My first experience reading Erard was long, strenuous, and exhausting. My brain has never worked harder in its life then it did while reading his article. I went back, reread lines, looked up definitions, and I still had a hard time understanding the topics. It was messy, not too messy though, almost like organized chaos. I knew the gist of what I was reading, I just didn’t get all the ins and outs. In high school, I had never read any article to this extent. I could almost feel my brain expanding as I read word by word. I went into class the next day feeling a bit confused and nervous for the class discussion. I was afraid I did not correctly understand what I had just read.
The class discussion we had about Erard’s article opened up my mind even more. I, in fact, did understand what he was writing about. I understood the purpose, the metaphors he used, the language, and the context. Talking about it in class not only allowed me to hear how other people interpreted this article, but it also allowed me to clear up any confusion that I did experience. I was very confused about the dandelion and orchid metaphor, but after talking to a few classmates and hearing their perspective on it, I understood it completely.
After reading this article for a second time and talking to my peers, I feel like I understand every aspect now. When he kept writing about “pseudo-mistakes” I was so confused because I could not find the definition of pseudo ANYWHERE. After hearing in class that the definiton of pseudo was “false, fake, or intentional”, everything made so much more sense. As I read it for a second time, everything came together in my brain and it all connected.
Another realization that I came across while reading this article a second time is Erard’s interpretation of a metaphor. I first thought that he mainly believed that metaphors open up your mind, but I was wrong. I read it a second time and realized that his beliefs are much stronger. He states that metaphors have the power to change the way people think, and I think that is amazing. Metaphors allow you to see the other side of things, not just one side. Clearing up the fog definitely allowed me to strongly understand the author’s argument, and I a hundred percent agree with it.
Words I didn’t know:
Deliberate: “Done consciously and intentionally”
Provocation: “Action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately.”
Hope,
I applaud the mind growing effort that you put into reading and understanding this essay. I am so excited that you arrived to class only to realize that you were completely capable of understanding such a difficult and unfamiliar text. With that attitude, you can do anything! Your annotations reflect all your efforts. Keep up the amazing work!