Genre: State by State

Student: | Grade Level: 8th Genre: State by State | Date: May 16, 2012

HELEN (HANYU) L

The author is persuasive and clever. “I was confused, of course. I’d fallen in love not with this person, but with this place.” This reveals who she is and how she was in love with Vermont, rather than the person that brought her there. Also, “What’s so compelling to me about the mountains? Is it that there’s always somewhere to go? Is it the supramundane perspective afforded by a summit? Is it genetics?” The repeated “Is it …” provokes us to learn all the reasons why Bechdel would stay in Vermont. “I always feel a little out of place, but it’s place, of course, that binds me to these people.” This reveals that the reason she remained is that she truly adores the state, viewing it as more than the people there. Through this, the reader can feel as if Vermont is Bechdel and Bechdel is Vermont, since the place is what keeps her lingering: “…our microclimate, our brief spring-times, the particular contours and declivities of our rural, plural habitat.” The readers feel an invisible bonding among the citizens of Vermont, their unique love for their state, and their independence.

Student: | Grade Level: 8th Genre: State by State | Date: May 15, 2012

HANNAH H

Mr Watt´s Literary Services

The Federal Writers’ project assigned over six thousand American writers, researchers, and others to put together something that would represent America. Each state had a guide, some of which were over 500 pages, composed of essays written on all imaginable topics of that state. Weiland and Wilsey thought that 21st century America needed something similar to the Guide Series, a book that would explain America to the people who lived in it. As Weiland put it in his preface to the book, “despite drive-time radio and the nightly news and the Sunday paper, despite all the books and blog posts, the documentaries and songs, America and the lives lived here remain strangely and surprisingly under described.”

Student: | Grade Level: 10th Genre: State by State | Date: April 25, 2012

ROBERT C

The author for the state of Alaska is Paul Greenberg, a critic and editorialist for the New York Times. As he travels through Alaska, Greenberg provides his story and goes into fine detail to describe to the reader what he sees. At times, the story seems promising. When Greenberg lands in Alaska, he encounters a Grand Aviation dispatcher who tells him, “If you’re here to write an article, you’ve got a lot of material.” The reader is filled with hope. What will they learn about the largest state in the United States … what does “a lot of material” refer to? Unfortunately, Greenberg does not pursue Alaska’s scope and variety any further; instead, he chooses to focus on the two friends that he meets in Alaska. Greenberg goes simply through his journey in Alaska: his conversation with Jac upon arrival, his meditations on Alaska’s Yu’pik Eskimos and nature, his fishing journey with Jac’s friend Ray’s family, his conversation with Jac after his return, and his departure from Alaska. This essay seems like a casual run-down of events relayed by Greenberg to the reader – in fact, it seems more like “Why I Live at the P.O.” by Eudora Welty than an informative essay.

Student: | Grade Level: 8th Genre: State by State | Date: March 31, 2012

JESSICA C

State by State is a collection of 50 mostly personal essays, each about one of the 50 states of the U.S. According to one of the editors, Matt Weiland, “This book started with a hunch and a conviction.” While there are numerous blogs, books, documentaries, and songs about the American states, it still takes a disaster of some sort to remind us about the rest of the country, not just where we live. For example, it took 9/11 for us to remember the fragility of the Twin Towers, the Great Depression to remind us of our erratic stock market, and the effects of Hurricane Hugo to remind us of the seemingly indestructible architecture in South Carolina’s capital. Upheaval is revealed to be a changing force in our lives. For example, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the lifestyles of the people of Louisiana until they were able to reconstruct the thousands of buildings destroyed during the Category 5 hurricane. For the people of South Carolina, more specifically Charleston, this hurricane was Hurricane Hugo.