No 5
A Chasm
A command to transcript with a most common communicator missing, hmm, what’s this about? I pout at first. Finally, go and play, I say. It will do you good.
Initially, I script lists and lists of words — sun, scratch, scrutiny, hip…., random words — “with quick scrutiny”… anon a story’s start.
“A brilliant sun is inching past a pink horizon. Strolling down Atlantic City’s boardwalk, with dads holding onto chubby hands, shod in strappy sandals of a sky color, hair damp and gritty with sand, Mary grins”.
This is torturous. Sadism, in that Zen-yogic kind of way, that summons skinny brown souls calmly smiling, walking on cots of nails. This tactic hurts your brain and hauls you out of that comfort crib. I’ll apply this again, but not today for an hour is at hand and a strain of first impressions.
I opt for translation of a previous writing and try to have fun. I get to grow my vocabulary and apply the word ‘nabob’ to boot. This assignment brings into unprecedented focus how much I enjoy the craft of writing. Which of all the ‘e’ challenged words presented by thesaurus.com fit my need best? When translating another writer’s work, if no translation is required, (e.g.: I quickly ran to our front door.), do I leave it verbatim? Is it cheating to re-write so that it’s a truer fit to the translated version? Or is the verbatim the cheat?
Was this my most favorite writing experience? No. But I feel more like a writer today.
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Mariann Farly Job #1, Composition 218 Ninth Month 8, 2008
Partial Translation: “Why McCain’s Wealth Matters”, by Jared Bernstein on Huffington Post Blog
Why McCain’s Bank Account Amount is Important
….So naturally, if you don’t know how many lavish huts you own, that indubitably says you also own lots of cash. (I told my distaff sibling about this McCain goof last Friday. Sara said, “So, I don’t know how many pairs of boots I own.” It’s all a comparison, man.)
This brings us to a man who would wish to win our country’s most important position. A political campaign’s burning to box-in an oppositional campaign’s ambitions is critical and standard drill. In this account, Obama’s group quickly sprang into action, judiciously portraying McCain as out of touch and a nabob. But, in addition to campaign politics, I think what is also critical is an inquiry as to what such opinions and, in particular, his bank account amount, says about McCain holding our country’s most important position.
FDR was rich also, and his compassion and vigor toward assisting down-and-outs had no limits. Lots of politicians, such as Bill Clinton, that distinctly scandalous papa John, or most topical, Barack Obama, surpassing lowly backgrounds, also built policy around programs that go against a status quo of opportunity and disparity. Is it simply that FDR’s party participants grasp this in a way rich GOP participants don’t?
A possibility, though I know many must do so. A conundrum though, is that I don’t think McCain is among that group. What is important — think about a juxtaposition of his opinions with a list of his goals for our country. This is as uncaring as his goofs. …..
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