In response to Melissa Zilinki:

After reading Mel’s response to Becoming a Writer by Russell Baker and In Praise of the F Word by Mary Sherry, I was blown away by how she responds with her own thoughts while simultaneously providing context and evidence from the text. Her response to the texts is rather strong, especially towards author Mary Sherry. She connects her own real world experiences with that of the authors’ while specifically relating to her experience as a writer. I did not integrate such specific personal examples into my response, but after reading Mel’s, I wish that I had; they really create impact and generate interest towards her response. I especially enjoyed the story in her second paragraph, when she disagrees with Sherry. I found this interesting since, none of my responses so far have directly disagreed with a reading so far. Her personal explanation of her circumstances was really moving, and is a direct example of something I mentioned in my own response. Her personal connections helped me connect to her response as well, as her unique perspective in this situation really “fit” with the text and helped make reader connections to her writing. Overall, I found her response really interesting and thorough. Her writing was very well organized, and her personal thoughts were seamlessly integrated into her response as well as her evidence.