I agree with this, when we first picked up the book this opening “notice” was entertaining because I knew that the reason we were reading it was because of the complex plot and big picture. This section does show Twain’s great writing with literary devises.

Hi Kait,
I didn’t even think to analyze this. I’m really glad you brought this to my attention because it is humorous and I think that it was a great way for Twain to start this book because of the verbal irony sets us up for the tone of the rest of the book.

Hi Kait,
I think this is a great topic to explore and raise your voice about. Mental disorders in general are I feel are often overlooked or not seen as real illnesses, and I believe they need more awareness. Thank you for choosing this topic I hope you enjoy learning about it.

Dear Kait:

I am fascinated about your post, “Anxiety Disorders,” because it brings more awareness to our society about how many people are conditioned with anxiety disorders. Although I do not have an anxiety disorder, I was able to get an idea of how this affects them on an every day basis.

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “…anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States, or 18% of the population.” I think this is significant because it indicates how anxiety disorders are very common yet not everyone knows about this or pays much attention to it in our society.

Another sentence that I found important was: “From the my brief research, I realized that I really care about this topic because all throughout my high school career but more importantly this year, I have dealt with so much anxiety and for the longest time I thought I had some type of anxiety disorder.” This stood out for me because many middle and high schoolers face anxiety, but not many teachers nor adults can cope with those students well.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because spreading awareness about anxiety disorders are important.

Your passion for this is truly beautiful and due to the stigma concerning discussing mental illnesses, I feel that speaking up about topics such as this is very important and I encourage you to keep researching mental illnesses and speaking up!