Aubrey jones period- 3

So many people go through life, looking for a huge event to happen. A huge event that will be a big story to tell bragging about how great your life is. Of course, big exciting things happening to you do have an impact on your life, but so do the little things. The little things are very often overlooked. I loved how he in this essay, talked about how he realizes that because not very many people do. He specifically mentioned the phrase "stop and smell the roses." There are so many other things that you need to stop, and see while we are all hurrying through the day to just make it back home to relax. While so many people are rushing, running, and working they are overlooking the little things that make life great. It is also talked about in a quote he shared, "we sleepwalk through most our lives..and..every once in awhile something happens..outside ourselves that forces up to pay attention in a new way. And we suddenly realize the world is much richer, and more magnificent, and more wonderful than we had felt for a long time." I completely agree, and love that he added this quote. Once you see you are missing little beautiful things, you begin to notice more and more. You see the beauty in things almost always overpassed. He then goes on to say "not to senimentilize.. I think children live much more continuouslyin a state of awareness of the miraculousness of exsistance." That I can also vouch for. Working at a daycare, the kids love and get excited over the little things. They see and hear thing differently. It makes you think, when do we loose that?

Tayler B. pd 3

       The thing that I found most interesting about the article was when he was talking about how he will never run out of source material to run out of source material. My favorite quote was "The essay-writer has no lack of subject-matter. He has the  day that is passing over his head; and, if unsatisfied with  that, he has the world’s six thousand years to depasture  his gay or serious humour upon". this quote means that even if you have nothing important going on in your life to write about. you can always do a running commentary on history. their is never a lack of material we are each a unique human being and what we say matters to people. we are almost never just repeating what other people have already said we can provide valuable insight to a situation we can make it funny or really sad. their is a never ending list of source material that this paper points out we can write about and that is extremely beautiful

Sarah W. Pd. 7

"Essayists are keen observers of the overlooked, the ignored, the seemingly unimportant." I  have always strongly disliked essays. Ever since i wrote my first essay, which was probably about some picture book i had to read then write about. Of course, as the years went on, the essays got longer and the topics got harder. This made me hate essays even more. "Great, another essay trying to persuade people to think like me." or "Awesome, a five page essay on a book i didn't even enjoy."
This class, has been recently opening my eyes to the actual beauty of a well written essay. Reading this passage contributed to my realization, which is why i liked the quote from above. "...the overlooked, the ignored, and seemingly unimportant." What people don't realize is how important an essay actually is. Whether the essay is about some book you had to read, or if its about a powerful motivational story; someone out there is going to enjoy it. Someone might read your writing and learn a new way of thinking, or even learn something about you that you decided to write down instead of saying out-loud. Writing is powerful, whether its in essay form, or in a poem. Its powerful, and beautiful.

Lucia per.3

The Infinite Suggestiveness of Common Things. To me this essay was super hard to understand, to grasp the idea and information. I read it three times trying to understand what Madden was implying, and because I wasn't interested in reading it, I would read it over and over understanding nothing, it was after I read what my classmates posted about it when I stared to understand what he was saying. I like how Madden was not afraid to make a point, after his teacher said "“What will you do when you run out of experiences to write about?” He wanted me to admit that I’d have to turn to fiction or suffer the ignominy of rewriting the same handful of exciting experiences I’d had in my life." How he basically implied that there will always be a new experience to write about. We just have to pay attention and be willing to experience new things, to see things in a different way and not just how everyone else sees it. If we all saw things the same way there would be nothing to tell, nothing new and everything would be boring. "We sleepwalk through most of our lives . . . and every
once in a while something happens . . . outside ourselves that forces us to pay attention in a new way, or something happens inside us that enables us to pay attention in a new way. And we suddenly realize that the world is so much richer, and more magnificent, and more wonderful than
we had felt for a long time. Not to sentimentalize . . . , but I think children live much more continuously in a state of awareness of the miraculousness of existence." that quote awoke something inside me, it made me think long and hard about how I see things and made me wonder how others look at things and what the think about or what memories pop up in their minds. I liked the fact that reading this was different than all the other things I've ever read and how by reading it makes me think of writing and how I write and express my thoughts. I ended up learning something from a ten page essay I didn't even want to read, but I'm glad I read it

Jofre R. Period 7

Early on while reading The Infinite Suggestiveness of Common Things you get an inner perspective on the writing style Madden uses.  He describes that a writing teacher he used to have asked him "What will you do when you run out of experiences in your life to write about?" Suggesting that he would eventually have to turn to fiction for ideas because he would end up with rewriting significant events in his life which would leave him with nothing.  With what his teacher told him Madden eventually describes that their are many stories and important things hidden in every day life.  He uses children as a big example through out the piece saying how they have that inner perspective on looking at things differently.  That children have wonder and questions to why things happen, and through this he has become a better writer. "Thankfully, I recognized the world whispering, put fingers to keyboard let the ideas collaborate and grow", I like this sentence in that he was awoken by his daughter to look at things differently.  Meaning in other words that we all have that inner perspective of looking at things in a way in which we have never seen it before, unlocking this will in my opinion make us become better writers.

Jackson P. Pd. 7

I am so grateful for the opportunity I was given to read, "The Infinite Suggestiveness of Common Things" by Patrick Madden. I loved this excerpt; I agree with all of his opinions and statements. Madden stated, "Children, ...how they [are] a renewable source of writing material ... Children may awaken us to the marvels slipping past us." If we all saw things in the same way that children do, we may enjoy more. We may get more out of life and it's little moments. I have noticed in my lifetime that the little moments, the ones that I spend with family, are moments that I will love forever. When my little brother says something at dinner that makes the whole family laugh. When my parents tease us (their kids) about their "crush." This is what Madden speaks of and I would hope that we would all harken to this advice. Madden believes in finding the small things, including one small word. The passion that Madden had passion in finding the word Quotidian. The word had a great meaning to him. His modest search lead him to find the word he was looking for. His search lead him to seeing life in a different way; a more enjoyable way. 

Micah O. Per 3

Beginning to read this essay was truly difficult. This just looked like another passage from another boring book, which is not appealing at all. After diving into the passage further, i came across a quotation from "On Washerwoman - Leigh Hunt" that said "The fastidious habits of polished life generally incline us to reject, as incapable of interesting us, whatever does not present itself in graceful shape of its own, and a ready-made suit of ornaments. But some of the plainest 
weeds become beautiful under the microscope."  This was relative to me for the exact reason I didn't want to read this passage; it didn't seem interesting because of normal habits which force me to disregard anything that doesn't stand out. Madden repeatedly said that it is fully acceptable to not plan ahead, to let your mind ponder and come up with something you really thought of instead of forced, I thought this was relatable for all of us in high school because we so often try and over-plan and end up trying to force things to go well which in turn stresses us out to the point of a break-down. No matter how much we think we will be able to stop writing or be creative, Madden writes that that is physically impossible. Realistically, I took one thing away from this passage. That thing is the knowledge that I am always creative no matter how much I can tell myself I am not, and I plan to use many of these "lessons" in future essays.