it seems that on every academic paper i've written, my teacher/professor will write, "good ideas, but thesis is unclear." today i got an art history paper back. guess what it said?
i'll admit that i can be little over the top. comparing a work by diane arbus to a work by rembrandt, discussing changes in the function of portraiture, relating it all to theories by herbert read and walter benjamin--relating trout fishing in america to walden, song of myself, and emerson's essays, while discussing romantic elements in postmodern literature, listing even more authors--comparing the scarlet letter to donnie darko (my crowning achievement in high school)--i want to do too many things in one paper.
yet--i try to be as concise as possible. i can't write long papers. so i use as few words as i can and end up being vague.
then, of course, i assume that everyone else in the world follows my same train of thought, so i probably don't explain things as much as i should.
someone recently told me he didn't "get" me. which sounded ridiculous at the time, because what is there to get? now i'm beginning to sympathize, though. i naturally assume that most people think the way i do--i don't have to say anything for someone to understand what i'm thinking or feeling. the papers i write are a lot like the conversations i carry. people have to work to figure out what i'm trying to say.
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i reject the thesis of this entry. you should not have to approach conversations like english papers. how could you be all that difficult to understand? how much can one read from mere body language? if someone doesn't understand, how about they ask a question?"i don't get you." feels so starkly unkind.
i've never felt confused reading one of your blog entries ever.
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