Once you finish reading this text, reflect on what it was like to read it. Create your post as a letter to a friend who doesn’t go to school at DU or a family member, telling them what it was like to read this book. Where were you when you read it? What else was going on around you? What did you think or feel as you read? What did you discover as a reader that might surprise someone back home or who knew you before you came to college? Make sure and discuss one or two specific examples from the text as you narrate how reading her book affected you. Your letter should be 250-350 words long.
Please post your letter as a comment to this post before class meets on Monday, January 11.
Remember: This blog is a public space, so even though you might write to someone you’re very close to or write about issues that might be personal, make sure you’re comfortable having other people (that is, me, your classmates, and possibly folks out in the blogosphere) read what you write.
Questionable Quality
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Found on the premises of Johnson-McFarlane and Centennial Halls are what
are supposed to be “convenience” stores. These convenience stores make
their busin...
16 years ago
Here is Amy's response:
ReplyDeleteDear Dennis,
The past week has been one of many struggle for me. This abrupt change of becoming a Denver pioneer from a Washington husky has been manageable, but I'm still struggling with the idea of being so far away from you and all of the friends I met up in Seattle. I miss your smile, Hayley's shocked face when we talk of anything provocative, Andrew's charming taunts, and Jessica's watchful eye. Being away for the past three months has really changed the way I see the world and has caused coming back to be more of an adventure and transition than I expected.
Despite all the turmoil and readjustments this week held, I was inspired to believe in my goals and aspiration and be appreciative for the comfort, love, and happiness that my life holds, by a book: Dorothy Allison's Two or Three Things I Know For Sure. Throughout the book Allison depicts the sorrow that surrounded her since she was a child. Her life was a vision of rape and ugliness, secrets and withheld love, misguided minds and people taking advantage of one another. Reading her descriptive scenes of "making peace with the violence of [her] own desire, "trying to be innocent, believing [herself] to be evil, and being "exhausted, angry, and never loved enough", I realized how lucky I am. I have a family that loves me, friends who support me, and you as a boyfriend who respects me day in and day out. Allison truly put my situation into perspective. Although this past week has been quite the struggle, I have so much to be grateful for in life and I need to remember Allison's narration and relish the pieces of my life that are still available to me.
Now all that is left for me to do is embrace Allison's lesson and approach each day with a renewed vigor and appreciation. Hopefully in times of great change and confusion you will be able to do the same.
With love,
Amy
Dear Jen,
ReplyDeleteThroughout the past couple of days, I have been reading a short book called "Two Or Three Things I Know For Sure," by Dorothy Allison. This book made me think of you as your social work takes you to places similar to the troubles in this book. At first, this raw narration of a woman's life appeared just like any other story I would read for a class. But with time however, the story started to become more and more personal. With every new page I read, Allison would double the bluntness of her writing, and share more details of her life than one could ever imagine. When I sat down in the library last Tuesday afternoon, I never would have guessed how often I would find myself gasping out loud from the vivid imagery Allison provides her reader with. It was here where I knew this book was too personal to read in such a pubic place. From there on I continued to read "Two Or Three Things I Know For Sure," in the comfort of my freshman residence. With provocative language such as "The last time my step-father beat me, I was sixteen years old, its was my birthday..." made this an interesting first read since being back in Denver. I am here until June, and in my first week back, instead of slowly getting to wade into the cold swimming pool that is college, I am pushed right in by such a book. Now this isn't always a bad thing. The way I think of it, I read a book that I normally would not have been interested in, but because I was pushed into the water, I read a wonderful story that really touched me with its obscene description. I think you would really like this book. You're into social issues and are a lot more accepting of different styles of writing than I was before reading this. From this story, I feel I am forever changed. Dorothy Allison's tale opened up my pallet, and made me except different genres of writing than I normally would not have been at all interested in. With this being said, I will continue through life knowing that their are people who might not have been given as good an upbringing as I was, and have a greater appreciation, and sympathy for people with the great perseverance and strength that Ms. Allison has.
Hope all is well,
Andrew
Dear Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that my two month break is already over with. It feels like time went by so fast. Classes this quarter are going to be a lot more challenging than last quarter; but as you know, I enjoy challenges. How is Arizona? The first night back was weird for me; shower shoes, loud hallways, and a small bed. So far I am enjoying all of my classes. I believe that this transition will be a lot easier than when I first moved in.
There was no hesitation when it came to us jumping into the material that we will be reading for this quarter. The one class that we have already read a whole book in is my Writing class. The name of the book is Dorothy Allison’s: Two or Three Things I Know For Sure. At first, I was confused and completely clueless to the point of this book. She retells the many memories that have yet to be completed in her head. She points out the things that she feels she needs to know, but no one will tell her. She tells the story of how she changed her life so that she would not be like the rest of the females in her family. She speaks about abuse, judgment, and the pain she endured as a child. I read this book while I was at home. Many different questions came to my mind when I was reading it. I wondered if the stories that I have been told are in complete memory or if they are fiction. It was not the easiest piece that I have read, due to the emotion that is stirred in me. But I truly enjoyed every moment of it. I enjoyed the way that she spoke an unusual truth about her life.
Overall this book is one that I would recommend. Not because of the content, but because of the way that the book made me think. I made me question various aspects of my life and the different stories that I have been told.
Love,
Mariah
Nick,
ReplyDeleteAfter another tough transition of switching from my home-life to the copious amount of homework I receive from school on the first day of classes, I have finally begun to settle down and get back into the “study swing of things”.
As a part of this homework, this past week I read a book called “One or Two Things I Know For Sure,” by Dorothy Allison. This book made me feel so lucky, privileged and relived that I did not have to experience the type of lifestyle that Dorothy possessed as a child. This lifestyle was a hard life of verbal and sexual abuse from her stepfather starting at the age of five years. Reading this book made me feel extremely uncomfortable, considering the fact that I thankfully have never experienced anything close to this, or dealt with anyone in relation to me with this type of a childhood. Hearing this story about a young girl, having to live in such a dangerous place, made me understand better the harsh stories which I have heard in the news throughout my life, and sort of just shrugged off. I feel as though this is because this book went more in depth, giving more imagery from a first person point of view which is something the news can never truly capture. Allison writes that on her 16th birthday was the last time she was beaten by her stepfather it what was supposed to be a common birthday spanking. This beating happened in front of her friends and was one of the most embarrassing moments of her life as she quickly became red in the face. She yells at her stepfather that this would be the last time that he ever beats her. I feel as though this was one of the main turning points of her what would become feminist lifestyle, as she stood up to this stronger figure and spoke her mind.
Hope all is well with you,
Gabe
Dear Round,
ReplyDeleteAs we recently discussed, second quarter of my freshmen year in college has been rocky. Random things keep happening in my family, social, and academic life to make me want to throw in the towel and come home. I know I am a little melodramatic when it comes to things not going my way—saying the world is going to end and my life is crumbling away because of unfortunate situations. But as I read Dorothy Allison’s Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, I realized that I make too big a deal out of rather small life circumstances.
At the end of the book Allison recounts a dream where bricks of a wall show different parts of her life. Each time she sees one brick crumble away a new memory on a new brick comes into focus. In the end, the only thing she has to hold on to is the word “Mama” “holding [her] up like a loved hand” (Allison 94). I remember when you told me that you watched a movie in one of your psychology classes based on Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina—which described a similar story where a mother ignores the fact that her new husband repeatedly rapes her daughters—your professor said that if students could not handle that movie then they could not handle being a psychologist. Similarly, while reading this book during my work-study in the library, I thought of how people react to cope with change and tragedy. For Allison, she needed to put all her stories into words and share them with the world. Like seeing a graphic and tragic story can change a person inside—if even for a moment—a graphic story, despite its veracity, can be “a harder piece of truth” (Allison 3). Fiction gives deeper meaning to everyday life, it adds moral and conviction and testimony that would otherwise not be achieved through dry facts. For Allison, merely saying that her stepfather raped her and that she prefers romantic relationships with women over men falls short of the truth, falls short of the truer story behind her life.
Through reading this book, I gained new appreciation for the stories behind people’s waking lives. I no longer see Allison as a roughened up lesbian, but a woman who came out of the rubble of her life and remade her identity through words.
Melina
Dear Ivy,
ReplyDeleteThis is your sunshine girl writing to you. She knows it is a difficult time for you and that nothing she can say will suddenly make the sun come out again, but she knows you have a strong spirit to get through this time.
Recently, she has been reading a book called “TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW FOR SURE”, written by Dorothy Allison, an author of Bastard out of Carolina, for an academic writing class. Allison is an amazing storyteller, and her writing talent is incredible. I just couldn’t help recommending you to give a try on this book. It isn’t very hard English to understand; instead, she uses easy-understanding vocabularies to narrate while showing her audience the most delicious writing ever. She honestly tells many painful stories happened to her as well as her family, sexual abuse as a child, the tangled family, mother’s death, lesbianism. I believe anyone’s life couldn’t be worse than hers. However, she experienced it; she faced it; she struggled for it, and she get through it. I believe the moment she decided to write it publicly, she had already been living with a heart of great peace as all the annoying things had gone away with wind. There are no other people outside but yourself.
Therefore, I have very deep respect for Allison and her work. That’s why I want you to read it, to feel her painful life as well as her maturation process. You never think that stories could be told in such an attractive way as we were little girls, listening to mum’s Anderson stories. One of the Tow or three things Allison knows for sure, for which I know for sure, is that “ telling the story all the way through is an act of love”. I want to tell you that I will always be here with open arms, a listening ear, and a loving shoulder to lean on. Tell me your stories, let me share you hardness in the power of storytelling.
All in all, I believe that you will get through this, and then you will come out. On the other side even stronger than before, but until that time, please remember: you are loved.
Peace and Love
Flora
Dear Mena,
ReplyDeleteI can’t describe how much I have missed you and my brothers since I left home three years ago. I missed all your silly jokes and I missed playing football on the beach where the sands are whiter than white and the sea is clearer than crystal. Sometimes I think to myself “how do you go on after you left all your memories back home? How do you pick up the threads of an old life that was filled with sixteen years of memories, friendship, and brothership?”.
Nothing really changed my thoughts until last week when my English professor gave the class a book to read, the book’s name is “Two or Three things I Know For Sure,” by Dorothy Alison. The author tells stories; most of the time she remembers her family members through memories that she has experienced and through her mother’s stories.
The author also explains how she is trying to go on with her life, but how could she with all the memories- good and bad- pulling her back to where she came from. “For years every time I said it…“rap” and “child” in the same sentence I feel like the muscles of the back of my neck pull as taut as the string of a kite straining against the wind” Dorothy Allison said (Allison, 42). Later on in the book instead of escaping her past she faced it. She starts to talk about all the cruel and vicious experiences she had encountered in her life. Through her speech she’s able to “Get that feeling of letting go”.
On page 92 Dorothy Allison said “My story was on this wall. I stood in front of the wall. I put my hand on it. Words were peeling across the wall, and every word was a brick”. After reading the quote I finally understood the power of stories, the power of memories. Stories and memories are the components of what we are made of because after we die and turn to dust only memories, only stories will keep us alive in our loved one’s minds. I invite you my friend to read that book and experience the art of storytelling and explore the depth of life’s aspects through Allison’s eye.
Best of luck
Ben
Dear Peter,
ReplyDeleteThe past week I have been reading Dorothy Allison’s book called, “Two or Three Things I Know For Sure”. This has been a very strange week of reading for me. This is a compilation of stories about Allison’s life. It has been almost a struggle for me to read as her writing style and stories are very blunt and brutal at times. It is a short book but there is a lot of information and a lot packed into the limited number of words. I’ve been reading this book in my room. I’ve been trying to focus on only the book but it has been difficult to consistently read her intense stories. I am easily distracted by my roommate and his meaningless comments. I believe that this is possibly subconscious because I do not particularly enjoy reading her stories. Its not that her stories are not well written or engaging, they are just extremely hard to read. She is quite brutal in her descriptions and writing style. When she says, “The last time my stepfather beat me I was sixteen years old. It was my birthday and he got away with it because he pretended that what he was doing was giving me a birthday spanking, a tradition in our family as in so many others.” she is so matter of fact about such horrible things. It is hard for me to read things when they seem to be said with such little emotion. I know that that is no the case at all and that she has tons of pain behind these statements but it is still very hard to get through her words. It is quite hard for me to get through this book despite how short it is. I was not aware that I would have such trouble reading something as much as this. I have definitely learned some new things about what I like to read and what I feel needs to be left alone.
Tim
My Dearest Margret,
ReplyDeleteI simply cannot believe that break is already over. We didn’t have nearly enough Starbucks visits or rides in Alice, but I think we definitely have had enough epic cooking for a while. I’m writing because I miss Chuck. And you of course. I miss your smile and your miraculous ability to finish my sentences much more eloquently than I could even imagine. But truly, I’m writing to you because I can’t help but think of you in my writing class. Not only are you a pillar of impeccable writing in my mind, but I also miss discussing books with you. And, as chance may have it, I just read an amazing book in my writing class. I doubt you’re read it before, but it is definitely worth the hour and a half it took me to read it. It’s called “Two or Three Things I Know for Sure” but Dorothy Allison. It isn’t really like any other book I’ve read. You know how I hate “Catcher in the Rye,” and I guess it is similar in the fact that it is written through a stream of consciousness, but I have to say it’s infinitely better. I wouldn’t say it’s a literary masterpiece, but I think it undoubtedly deserves a place next to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” It demands introspection rather than sympathy. It makes you think and feel. As a reader, you can’t help but reflect upon your own life. For me, I was inspired by her battles with personal image. One passage sticks out in particular: “I looked down and saw my own body as a hated stranger might see it. I had just become my mother’s daughter, my sisters’ counterpart – tender and fragile and hungry for something besides dispassionate curiosity” (58). It’s a hard read. It pulls you though a myriad of emotions, but I think you become a stronger person after reading it. No matter who you are, I think Allison will speak to you. That, to me, is the power in her words – their ability to reach out and touch the soul, anyone’s soul.
Love you!
Ryan
P.S. Don’t forget to write me back! You know how I love getting post! :D
Dear Alex,
ReplyDeleteStarting up school after a month long break was relatively relaxing as I finally grew tired of the constant boredom. I had to drop French this quarter since they wanted to charge me four-thousand dollars for the class as I was already at eighteen credit hours with Engineering. It worked out though since I am always intimidated in a senior only class and last quarter was exhausting with French two-thousand six hundred in my schedule. I have started up work for the Engineering department again however it puts my days once more at ten to six. My largest disappointment coming back to Colorado however is the lack of political civility and the lack of political knowledge amongst students.
Even though I am forced to take a writing class this quarter I feel the book we just finished holds several points which anyone under stress, pain, or anxiety should take into consideration. The book is called "Two or Three Things I Know For Sure" and it definitely makes you aware of how much one can sync into what others believe they should be or act like, "Women lose their lives not knowing they can do something different. Men eat themselves up believing they have to be the thing they have been made. Children go crazy," (Allison 51). One of the finest points Allison brings up in her book is similar to how you believe love is an avoidable torture, "Love was something I would not have to worry about... Love was a mystery. Love was a calamity. Love was a curse that had somehow skipped me," (Allison 55). However later on Allison points out that one should embrace that pain, "I know. I am supposed to be deeply broken, incapable of love or trust or passion. But I am not, and part of why that is so is the nature of the stories I told myself to survive...When I make love I take my whole life in my hands, the damage and the pride, the bad memories and the good...and I do indeed love myself...I know the place where courage and desire come together, where pride and joy push lust through the bloodstream, right to the heart," (Allison 69). In summation it would be an impactful book in a sense that it discusses the torment love can cause and how to embrace it to turn it into something better. A sense in her writing which points out that what the world says you should be is nothing but a lie, "Two or three things I know for sure, and one is that I would rather go naked than wear the coat the world has made for me," (Allison 71).
Have a nice day,
Jordan
Hey Brenda,
ReplyDeleteThis book was interesting to me, and it brought me new perspectives on some of the troubles that women face. I was laying in my friend Erica's room, and to be completely honest I just went to her room to talk and not read. For the strangest reason though, I got sucked into reading this book all the way through without breaking my focus. My friend Erica and Maritza were doing their thing, just talking and cleaning. If I talked to all the people we used to know back in our sophmore year about what I have learned since being here at the University of Denver, they would be shocked to know that I actually had the patience to read a book all the way through. This book was not even that long, but the fact that I could not set it down without knowing what was going to happen is saying something. I am slowly improving as a student.
"You know how your mama gets." Even though the author marked that as personally significant, I can honestly say that as soon as I read that the first thought that came to mind was the women in my family. I felt a strike of sadness and heartache hit my body. I could just remember the atmosphere of a women struggling to stay strong for the rest of the family, whom they all looked up to as the head of the family. I recommend this book for you, maybe it will help bring some memories back for you or perhaps teach you something.
Sincerely,
James
P.S.: I miss you.
Mom,
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe I am already back at DU. The winter break flew by faster than I would have ever imagined. Returning to my brick-walled dorm was a bittersweet reoccurrence. But whether I like it or not, the new quarter is finally here, back in DU in the snow covered paths, trudging to Sturm 311 for Writing 1122.
Maybe not a new person, but most certainly a new mindset. My professor asked our class to read Dorothy Allison’s “Two or Three Things I Know For Sure”. I was not expecting such a novel in a writing class. Allison’s blunt and extremely sharp-edged writing style created a strange contrast of empathy and horror. Allison takes us through her journey of hardships, extreme experiences that most do not encounter in one lifetime – sexual abuse, verbal abuse, the death of her beloved mother, and the reality of her sexuality. She expresses her pain, her curses, but not striving for empathy. She assures her audience of her closure, her acceptance and learning from these tragedies in her life. She mutates these twisted curses into obliging blessings. Her reality became my entertainment. Quickly turning pages in the edge of my chair. Every new passage raised new gasps, robbed me of my own breathe. How could someone go through such adversities and strive to tell the story? Her courage, determination, ability to transform her negatives into positives, her self exploration and discovery are all far beyond admirable. She leads the life we all endeavor to pursue. Not necessarily facing the struggles she has, but the way in which she overcomes them. Her story has changed me. She took the horrid sequences in her life and created a positive focal point.
I miss you dearly, read this book.
Love always,
Em
Marko,
ReplyDeleteI cant believe the winter break that almost seemed eternal at some point is not gone and I am back in my dorm. I hope all is well for you and that your enjoying your self over in Boston. It has been really cold here but I had a narrative of its own kind to keep my mind off the cold. This book is something for my writing 1122 class but its the most unusual book I have ever read. “Two or Three Things I Know For Sure” is the name of the book and its by Dorothy Allison’s, a lesbian writer who is fearless and speaks her mind. Its something that if you have time to, i would recommend you to read it because it tells us about something that most people do not experience through their lifetime and Dorothy allows us to live through her own writing. Dorothy tells us all about going through sexual abuse, verbal abuse, the death of her beloved mother, and being a lesbian all in the same package. I know what your thinking is WOW! but its really great and you might find a couple life lessons in there as well. It really amazes me how someone who underwent so much turned all those "curses" and "misfortunes" into something positive. Well I do not want to spoil the book for you but I will warn you know, not to be surprised when you find your self unable to stop flipping the pages!
See you soon,
Victor
Dear Liza,
ReplyDeleteWe had a lot of fun over break and it was good to see you while I was home. Please try to make your way out here sometime soon to visit. Upon my return to school, I am enrolled in a writing class in which we read a very moving piece of rhetoric writing. "Two or Three Things I Know For Sure," a courageous tale of a southern lesbian feminist, is a very moving piece that talks about sensitive memories. Dorothy Allison, the narrator and author, tells her stories of rape at a young age, lesbian love, and stubborn feminist acts that shape her into the adult that she has become. When reading this book, I was sitting in my room and found myself gasping out loaned at the very detailed information about her father raping her as a child. I also was shocked at the intimacy described when she has sexual relations with another woman. Dorothy reminds me of you, her strength and determination compare to yours. For example she fights her way into an only guys karate class and stays on a tight schedule for years, going from city to city and still staying with it. So many times I have seen you do the same and fight for what you believe and want to get accomplished. I know you aren't a lesbian, but you resemble her will power and focus on a goal. I haven't read very many books in the last few years, but this one was a pager turner, and the ugly truth of it kept me reading. The story makes you truly appreciate what you have and your opportunities that are taken for granted. It puts your whole world into prospective and makes you understand how lucky you are. Miss you hope to see you soon.
Craig
Dear Brent,
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that break is over already. I wish I could have hung out with you more in the short amount of time I was at home. We've started school back up and I'm taking a Writing course this quarter. I was sitting at my desk when I opened our assigned book from class, Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, to page one and began reading. It was silent as I read the stories that Dorothy Allison shared in her memoir. She shares her hardships and different events that she has experienced throughout the course of her life. She tells stories of all of the people around her. Dorothy had faced a lot of hardships in her life that shaped her into who she is today. Even though she experienced so many terrible events, she is a happier person today. Anyways, I'm telling you because in a way you have also faced hardships in your life that have made you who you are today.
Hope to see you soon,
Meredith