Hello Class:
How do the detail's in Quiononez's excerpt, capture your sensory organs (touch, see, smell, taste, hear)? Which of your senses are you able to you use in this brief excerpt? What role does detailed information play in critical thinking through writing, reading and observation?
This post should be answered before class on Thursday.
Don't forget to answer your peers.
Ms. Wanzo
The image was borrowed from: http://www.djouls.com/compilations/images/Various-The_Soul_Of_Spanish_Harlem_b.jpg
92 comments:
Dany Kheav
Reading the article, I found it really interesting. Quinonez gave us such a realistic picture of what he was seeing. His vision of Harlem was pastured in my mind, Quinonez wanted the audiences to visualize everything that was happening from every corner. Reading the article, I felt like I was the one walking down Harlem who was watching the crowd dance and children play, the smell of beer because the elderly were playing dominoes and hearing little rats foot steps running right in front of me to hide behind the trash can. Every imagine Quinonez gave me, I felt, smell and seen. Quinonez gave out great sensory organs there is to make you feel like you were in the his story yourself.
To have detail information is very important because if the author wants you to see what he's seeing he has to put an imagine in your head of where he's coming from. He has to persuade his audiences.
Quinonez’s excerpt makes the reader feel they are there. The reader can picture the women dancing and children playing, hearing the music from the boom box and the smell of the wet cement and feel the liveliness of the Spanish Harlem. The author uses his experience of living there as a way to transport the reader into a world that they may not know about. I think the author was trying to say that the Harlem maybe run down but it does not stop us from living our lives. The Spanish Harlem lets people forget their worries and just have fun. The senses that I was able to use were sight, smell, and hear. Using detailed information can convince the other person to agree with your side. Giving detailed information will also make your position stronger.
In this article, Quinonez use interesting description. He was very detail and creative with his choice of words. Quinonez painted a picture so the readers can imagine his experience through seeing and hearing. As Quinonez puts it, “it was a hot spring night and El Barrio had turned into a maraca and all the people had come out transformed as seeds (45).” When I read this phase, I imagine a hot day at night and everyone was happy because the cold was gone and their homes were hot, so all the people rush out their homes to enjoy the beautiful cool air. Quinonez got his point across to his audience because reading his short story also gave the readers a perfect picture of his neighborhood Spanish Harlem. Using detailed information play an important role through critical thinking because in writing, reading and observation, the author need their audience to better understand their position. Quinonez use these very well in his creative writing because he wanted his readers to be open minded and use their sensory organs so we can imagine everything he see, smell, and hear.
I agree with Caresse Fong because the author did want his readers to understand the way he grew up. It wasn’t perfect but Quinonez was still happy when he was a child. Being a critical thinking, we should learn how to be as detail as possible because it will give the reader a better understanding of our point of view. Even though Quinonez did not live in the cleanest environment but he still seen the beauty in his city. Quinonez taught me that I should not take life for granted. Find the beauty in my own city and enjoy it.
The detail’s in Quiononez’s excerpt really capture people’s sensory organs such as touch, see, smell, and hear because he showed what he was seeing, hearing, feeling, and smelling at that time. For example, he felt hot at that spring night. Then, in the second sentence, he saw that Spanish Harlem looked at the dark environment when the moonlight changed the overview of everything. Also, he could hear the song from a boom box. All these examples strongly capture people’s sensory organs.
When I first read the “Spanish Harlem at Night” which is located on page 45, the excerpt enables me to visualize what Quinonez was trying to show me. As I read along, my brain gradually formed many interesting pictures for that excerpt. Also, the interesting pictures gradually made me visualize that I was the main character, Quiononez who was at that hot spring night. Besides this, some active and powerful verbs also influence me. He uses “transformed,” “dancing,” and “walked” to show his or people’s actions.
After I read Quiononez’s excerpt, I clearly understand that the detailed information play an important role in critical thinking through writing, reading and observation. First, detailed information grabs reader’s to pay attentions to what they read. Second, detailed information builds credibility and gives strengths to our reading and writing which was mentioned by Ms. Wanzo in the previous class. If Quiononez’s excerpt did not write in details, the excerpt will be boring and hard to understand. However, in order to get the detailed information, writers should have habits of a Critical Thinker. They need to be aware of things so that they can get in the them in details.
Hi Jennifer,
I agree what you have mentioned that Quinonez used many creative and sensitive words to describe the environment.
For me, when I read that sentence. I imagined that I was in a hot spring night. The wind flew to my face and I was so relaxed. Actually, I easily loses my focus to author's ideas after a while. However, this description is still keeping in my mind.
However, I do not quite understand what you mentioned about a perfect picture of his neighborhood, Spanish Harlem. Would you like to share you perfect picture with me. For me, what I understand is that Spanish Harlem seems to be a place in New York City. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Beside this, Quinonez showed what he said to the little rat in the plastic bag. He said, “Hey, dusty guy. Where you going, eh?” This sentence is not only expressing his emotions at that time, but also describing the surrounding at that moment. So nice. What do you think?
Thanks.
This excerpt captures all of your senses as you read this passage. You can see everyone coming out in their best and dancing. You can feel how little money the community has but also how they can put that aside and have a good time with what they have. Even though things are broken and dirty, they are able to look past it and be grateful for life, as he said hello to the rat that crossed his path. You can taste the Budweiser and feel the watchful eye of the community so that nobody gets too out of hand. Everyone is involved in this celebration which makes it taste so much sweeter.
The more one knows about a situation through detail and observation, the more the reader is able to identify with what is written. It is through description that we feel, see, hear and taste through writings. If we cannot feel what the writer is trying to portray then we end up bored or uninterested in the writing and ultimately put it down. When we have little or no information, it is very difficult to effectively think about anything critically.
Jenn R.
Hello Dany,
Based on your response, I'd say that you enjoyed reading the text. It sounds like Quionez's text helped you to visualize the essay. How important is observation to Critical Thinking?
Hello Caresse,
I agree with you, "using detailed information will help you make your point stronger." Why is that? What is it about details that draws out the audience?
Hello Jen,
Your response captures nicely the purpose of details or description writing: "It is through description that we feel, see, hear and taste through writings. " How does description aid a writer whose purpose is to persuade? Is the objective the same?
Quinonez’s has given abundance of detailed information in his excerpt some good, and some bad. Through his story, my sensory organs of seeing and hearing were embraced. I imagined being in this environment. A hot summer night, where laughter, happiness and music and filled the air. Being that it was too hot to be indoors, I decided to go out and join the others. Therefore, I made my way to the street just outside the house. There, I saw a group of children playing around a hydrant, women dancing next to a boom box that was on the cement blaring Salsa, and old men consuming beers while playing the game of dominoes. Unfortunately, Quinonez does shares with you the dark side of Spanish Harlem as well. “Spanish Harlem looks better in the dark when everything is broken, and dirt is hidden.” He states. (pg45) Never the less, the authors detailed information is to the tee, the explanation of how the people are acting, what ethnic group he is referring too, and more importantly providing both sides of the story.
Therefore,with his creativeness and vision he captures your imagination; in all the while you asking your-self “I can see myself in this type of situation”! I did!!
Detailed information is Crucial in Critical thinking. When describing a certain situation to the audience, you want to make sure that they can place themselves in that same situation, by reading, and observing the information that is written.
Thank you,
Francisco Santos
After reading the Spanish Harlem at Night, I visualized a hot spring night in Harlem. The weather is like a hot summer day. Guys are walking around shirtless, girls are walking around with tank-tops. Little kids are running around playing with each other. I can see and feel everyone's emotions. There are people having fun regardless of the conditions that they live in. I see a broken down neighbor hood but the people that live there are thankful for what they have and to survive with. With my own eyes I visualize this scene in the early 80s.
Detailed information plays a huge role in critical thinking with the perspective of writing, reading, and observation. It makes us utilize a skill which we already have that we don't know about. it expands our thoughts beyond writing, reading, and observation. Detailed information helps a person understand much better in critical thinking.
With your senses, can you imagine yourself living in Harlem? Do you think it's similar with where you live at or do you think it might be different?
This is a short paragragh, but Ernesto can presents in interesting, vivid, and detail way. Ernesto shows how everybody moving in this night, how is the weather, and how is there look like. It is very attracting people in this paragraph. The author uses word very precise and sensitive. Such as "all the people had come out transformed as seeds" we can say this in simple way like "many people go around". In Ernesto sentence, the feeling is different. After I read this short description, there is a picture show on my head, I saw how people dance, how children play...
To give out detailed information can help critical thinking. As I can imaging how is that look like in that short paragraph. If give out more detailed infrmation, we can imaging more, because we can think through the word.
Ms. Wanzo,
The detailed information makes your point stronger because it is an example. It supports your argument so that the other person can not question if your argument is credible. The details allow the audience to connect with your point. It gives the other person a way to understand more where your point is coming from so that they can agree with your position.
In "Spanish Harlem at Night", Ernesto emphasizes the nighttime atmosphere, the women dancing, the rat, the jewelry, and the games being played by the elderly men and children visually. In the background while reading the story I can hear the salsa music, the open hydrants, and children laughing while playing. The senses I'm able to use in "Spanish Harlem at Night" are sight and hearing because those senses are prominent in this reading. Detailed information plays a key role in critical thinking through writing, reading and observation because you get a good sense of imagery to help you process it. Having such detailed information is effective because it allows the reader to picture themselves in the story themselves and keeps them interested to know more. Less details in writing leaves you less imaginative and less informed.
To Roger:
I agree with your response because I made a lot of the same points that you did as well. Detailed information helps the reader capture a better grasp of the situation. It's interesting because you pointed out that, "There are people having fun regardless of the conditions that they live in." I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it, your insight was very good. They may live in a ghetto, but they are still celebrating and living life to be happy. You mentioned that you imagined this scene to be in the early 80's, may I ask why?
Ms. Wanzo to Dany Kheav
Based on your response, I'd say that you enjoyed reading the text. It sounds like Quionez's text helped you to visualize the essay. How important is observation to Critical Thinking?
Yes, I really did enjoyed the text. Quiones's did a fantastic job with explaining his sensory organs to us because it felt like I was there myself. Observation plays a huge role in critical thinking because it helps us expand our possibilities of train of thoughts.
Roger Saechao to Dany Kheav
With your senses, can you imagine yourself living in Harlem? Do you think it's similar with where you live at or do you think it might be different?
Yes, reading the text did make me feel like I was the one walking down Harlem.
It's funny you asked if it's similar to where I live and the answer is yes, very much similarity. When Quinonez's said, "Like all ghettos, Spanish Harlem looks better in the dark when everything broken and dirty is hidden by darkness and the moonlight makes everything else glow like pearls" reading that made me think of my own city that I live in Oakland, Ca. Every night when I drive home on my block, it's not everyday that our street lights come on which makes it very dark and dangerous but at the same time, "dark when everything broken and dirty is hidden by darkness" it looks nice. That's something I can relate to in Quinonez text.
When I read this text, the author mentioned fire hydrants were opened, and I can't help but to think about old films that would show a place in the east coast with fire hydrants turned on. In my opinion I believe around that era was the time when people started opening fire hydrants and it continued to the 90s. I wasn't born in the 80s but when I read this text, my senses were giving me the vibe of the 80s or sometime earlier before the 80s. I also imagined a time where it was a safe time for people to walk around late at night with out worrying about anything.
I think that description can aid in pursuasion because you can appeal to the audience through your own feelings. the more descriptive that you are in your writings, the more people you can reach with your point of view. Knowing your audience is key. I dont think that the objective is the same. In Spanish Harlem he was telling a story, how he felt, and only told from his perspective. Arent we supposed to tell both sides in a pursuasive arguement? I didnt see that in this essay.
Jenn R to Chun Wing Wan (Andrew)
I agree with you and like the way you picked out the verbs that touched you. I also get bored and find things withoug detail hard to understand. I think its important to be able to put yourself in the writers shoes as you read, in order to get a full understanding of what they are trying to say and the more discriptive that they are, the easier it is to do just that.
In “Spanish Harlem at Night”, Ernesto Quiononez describes a lively night in an unsightly ghetto. He describes this night in such detail way that he forces the audience imagination to move and to picture that night. He reaches our senses. By saying all the Hydrants were opened you can smell the water touching the cement street floor. Details such as seeing a rat that poked its head from a plastic bag, makes you picture that night, and the dirty streets on his way as if you have seen it yourself. When he says “women were dancing to salsa blasting from a boom box on the cement” he makes you hear that sound coming out of boom boxes while seeing the woman dancing to it.
I think a good critical thinker should explain her ideas, reasons and examples just like Quionez, in the most detail and imaginative way. Since, consequently such explanation will encourage the audience to see the matter through the writer’s eyes, something that can ultimately leads to their persuasion.
To Carmella Montes:
Camella I think you are totally right that when a story is detail it makes you more involve and helps you through picturing yourself inside of it.
However I think sometime too much of detail can make a story boring and distract its audience attention from the main point.
In "Spanish Harlem at Night," Ernesto Quinonez used a detailed description to show us what happened in this district and how he felt at that day. His vivid description captured my sensory organs such as see, hear, taste and smell. He described that “like all ghettos, Spanish Harlem looks better in the dark when everything broken and dirty is hidden by darkness.” I could imagine the whole picture in this environment. And I could feel how hot it was at that moment. After that, he used a lot of verbs and adjectives to describe people’s action in this district, such as women’s dancing, children’s playing games, and girls’ flirting with the guys. I could hear the music playing from the boom box on the cement. Meanwhile, I could feel how happy the author was when he said hello to a rat. When I read this excerpt, I could imagine a beautiful picture from it. And I visualized that I was one of the characters in this district and participating the activities.
Detailed information plays a significant role in critical thinking through writing, reading and observation. Detailed description in writing can provide enough information to the readers. The readers can see what the authors describe and feel how the authors feel through the details. In additional, the readers can have a clear understanding from the detailed descriptions.
I like Quiononez’s excerpt because it is very interesting. The author uses many creative words to describe the scene in details. When I was reading the excerpt, I feel like I am in the scene that Quiononez described. He uses his eyes and eyes to transform the scene to the readers’ see and hear; so that, the readers could feel the same thing personally through his writing. Detailed information plays an important role in critical thinking through writing, reading and observation. When we do the observation, we have to observe the object very carefully. If we observe it in detailed, we could approach the truth as close as possible. When we read, we should read and understand each detailed information that author delivered. If we pay attention on the detailed information through reading, we could perfectly understand the true meaning of author’s words. When we write, we should use words as much as possible to describe the object. If we use detailed information to write, we are able to deliver our messages to the reader completely. Critical thinking needs to develop more, and detailed information is the main key to do so.
Yasaman Kazerooni said...
To Carmella Montes:
Camella I think you are totally right that when a story is detail it makes you more involve and helps you through picturing yourself inside of it.
However I think sometime too much of detail can make a story boring and distract its audience attention from the main point.
To Yasaman Kazerooni:
I agree that too much of details would make the statement distracted. For example, if Quionoez describes the dancing too much, his excerpt would be about the dance not the “Spanish Harlem at Nigh”. However, I think a good writer would know how to weight the content accurately in order to direct readers toward the object or the scene he/she wants to tell. Therefore, detailed information is an important role in critical thinking through writing. It is important because it could be a wrong role or a right role that depends on how we use it.
Quinonez was able to fully bring me in by using a vivid description. The first thing mentioned is the "hot spring night". Rather than saying it was dark outside, he describes how much prettier it looks when the darkness hides all of the broken and dirty parts. Even though I cannot smell or taste anything going on in this story, thoughts of taste are conjured up in my mind by the descriptions of "Budweisers wrapped in brown bags".
Detailed information plays an important role in critical thinking. The more vivid an idea is, the easier it becomes to have a solid grasp of the concept. From there, a well organized base or foundation can be laid for the critical thought that is to come...
Yasaman-
You have a point. Yes it is important to have a lot of detail, especially when it comes to critical thought. However, if all of the details are filled in for someone already, it leaves no room for that person to use their imagination and fill in anything untouched by the description. So in a way, too much detail could prove a hindrance.
Ernesto Quinonez used a very descriptive writing approach giving us a really visualize setting capturing the audience sensory organs. It gave us a good sense of what's going on in the background with people dancing to loud salsa music on a hot spring night, hydrants blowing, old men enjoying their budweiser and even the author himself would say "hello" to a rat. I can actually picture myself being in the scenario because I could felt how he was describing the hot spring, how happy he was saying "hello" to the rat, how every men or teenage girls enjoying their evening.
Detailed information plays a big role in critical thinking because it gives you a better visualize of the concept. It strengthen your point persuading your audience to agree with you. It also capture your audience attention by giving the imagination you were describing.
Hey Roger, I like how you mentioned that detailed information lead us to "expand our thought and give us a better understanding at critical thinking". As I was reading the text, it gave me a lot of different visualization that brought back old memories or experience from the past. It also gave me an good idea what is critical thinking. I actually thought about more than what I read from the text. It expand my imagination.
To Jennifer Cornelius:
I also agree with your point on how using "detailed information play an important role through critcal thinking.... author need their audience to better understand their position." But could you clarify what you mean by saying that Spanish Harlem is a perfect picture? Do you mean that people living their do not let having none to little money ruin their lives? Please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks
-Caresse
Hi Jen R:
I agree with your analysis of how the author captures your sensory organs. In deed,the more we know through detailed information,the more we find ourselves using our critical thinking skills to relate to situations such as Spanish Harlem.
Thank you,
Francisco
Hello Jenn R.,
Yes, you are right, in persuasion you are supposed to analyze both sides of the issue. But is this a persuasive excerpt? What is the author's objective here? When you as the reader are examining a text, you have should identify the author's purpose. This will help you when examining the effectiveness of his or her text. Do you know why?
Hello Frank,
Your response to the text is great. Through your writing, one can see that you connected with the vivid images Quinonez portrays in his text. How would you enhance the description in your own writing? What kinds of details would you pay attention to?
The detail's in Quiononez's excerpt was very detailed. He uses metaphors and similes to help further is details. He starts off my describing how hot the night is and describes it like a hot spring. It helps the reader set the background as very hot. He then tells the readers how the Spanish Harlem to him is like at night, when the darkness mask the ugliness and it "glow like pearls." It makes the reader imagine that even in the darkness this place is a life on its' own. Quiononez also then describe the scene of people dancing, drinking and having fun. I was able to use the sense of touch, see, smell, taste and hear. If we imagine and visualize hard enough we can most likely use all of our sensory organs.
Detailed information plays a key role because it helps the writing comes to life. It gives it character and not boringness. It makes readers what to read more and critical thinkers think more. It helps open minds and attitudes to new possibilities and reasonings.
In Quiononez’s excerpt, the details captured my sensory organs. I was able to touch, see, smell, taste, and hear. I was able to touch water from the hydrants, see women dancing to salsa, smell the garbage cans, taste the beer, and hear the music from the boom box. Although some of these senses were a bit vague, I could sense all from my experiences with the objects and detail he used.
The role that detailed information played in critical thinking though writing, reading, and observation is the exchange of ideas and how we interpret them. Through writing, you can express your ideas more with the readers by making them feel with all their senses. The reverse comes for reading. Observation gives you the opportunity to sense that object or idea. We need to take our time to take in detailed information for us to interpret the information effectively. We have to see the big picture and the small detail to take advantage of our evidence.
In the article “Spanish Harlem at night” by Ernesto Quinonez, it brings back memories as a child. It remains of when I grew up and everything the happen in the Barrio. It was sensational just imagining that time when backwards as if I was there again. The description and details give up and understanding and feeling of what occurred there. A sensation that can be obtain will your there; living that moment. Each detail is captivating the description is so accurate it makes you think your there. The matter in how he describes the mothers trying to be in two places at one.
Hi Yasaman,
I totally agree what you said. When I read that sentence, I imagined that a song was flying to my eyes. How about the last few sentences? I like this sentence that he said, “Hey, dusty guy. Where you going, eh?” I think he was so happy at that time.
Thanks.
Hey Jennifer Cornelius,
I completely agree with you it was just very creative each detail that the author used to capture the reader was good. The reader can be able to understand each scenario. What do you mean by “a perfect picture of his neighborhood Spanish Harlem?” Can you describe it a little more?
Jessica Alvarez
The details in Quinonez’s excerpt made me feel like I was part of the things he was describing. I pictured myself dancing salsa with the other women. The senses I used while reading Quiñonez’s excerpt were sight, smell and taste. I could smell and taste the beers the old men were drinking. Also, his description made me remind my own neighborhood. Detailed information has an important role in critical thinking through writing because it helps the writer’s audience believe in what the writer is narrating. It is a good way to persuade an audience
Hi David,
After I read your analysis, I agree what you said to the article "Spanish Harlem at night." However, I have a little question.
Would you like to explain little more to your last sentence.
Thanks
I agree with your saying that “the more vivid an idea is, the easier it becomes to have a solid grasp of the concept.” I have to visualize the idea first for me to learn. When I read books, they don’t go to enough detail for me to connect with them. By using detailed information, we will better hold on to the idea of it.
I agree with you. I think sight and hearing are important senses in this reading. I also was able to hear the salsa music and children laughing by playing. You are right the most details we have in a reading the better we picture ourselves in the story.
I agree with you. I think sight and hearing are important senses in this reading. I also was able to hear the salsa music and children laughing by playing. You are right the most details we have in a reading the better we picture ourselves in the story. Accidentally i posted a comment using your name. I am sorry i was not able to fix it.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the response. To further my last sentence into better words, we need detailed information to be able to see the big picture. The big picture is made out of many detailed information. Without the detailed information, we would not be able to see the big picture. As many other people puts it, detailed information makes us grasp the concept much more easier.
In "Spanish Harlem at night", Ernesto Quinonez used detailed information so that the reader can visualize everything Quinonez is seeing, hearing, and smelling. As i was reading the article, I can visualize the children playing and hearing the music from the boom box. Everything Quinonez felt, smelled and heard, it made me feel as if i was with him. Quinonez gived great sensory imagines which made readers feel as if they were in Harlem with the author. We need detailed information so that the text can come alive so we can imagine everything the author is writing. When there is detailed information it makes the reader easier to understand what the main point of the text was.
Annie Steiner
Through vivid description and sensory detail Quinonez is glamorizing aspects of the barrio recognized as degenerate or poor. “…Everything broken and dirty is hidden by darkness and the moonlight makes everything else glow like pearls.” This playful language is transforming the “broken and dirty” into “pearls”. As an observer and a storyteller Quinonez is employing language as a way to transform the readers perception of the barrio. As mentioned in our class discussion, critical thinking is the suspension of your values and beliefs in order to see the familiar in a new light. We may see parts ghettos in our own neighborhoods as decaying or dangerous but to someone else, that ghetto could feel like a kingdom. As a writer you can manipulate the readers experience to your advantage employing sensory details that affect the reader viscerally. I read this paragraph and I am affected mentally but also emotionally.
Hi caresse, I agree with you that detailed information will make our position stronger. If we did not giving enough details or evident to convince the audiences, they will feel boring and uninterested than they are not going to continue support our position. But at the same time, we need to point out how that information impacts the point we making and why the audience care about it.
This paragraph is pretty short, but the content of it is quite interesting and abundant. Quiononez’s excerpt really capture my sensory organs. Moreover, I was attracted to read it because the descriptions are quite vivid and absorbing. While I was reading this excerpt, all the descriptions change as the pictures and show up in my mind. I can clearly image what environment she is and what she can see.
Our sensory organs were aroused by these vivid descriptions. While I was reading the excerpt, I was sent to this environment that the excerpt is describing. As Quiononez said is the excerpt “ women were dancing to salsa blaring from a boom box on the cement, children playing hopscotch cullies with bottle caps, or skipping rope. These descriptions that are really vivid and absorbing change as picture in my mind. I can see they are dancing, laughing and playing.
I think vivid and detailed information is quite important in critical thinking through reading, writing and observation. As a writer, when you are going to describe a place that you like. You have to observe the environment carefully, and pick up some interesting points to describe. It can attract the reader’s attention and make your article more interesting. Moreover, we should use some vivid adjectives to describe it.
Hey Jessica, I liked how you could connect to the reading. As i was reading it i could picture how Mexico was. Reading the material brought back memorys. I agree when you wrote how the details give up and understanding on what occured there.
This excerpt really catches my visual image on what Ernesto Quinonez is describing. Quinonez’s excerpt gives me a good picture on how the Spanish Harlem will look like. It makes you feel like you’re the one walking on the street at night were there are people being active in dancing, parents keeping an eye on their children while both parents and children are having fun. I imagine I was walking into a festival that only happens once every year. The sense of hear, see, and smell help bring out my own observation at the Spanish Harlem. I can picture walking and seeing the people dancing to the music, listening to the music, and smelling the hot spring air at night. Detailed information is very important in critical thinking because the role it plays help the reader understand what the writer wants for you to observe giving a stronger point through the details. If not the detailed information Quinonez have given, I would not be able to understand by reading observing this excerpt express Quinonez happiness growing up observing the Spanish Harlem at night. His detailed information gives the reader a better understanding on what the excerpt is trying to give out to the reader.
Annie to Micheal, I really like what you said about sensory deatail serving a tool to intice the reader. You describe mirroring his emotions as you read which show the power sensory observation has over us. Helping a reader understand your point of view allows the reader to see and feel things from another prespective which leads areas of thought we havent explored. I enjoyed reading your paragraph.
To Cameron, Andrew and Simin:
Cameron:
I agree with what you said that is almost what i said to Carmella. To much detail can distract us from the main point also sometimes as you said it can stop us from imagining. However, i my self prefer to have more detail in a story like Spanish Harlem!
Andrew:
I do like that sentence. To me that sentence and his conversation with a rat makes me completely get his happy mood.
Simin:
i agree with you a good writer should know how much of detail to give and i believe indeed Quinonez is a good writer since he has made that one paragraph about a ghetto so imaginable!
Ernesto ‘s excerpt used detailed information to tell us a fresh and interesting way of looking at the thing that he was described. He created vivid sights and sound images that offered and capture the reader. Ernesto expressed his happy emotion in a hot but happy spring night. He described a beautiful scene from his thoughts that everything from a mess and turned it into something beautiful. Such as “dirty is hidden by darkness and the moonlight makes everything else glow like pearls (p.45).” , we can visualize his happiness picture from the excerpts, like children are playing together, women were dancing, old men played dominoes with Budweiser in hand and even said hello to a rat. Detail information plays an importance role in critical thinking because it helps the reader become a part of the story, visualize a picture in their head so the reader can get the full image of the story.
Hey Annie
Thanks for commenting on my post, I like how you use certain quotes from the excerpt to help give out a better understanding through the sensory organs. I agree that critical thinking is the suspension of our own values and beliefs to see something recognizable but new in out thought. As we all may think as being in a ghetto area can be dangerous even at night, but to some people gives them joy and happiness just like how Quinonez describe his night at a Spanish Harlem. I enjoy reading your paragraph and I am glad you enjoy mine. Thanks again.
Hi Diane Truong, I agree with you that detail information “gives it character and not boringness” because as we read a story without details, we don't get that picture, and we are not as interested in reading it. I think main goal of a writer is to make the reader feel like they are actually there and writing more vivid and entertaining.
Quinonez’s excerpt is very interesting. He describes the scene very details and help readers visualize a picture. Also, it makes readers’ feel like they are actually in the story. His details description captures all my sensory organ in many ways. While I am reading, I can see the beautiful hot spring night scene and everyone enjoys the party at El Barrio. I can visualize old men drinking Budweisers while they playing dominoes. I can hear music playing and children laughing. I can feel happiness flow into the air. Everyone has wonderful time at the party including the rat. Even though they live in the poor environment, they still enjoyed their life. Unlike nowadays, people are always busy. They don’t have time for anything. With all the details that Quinonez’s descried, it seems that I was standing next to him and see what he sees. Using detailed information play an important role in critical thinking through writing, reading and observation. First of all, detail information can attract readers’ attention to continue reading through the story. Second, it helps readers visualize a picture in their heads and make readers’ feel like they are actually in the story and experience what the author had been through. Detailed information also makes our writing more powerful and interesting. which make easy to engage readers through the story.
Hi, Kimhuang
I like what you explain the importance of detailed information in critical thinking. In order to show what you have sensed, you need to observe the surroundings and gather as more information as you can. That’s to say, you are trying to place detailed information into your brain. In other words, what you get in your brain is what you are able to express. In addition, we also need a tool for this work, and it’s accurate words.
In Quionoez’s excerpt, he describes what people were doing, lively and vividly. It even enables me to feel I was there, and I was already part of them. The impressive thing is the author uses more accurate and dynamic words to describe their moves and surroundings. These words activate all my sensory organs, and I could feel what he felt: heard women blaring and saw children playing hopscotch. Specifically, I even could hear the sound of water pouring out from hydrants. In the last sentence of this excerpt, author even said hello to a rat, and he felt happy. This last description echoes to their enjoyment, which makes the whole image more vivid and complete.
I think a good critical thinking need us to be understood well by the other, so detailed information is needed. If you offer adequate details, they will know your thinking well, and they can follow the direction to take your points. When you persuade them, you try to lead them thinking the same way as you do. However, detailed information does play a very important role in critical thinking, it offers them a way to you, and it also offers you a way to present more fully.
After reading an excerpt “Spanish Harlem at Night” by Ernesto Quiononez's. The detail's in Quiononez's excerpt capture my sensory organs on what I can feel, see and hear through all the process of Spanish Harlem at Night by the big and beautiful picture he gave to us and I can image the happy and exciting environment around Spanish Harlem at Night such as “a hot spring night and all the people had come out transformed as seeds.” “Everything broken and dirty is hidden by darkness and the moonlight makes everything else glow like pearls.” “ salsa blaring from a boom box on the cement” “ women were dancing” “ Children playing hopscotch, cullies with bottle caps, or skipping rope.” “Teenage girls in tight jeans flirted with guys who showed their jewelry and tattoos.” “ Old men played dominoes as they drank Budweisers wrapped in brown bags.”
When I read to the part “ women were dancing to salsa blaring from a boom box on the cement” I can feel how women are so happy and excited with the sound of salsa blaring when they were dancing. I can hear the sound of laughing and running of the children playing when I read “ Children playing hopscotch, cullies with bottle caps, or skipping rope.” When I read “ Old men played dominoes as they drank Budweisers wrapped in brown bags.” I can feel and see how they enjoy and interested in playing dominoes.
The detailed information play in critical thinking through writing, reading and observation by the way Quiononez's describe about the activity of all people at night in Spanish Harlem through the specific detail because this is a district that Quiononez knew well from the years he spent growing up there. He observes self and others in the process of perceiving, thinking and feeling. He gave to us some interesting and funny detail to catch our reading, and he use words with precision and sensitivity to word definitions that make his writing more attractive reader to read the excerpt.
Hi Kim Hung!
I agree with you about" vivid and detailed information is quite important in critical thinking through reading, writing and observation. As a writer, when you are going to describe a place that you like. You have to observe the environment carefully, and pick up some interesting points to describe. It can attract the reader’s attention and make your article more interesting." I think this is right and we need to work out with it.
Hi David Nguyen!
I like the way you said the detail capture your sensory organ that make me so interested, and I agree with you about "the role that detailed information played in critical thinking though writing, reading, and observation is the exchange of ideas and how we interpret them." I think we need to chose the important ideas to exchange and interpret them clearly.
Hi Chun Wing Wan Andrew, I agree with you that you were attracted by some active and powerful verbs. I was too. He used a lot of vivid and absorbing adjetive to decribe that harlem. It made his article much interesting. Also, I agree with you that these descriotion is still keeping in our mind. After I read it. these descriptions change as the pictures and show up in my mind. And I can clearly remember what he said. these description is really good.
Hi Jingrong Ma, I really like your explanation of What role does detailed information play in critical thinking through writing, reading and observation. I agree with you that well understand is required. If we do not understand it well, how can we persent it in our article or essay. Yes detailed information does play a very important role in critical thinking.
Hi Linh, I agree with your point view in the role of detailed information plays in critical thinking. I also think that detailed information can capture readers’ attention and lead them think more deeply. If readers don’t get that picture in their mind, means that they are not interested in the story.
Hi Phu (Tony) Luong,
I agree with your idea about detailed information strengthens our points and persuades audience to agree with what we describe.” It is true that we can use detailed information in our writing to capture readers’ attention. Moreover, the readers can imagination the scene and understand well from the description.
In Quionionez’s excerpt, it expresses people’s activity. The story engages me to read and makes me to feel liked I am part of the members in Harlem. Through the actions of jumping, shaking and moving in the excerpt, they capture my sensory of hearing and seeing. I can feel the happy mood even I am just a reader. I can image that the people are all laughing. I think the writer tries to say that what you write is important to the readers. In critical thinking, detailed information is important for writing, reading and observation. Writing is liked to spill out your thought and ideas. You must pretend that you are the one who you are writing in. A writer needs to know well on what he or she is going to write, therefore, good observation on the things the writer is going to write and what will make the readers interested are important.
Even though Quiononez's excerpt is a short description, its details enable me to see what he wants to express. The detailed depiction gives me a feeling like I am just next to them and watching what they are doing. For example, it seems like I can see the women dancing and hear the teenage girls and the guys talking to each other. This scene is very interesting and familiar to me. I can feel that the people in the description have simple life, but they are happy and really enjoy the time. Detailed information can help us to find out new knowledge and give us the key to gain an experience of understanding things that we have observed for a while.
Hi, David Nguyen, I agree with what you said, “Observation gives you the opportunity to sense that object and idea.” I believe that as you observe more, you will know more, the more that you have not notice. Through observing, it could capture your sense to discover more, it could also capture the reader’s sense as you absorb that observation. In addition, if you don’t pay attention on what you have to observe, you will never catch the main point.
Hello, Xiaomei. I agree with your idea that "detailed information can attract readers' attention to continue reading through the story." Detailed information makes readers feel interesting and then they want to keep reading. In this way, it is easier for them to understand the information and the story. Besides it gives readers a clear image to see and feel as if they were in the story.
In the excerpt from Quinonez he goes into great detail about his neighborhood at night. I can visualize through his words “the women dancing to salsa keeping one eye on their partner while one eye is watching their children.” Quinonez makes me feel like I’m the one walking through his neighborhood at night. I can visualize the young girls in tight fitting jeans flirting with the boys who are showing off their jewelry. In this brief excerpt I’m able to us my sense of sight because I can visualize everything he speaks about. I can also use my sense of hearing. I can hear the music being played on the boom box and Quinoez speaking to the rat. Detailed information is a very important thing because it helps the reader to be able to visualize and understand the message the author is trying to get across.
This paragraph is short but it’s very interesting. When I read it, the author leads me to that place like I was there with him. I can image the picture of that place, hear their music and how it smells in my mind and I can feel that they are very happy. They enjoy their life, enjoys the happy time even though they are poor and where they live is not nice and clean. Also, I think the author want to tell us Harlem may not a rich place but it’s a good place because the people who live there are really nice and they know how to make themselves happy. The senses that I was able to use were feel, see, smell, and hear. The role detailed information play in critical thinking is observation.
From Quiononez’s excerpt, I can see what he saw, I can hear what he heard, and I can feel what he felt. The detailed description let me feel that I am also in that place with him. I can see those women dancing, children playing, and how exactly those teenage girls dressed up. From his excerpt, I can feel that he was very happy and enjoy at that time, and it make me feel happy too. Quiononez gave me a lot of imaginations, so that I know exactly what he was talking about, and what he wants to say to us. From his short description, we can see that how detailed information play in critical thinking. When we are writing, we give detailed information to reader, so that they can see, feel, know exactly what we want to express. When we are reading, we can know, hear exactly what the writer want to tell. We can gain a lot of new knowledge and information when we observing a thing carefully.
I didn’t pay attention to the hydrant. Yeah, we can touch it. I missed it. And, I agree with the way you explain the role that detailed information played in critical thinking. It's really nice and easy to understand how important reading, writing and observing in critical thinking.
Hi Xia Mei Li,
I agree with your post about ho Quinonez’s description makes you feel like your standing next to him and seeing what he sees. I feel you had a good point when even though they where poor they where still able to enjoy their life. Do you think if Quinonez’s lived in a middle class neighborhood would he have had the same experience?
I found that I feel almost the same as you, but I can also feel that how glad is Quiononez of that time. I agree with you that detailed information can give us a chance to find out new knowledge, because when we are observing, we may miss a lot of detail. However, if we observe more carefully, we are able to find out new observation, and it becomes our knowledge. Moreover, I think that when we are reading, those detailed information from the article can also become our knowledge, because what people found may different from us, and we can learn from each other from detailed information.
Hi, Maria! I agree with you that you can sense what the author saw. He is very good at using language.And you said remenber you neighborhood when you read this? Does your neighber do the things like the auther described?
Hi, xiaomei! I agree with you. i can sense the touch, taste, hear form this short paragraph. The author describe it very detail. He is not only describe the people, but also the night. He only use a few more word to create a beautiful picture in our mind that is amazing.
In Quiononez’s excerpt, he was able to capture our sensory organs with his detail information about the scene. His writing made it very visual and well describe because he wants the readers to see and feel like they were actually right there next to him. It enables us to picture the image in our head that everyone is happy in Spanish Harlem at night. I can feel a fun environment since women are dancing, children are playing, and old men are drinking. The detailed information plays an important role in critical thinking through writing, reading, and observation. It could easily bring the readers into the picture that you are describing. Also, it makes the writing interesting to read that can hold the focus of the readers.
"Spanish Harlem at night,"is a lovely stroll through the ghetto. This is a beautiful depiction of a night where everything is chill and alright. For a brief moment I am vicariously a part of these peoples lives. I sensed a richness in the happenings. I sensed rhythm in the dancing, hopscotch and jump rope. I sensed a flirtatious and playful energy. I imagined the leathery hands of the old men workin' out double fives and the sweet smell of alcohol on their breath. I sensed colors....accented by moonlight. People gathered...being people. That down home kind of feeling that makes one say, " life's so sweet even the rats are my friends tonight." Oh the good stuff...it was just one of those magic nights. This kind of detail places you right there in the story . A living breathing imagination.
In the article, Quinonez describes a lot of things happening at that time. With his description, the audience, including myself, can feel and know how the situation is at that time. He captured my sensory organs that I feel like I can see, hear and touch. For example, he shows what different people are doing at that time like teenage girls are flirting with guys; women are dancing with their partners. These kinds of description captured our sight. Meanwhile, as he says women are dancing, he is also trying to show the audience that there were salsa music playing. The environment is crowded and has many noises. The author also used other thing to capture our smell sense as he says he passed by some garbage. This led us to think that the environment there must be smelly. Therefore, I can use my senses of seeing, hearing and smelling in this brief excerpt.
Detailed information can let us have a whole picture or idea of what is going on at that moment. Critical thinking asks us to judge and criticize things fairly. Therefore, we need to know the whole truth before we give our judgment. Detailed information helps us a lot. It helps us to visualize the situation and we can understand things comprehensively. While we are writing, detailed information can also help to persuade the readers.
I agree with you that Quinonez’s excerpt is very interesting and he describes the scene very details. He always shows us rather than tell us, so the reader can easily experience the feeling. For example, his excerpt does not just mention I am so happy, instead he chooses to describe the environment around him detailed to let reader to really get into the story.
You are right. I missed the beer and the hydrant that we can actually taste and touch them. Also, as the hydrant is open, water is coming out. Probably they will feel that the water is cool which also allow us to use our sense of touch while reading the excerpt.
Hello Kay
I like how you point out specific details from your observation of Quinonez's excerpt. Like I said I can imagine listening to the music, but what kinda music I am hearing, the salsa music. I have the sense of smell, hear, and see from this excerpt. I thought I sense touch as well, but reading carefully did not show if Quinonez ever interacting through touching at the Spanish Harlem, does feeling count? I do not think we can ever write anything without giving detailed information, otherwise the reader will just read plain with a sense of confusion. I too agree detailed information can help us see a better picture on what the writer is persuading.
To David Nguyen
I like you interpretation on what role detailed information play in critical thinking. I absolutely agree with what you said and so much more. It is true about what you said how observation give the opportunity to sense that object or idea and how we need to take our time for our interpretation to be effective. The big picture is pretty important too and can help us open our minds to other details we have not seen before. Great post!
Hi Ka Ki,
I enjoy what you said about the article. When I read to the sentence that described about garbage, I felt like the garbage was dirty with bad smelling. The description of the little rat also made me feel the article was interesting.
What is your opinion? Do you agree with me?
Thanks.
Michael:
Feeling probably counts. And, you are right. Detailed information is too important that we could not neglect when we are writing. However, it is hard to determine how much information should we include in the artcle. We have to balance both the information which needs to remain objective and our opinion. This is difficult, isn't it?
Andrew:
The rat part makes me feel disgusting. I can imagine how dirty and awful that place is. The most interesting thing for that part is that the author said he is saying hello to the rat. Maybe they are very close at that time.
In Quinonez's excerpt, he uses lots of sensory details that describe the spring night of Spanish Harlem that make it feel as if we are there with him. I can feel the hot weather that he feels, hear the music he hears, and see the moonlit night he sees. Detailed information is important in critical thinking through writing, reading, and observation because it helps the second party clearly see the perspective that the author is attempting to get through.
To Megan,
Hi Megan. I enjoyed reading your post because you made the ghetto sound fabulous and joyful when you said that Spanish Harlem is a lovely stroll through the ghetto. You phrased it perfectly! Not only that, but your entire post was very clear and well put.
Yes it is difficult, even for me. Sometimes I have so much to thought about I wanted to put everything in it. So I always narrow it down the the best specific detail to the unnecessary detail. I still have the same issue, I guess it becomes a habit to me.
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