The Washing:

I thought the lead of this personal essay was very effective, it made me want to read on because not many people wash corpses. I thought that the piece had good description in certain parts, like when the author is describing the process of her putting on the medical clothing so that they don’t get whatever disease that the deceased has contracted. I also thought that the part on page 2 when the author is reflecting on her own morality, wondering who will be washing her body and if she will live long enough to have a daughter in law of her own really humanized the piece. The part at the end where the author reflects on sending the deceased her own invitation to the reception was a nice close to the essay.

Lucky Girl:

The end of the first section (up to the first big quote) is very effective in my opinion. The sharp cutting sentences add to the tension and drama of the essay. I didn’t really think that the quote from the sociologist to start the next graf was necessary, it was a little long and mundane for me. I did enjoy how the author described the different ways that her and her boyfriend tried to end the pregnancy, like the gin in the bath tub and the running up and down the stairs. The uses short sentences very effectively throughout the piece with “my rabbit died” and ” i got pregnant” which is a technique i enjoy.