the opportunity to write little notes all over a poem because personally, I love scribbling all over a poem while analyzing it.  The most trouble I have had so far is actually writing the poem... It's one of those things where the infinite possibilities make it even harder to narrow down and come up with just one piece.  I really wish we had more time to workshop ALL of the poems that we make a part of our portfolio, because I think the whole process really makes the poems that much better.  Also, discussing them with each other is really good for bouncing ideas back and forth.  I can't tell you how many times listening to someone else talk about a certain poem (or line or stanza, etc.) made me see a different perspective.

At first I was terrified to show others my poem, but it ended up being a really awesome experience and I'm so glad to have gained so much new insight.  I think it will only benefit my poetry... No drawbacks!! Except that we don't have time for more!

Poetry Workshop

Workshop is one of my favorite things to do; not only do you get to read what your peers are putting out/capable of, but you get to be a voice that guides them to something stronger, hopefully. I think the importance of starting on good things is key because it creates a safe environment and makes the poet realize that the workshop purpose is not to tear their poem to pieces. The point is to take the parts that everybody already likes and to enhance the parts that aren't as strong to match the good parts. It also lets the poet see what in their poem is unclear; if the poet knows what an image is supposed to be, it doesn't really matter if that doesn't appear to the reader without the poet's aid. The role of workshop is to point out those moments.
Workshopping my own work is also great, no matter whether the feedback is good or bad. There have been workshops that I've come out of feeling incredibly dejected and awful (not in this class, don't worry) but when I come back to that poem later with a clear head and the comments on my poem it always make sense. The poem was a mess and it was never malicious. One thing that has been strange for me in a new workshop setting is to try and figure out how harsh I can be. I am used to going into workshop and being very blunt about the things that are not working, but in a new setting, and with people that are new to it, that doesn't feel appropriate. New workshop settings are strange and it takes a lot of trust of the peers around you.