Shop Write Response

In Amanda Hesser's "Shop Write," the author reveals the inner workings of a website dedicated to grocery lists. She describes the content to be submissions of discarded shopping lists that have the ability to showcase one's life. She gives an account of the creator's life and other projects such as a photograph of himself every day of his 31st year in life. Her goal of exposing the website and eliciting interest is achieved through her great description but hindered by poor organization.

In her essay, Hesser introduces the topic of grocery lists in a well developed paragraph that captures the reader's attention and gives a subtle hint of what she plans to write about. She then finishes her essay in sporadic fashion leaping from topic to topic. First, the content of the website, then how it was created, then she returns to content and recipes, then returns to the creator as well as another person, then back to recipes. This limits the clarity of the piece and appears to be rather schizophrenic.

Amidst the confusing organization are tidbits of description that are filled with creativity. In one line, Hesser refers to the act of writing a grocery list as, "lines of ink and pencil jutting and looping across crinkled and torn pieces of paper." This alternative to simply stating that someone is writing a grocery list is filled with imagery that could captivate an audience with ease.

Regardless of her poor organization which often leads to a lack of cohesiveness, Hesser saves her essay with astounding description and depth. Overall, she is able to efficiently display her addiction to the seemingly simple website as well as elicit a similar fascination in her audience.

Amanda Hesser. "Shop Write." New York City: NY Times, 2004. 2.

Screen Capture Photograph

Even twenty years ago, a photograph from a screenshot of your desktop would have sounded like a foreign language to most. Looking at my "photograph," I am reminded of the fact that I am using someone else's computer. It is strange that this sort of self portrait varies so greatly from those created a hundred years ago but are still conveying fragments of our composition (both metaphorically and literally). This digital snapshot can show you a very detailed account of someone's life including the letter to my brother I was writing. I have not spoken to him in weeks, so the task of updating him on my life is a tedious one. Although, being able to type rather than painstakingly write and rewrite a letter by hand makes it easier.

In the digital world, composing transforms from a slow, relatively thought out process into something that appears carelessly swift. The task of editing alone is cut from a daunting red penned event to a simple click-click spellcheck. All information is within reach via the internet making resources readily available and in overwhelming amounts. Everything about composing digitally is easier but this comes with consequences. With communication, knowledge, pictures, dictionaries, and anything you can think of at your disposal, there is perhaps an instance of excess communication. This is especially apparent among social networking sites that allow you to update everyone in the world about where you bought that bagel this morning. It is only when one is immersed in the culture of Word, Flickr, and Twitter that he will begin to understand the process of digital composition and how it has changed from letters and documents to explaining your day in 140 characters or less.