final reflections.

Throughout this ten week course, I definitely feel like I’ve made some changes as writer – for the better. From the very first blog I’ve ever written, it sounded as if I lacked confidence in writing when it came to arguments and making analysis’; now I feel a lot better as a writer. Also in that first blog I noticed how I thought I was going to hate blogging. Well, blogging was terrible and I hated it. Just. Kidding. Blogging was not as bad as I thought it was going to be and somewhat enjoyed it at times.

This quarter I spent most of my time trying to better the argumentative aspect of my writing. I wanted to better my skills in making arguments in my essays because it felt like one of my weaker areas. I definitely found an improvement by the end of the year.

All areas of writing could always use some improving. I don’t think I’ll ever be perfect as a writer. I’ll be perfect at everything else just not as a writer. Just. Kidding. Again. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll continue to find ways to improve. I’ll find ways to improve my vocabulary, my argument skills, my use of quotes, my indenting, my essay headers, and things like that.

Thinking about my writer identity, I would say it depends.  In my blogs, as a writer I had a very imaginative personality. In my essays, I had more of a sophisticated and serious personality, trying to get my point across in a professional manner.

ohk. 'til next time. if their is a next time. :]

course reflection part two.

How have I developed as a writer and a critical thinker?? I feel like I've improved areas fairly well.

Looking at an article used to take a while. Now, I can analyze an article in my sleep, sort of, all thanks to all the articles and argumentative essays that we wrote throughout the quarter. Critical thinking helps when deciding what to use in an article to argue within the essays we wrote. Critical thinking is still pretty tough for me but Imma getting better.

Writing became a bit easier throughout the course. I was pretty used to writing long essays and argumentative essays like this in high school, so it wasn't a huge difference. Basically, the essays we wrote here was like high school, so I take advantage of these opportunities to better my skills. Blogging was different. Writing for a blog was something I never did before so I just tried to have fun with it and really write about what went through my head - regardless of how weird the thought might be.

course reflections part uno.

Since the start of this course, I feel like I have made a fair amount of improvements, thanks to this course.

How do my abilities stand for engaging in a close reading? They stand better, not quite as high as the statue of liberty, but it’s an improvement. I always felt like I was decent at locating key points within an article and being able to determine whether the text is scholarly or not. Now I just feel a little stronger in those areas. Try and compare it to levels; I started as a starter level 8 and evolved to level 15 by the end of the quarter.   

As a researcher, I have definitely changed – for the better. Before this course I just used the magical search engine known all-over the world as “Google” to research. Now I have been exposed to a new world, similar to a new born bird breaking out of its egg seeing light for the first time, with the library resources. Although I’m not a complete professional at using the library resources, I understand the gist and that it’s the preferable option for research.

ohk. peace. to. be. continued. later. some. time. ohk.

revision.

What does revision mean to me? It means a lot, I guess. I would totally prefer doing something else like going out and catching a tiger to be my pet, but revisions are important. Without revisions, everything could, perhaps, sound terrible. Revisions allow you to look over the words find a way to make them flow that much better. And it starts with this...performance, feedback, revision. Somehow you can compare it to life as mutations with the constant changes - not always being for the better - like Baba, who is apparently a lyrical genius like Lupe Fiasco but that was because of...performance, feedback, revision. Ohk. I'm done. Stop before that gets annoying; unless it already is. My. Bad. But seriously, revisions are important everywhere in everyday life, notably in a writing class where your final essay is going to be graded and your trying to get a nice-looking grade. Without revisions you could just spit nonsense like me is the cool world two red jeans corn especially though running the. What? Is that Soulja Boy?

ohk bye.

the state of my second essay.

I finished my second essay draft a couple days ago. My essay is at the borderline state of sanity and unsanity, somehow. I thought the essay was all right but could definitely use some working on. Compared to the first essay. The writing is like a mountain range, with some high and low points. I thought this one was slightly more dificult.

One thing that I wasn't sure I did well enough in the essay was clearly establishing the identity that I got through the blog posts of this blog. I just decided to reveal a quirky thinker and serious literature student as the idenitites of my essay. Anyway...

happy turkey day!!
bye.

progression of my essay.

I have a general idea of where I plan to go with the second essay. In my essay, I plan to pick apart my blog like famished baby pterodactyls in order to uncover this well hidden identity of myself in my blog. I want to elaborate more on Kathleen West’s brilliant idea of a scholarly blog that still contains a sense of personality. I also found another article that argues the concept of the social-identity vs. the self-identity, which perfectly fits into my essay like a two-thousand piece puzzle.

The main struggle I have is classifying my identity within a blog. It should not be too hard considering all the blogs posts but it’s still pretty difficult. Obviously I can tell what the social-identity is for my blog, which is the super duper professional sophisticated scholar. I am yet to come up with an identity that properly fits me? Am I a rebel? Am I a pop culture specialist? I don’t know.  I’ll figure out, not tonight because of the harry potter premiere. Yay!

article findings.

So I’ve decided that this next essay is going to be tough, like a gorilla, to write. Yet, it will be interesting, like basketball, as well. So this essay is going to be like a basketball playin’ gorilla? Uhm. Yeah. Anyways...

I found this article online that I think would help write the second essay. It’s a scholarly article from a journal that helps better establish what an identity is, things that affect identity, and ways to identify them.  The most important part of the article was the comparison of a self and social identity, kind of what Kathleen West was talking about in her own article. Both authors in their articles argue that there is an identity within a person’s blog. 

There’s plenty of information I can use to implement it into my own research. I could use their ideas of self and social identity to talk about similar things that I find in my own identity. Whatever. Somehow I’ll make this essay work towards my advantage. I will come out with the W in this fight.  

adios.