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“My imagination gave me a duel life: I lived in my body, and at the same time lived a life no one could see. All my life I have told myself stories and have talked in my mind to friends. “

I found that at this moment he elaborates that his imagination shows his true self and how he would want his life to be without working or having to endure anything that would take him out of his comfort zone. By his dad forcing him to work, he was able to express himself more and have a voice without hiding his true feelings of what his dad, sister, and mother would feel.

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One part of "Digging" where the writing was very strong and effective was on page 406. Here the main character is given a pickaxe and shovel and is told to go down in the trench by the boss. The narrator states that he doesn't know much about the black men with whom he is assigned to work, however he quickly develops a strong admiration for them. "But on that first morning I did not know what they were being paid, I did not know their names, only that one was working behind me and one in front, and they were good to me and stronger than I could ever be". Here the author makes it clear that the main character is learning a very valuable life lesson.

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I found the writing to be particularly strong at the end when he talks about how he knew his father wanted to take him home on his lunch break, but in order for him to grow and become strong, his father knew he could not. From then on, he talks about how he wishes he could have stayed home all summer with his mother and his sisters. He describes his emotions well here and is very descriptive about his mom and sister, it's almost like I can see them while I'm reading it.

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"The fear of it was part of my love for him."
I found this statement to be quite profound. It summarizes how, though infrequent, he was afraid of angering his father once his father began yelling. Although, It appears that the yelling was done simply out of love. His father's methods certainly left an impression on him. This, I believe, allowed him the ability to love his father. His father could also be quiet and conversational.  The author beautifully describes the complex relationship between father and son, as well as the entire family dynamic.

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The fear of it was part of my love for him."
I particularly felt this was a strong writing point, because most of the beginning the author talks about his father being quiet and very conversational at times as well. Then goes into explaining how he never wanted to anger him because of the fear he felt once his father began yelling. When he includes " The fear of it was apart of my love for him" it soothes the readers thoughts of him having fear for his father, I know growing up if my mother yelled it would be mostly out of love but it could bring fear to me to just hear her yell especially being it was not something she did often. So I felt the only reason it fears him to hear or see his father yell is because he's not use to his father yelling. And going to his father telling him he'd rather hang with friends then work could have brought extra fear because his father worked growing up as well.

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" The fear of it was part of my love for him."
I particularly felt this was a strong writing point, because most of the beginning the author talks about his father being quiet and very conversational but then goes into explain how he never wanted to anger him So when he includes " The fear of it was apart of my love for him" it explains deeper that throughout the years with his father if he yells it may be out of love. And the reason it fears him to hear or see his father yell is because he's not use to his father yelling that's not a way of communication in their household.

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This sentence summarizes how the author felt when his father raised his voice. His language is simple but convincing. Through the personification of his father's voice pulling his soul from the author's body, the author describes how powerful and fearful his father was and the impact that this had on his life. This is a good example of how a good writer can illustrate situations and emotions without using many words, just choosing the adequate ones and the right literary tools.

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For me the strongest part of the story that stood out was when the narrator was standing in front of the foreman waiting for assignment. "I stood mutely, waiting for him to assign me to some good-hearted Cajun carpenter. He assigned me a pickaxe and a shovel and told me to get into the trench and go to work." This reminded me of my very first job, cleaning busses at my mothers bus company she worked at. What I thought I was going to be doing was very different than what I actually was. It made it relatable to me. Additionally, the writing painted a picture in my mind what the scene was and my heart went out to the main character. It also tied into the ending which showed how resilient the character became and how appreciative he was in the end towards his father.

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I felt that the author's description of the finalization of the job was particularly strong.  Two sentences in this part of the passage stuck out to me as the most poignant.  "Then it was done.  Someone told us."  "Someone should have blown a bugle, we should have climbed exultant from the trench, gathered to wipe sweat from our brows, drink water, shake hands, then walk together to each of the four sides and marvel at what we had made."  This descriptive writing invokes a dichotomy of feelings regarding the completion of the arduous task.  On one hand, it was completely anti-climatic and it merely "just ended."  However, the author is clearly proud of the work that he contributed towards the project and in his mind wishes there was a much more grandiose result to commemorate the workers' efforts.  Additionally, the author describes the trench as "part of me" but "probably never to be seen again."  This continues to demonstrate the author's simultaneous pride in his laborious efforts and realization that no one will even know the struggle that he endured whilst digging the trench.  This usage of contrasting language was effective in helping the audience understand exactly how the author felt about the completion of the job.

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I found the writing to be strong when he spoke about dealing with his father. I felt the emotion he was portraying when he spoke about how he dint understand the lessons he had earned until years later. the writing was powerful and stated in such a way as though I put myself in that ditch and was digging it with them, I felt the despair, the tiredness they felt and at the end I felt the pride of accomplishment.

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"Digging"
"He did not yell often. That sound was not a part of our family life. The fear of it was part of my love for him."
This was my favorite quote. I am able to relate, as my father was similar in stature. The way he describes his father, you get a true sense of the man he was, and likewise, their relationship. The words were so perfectly written, I was swept up in the moment of the story. A strange calm swept over me.

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I found the the writing to be strong and direct when the paragraph that the word Nigras was used to identify a person of color. It reminds the reader how color was viewed and an issue back in that time frame. Yet it didn't affect Dubus' and his relationship with the men of color he bonded with.

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I found the ending paragraphs the most telling and effective. I felt that they truly depicted how the main character felt about his grueling experience and the lessons he learned. He truly showed appreciation for his fathers tough love and felt that he had become a man he could be proud of. He was able to also put aside color difference and make friends throughout the process which seemed to help his days go more smoothly. He learned he underestimated his own strengths.

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One part of Digging where the writing was strong and effective was when the narrator described how he was feeling at the moment. He expressed how difficult was it to work and how the heat has made it worse for him to operate. He perfectly provide us with the picture of the situation and his feelings at the same time.

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"My imagination gave me a dual life: I lived in my body, and at the same time lived a life no one could see".
- Accepting to yourself that you lived a life full lies is a strong statement. It is like you telling yourself that this is not you, and at the same time this is you, Trying to please others in your surroundings, makes you unfair to yourself. At the same time, you are faking and portraying lies to others simply to be accepted and to be loved. Every individual has certain quality that makes them unique, and makes them strong. Even though sometimes this looks weak to others but it is a good quality to know and choose your battle in life.

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'I said nothing; there was no hat I wanted to wear. I carried the helmet in its bag out of the store and, in the car, laid it beside me. At that place where sweating men worked, I put it on; a thin leather strap looped around the back of my head. I went to my two comrades in in the trench. One of them said: "That's a good hat." I jumped in.' This particular section shows that the narrator is still very defiant on this job that he did not want to do. Yet the change of vocabulary from using men to comrades shows that the narrator thinks of them in a different light. The use of a line break to emphasize his returning to work captures the idea that even though this is something that the narrator has to do, it was still their choice to do it. This passage reflects the sense of obligation the narrator feels towards succeeding in this job that was put up by their father, but still realizes that it is his choice to make.