This blog is an unprompted reflection about a specific process I experienced in my English Composition I class. The topic I have chosen is free-writing and how it has helped me in my writing process.
When I first started English Composition I, I had no idea what free-writing was. Free-writing is a way to get all your thoughts down on paper at the beginning of your writing process. Sometimes, people get stuck on what to write about or do not know where to start. The idea is to write in complete sentences (handwritten or typed) without stopping no matter what over a certain amount of time. If you do not know what to write, you can just start writing random words until something comes to your mind. For our Life-Choice Memoir, we did an in-class free-writing session to practice writing down our thoughts for thirty minutes. We were told by our professor to set a goal of how many words we wanted to achieve in that half hour. My goal was 600 words and I surpassed it during that time period, totaling to 1042 words. I never ended up using what I wrote during that session in my memoir, but it was an amazing feeling to be able to write over 1000 words in such a short amount of time. After that class, I knew I wanted to use this method as part of my process. I wanted to replicate it because I felt so productive and accomplished knowing that I could produce quality writing in just a half-hour. When I finally decided on the life-choice I wanted to write about, I used free-writing to write my opening scene. By the end, I had at least 350 words I wanted to use in my paper. I thought my writing was much more descriptive and created a good scene because I just let the words flow without stopping. I did not pause to check to make sure my spelling or grammar was right, knowing that I could go back later and polish it. Using this method, helped me focus on the five senses rather than just telling the audience everything I was experience. I was able to show the readers using descriptive language that I wrote during my free-writing session. Going forward, I will continue to use this method whether it is for another English class or for my own personal writing. I am trying to get back in the habit of working on creative writing because it was one of my favorite hobbies in high school. My friends and I used to write short stories for each other and it was one of my fondest memories. I will use free-writing to pick up this hobby again and hopefully create work that I am proud of in the future. To assist me in this process, I purchased a writing journal called Prompt Me which I mentioned in a previous blog. To gain more insight into this journal, please click on the link here. I encourage everyone to include free-writing in their processes because it is a very empowering and worthwhile form of writing.
1 Comment
This blog features my reflection about my Research Paper that I am currently writing. Included below is my process of writing and how it has helped or inhibited me over the last few weeks. The video Reflective Writing helped me realize that by reflecting on my writing, I will become a better writer and make good revisions to my paper.
Who did you work with to compose your research paper? Was this a good approach? At first, I wanted to write about having reduced homework in America, but I could not find relevant research material on the topic. I talked to some of my family members about what topic I should write about and what would make a better argument. My mom suggested writing about standardized tests because I have experienced the struggles that come with it. I changed my topic to eliminating standardized tests in America and I was able to find a lot of credible sources while I was working on my annotated bibliography. My classmate, Candace Stoltzfus, was also doing the same topic as me and we decided to collaborate on the paper. This was a good approach because we had a similar focus for our paper. We both brought interesting points to the table and I think our final draft will be a very strong argument against standardized tests. What rhetorical mode and genre are you using? The rhetorical mode of this paper is argumentation and the genre is MLA Research Paper. When did you write this project? Good approach? I wrote the first draft of this project within three days. I set a goal for myself to write 500 words each day so that I would have 1,500 words by the next class. By the time class approached I only had 1000 words, but I still felt very accomplished with my work. This was a good approach because I set my goals high and was able to achieve a lot in three days. Also, I did not write my whole paper in one sitting so I think my writing turned out better when I stepped away from the project for a short amount of time. Where did you write this project? Good approach? I wrote most of this paper either in my bedroom or the cafe at DCCC. This was a good approach for me because I am less distracted in these areas and I am very productive. I like to work in areas where there is a little bit of noise, but not too much that it will distract me. Sometimes, I would write at the kitchen table, but I was not as productive because my family spends a lot of their time downstairs. Why did you choose to write about your chosen topic? Good choice? I chose my topic because I struggled with standardized tests in high school. I never scored high on the SATs and had hours of tutoring in Math which did very little to improve my score. My grades were very good in high school and I had a 4.0 GPA. However, my low SAT scores kept me from getting scholarships that I worked really hard for when I was applying for college. It was very frustrating and when I heard that Finland does not use standardized tests, I wondered why America still uses it even though it is ineffective. I made a good choice in choosing this topic because I have had personal experience with standardized tests which has allowed me to develop a better argument for my paper. How did it feel to write this argument ("during, after, and since")? Do you have any "if only" moments that can help you revise the draft? While I was writing my paper, I was a bit overwhelmed because there were so many facts I could put in my paper and argue several different claims. However, Candace and I decided to narrow it down to two claims: standardized tests affect critical thinking and the quality of teaching. After we combined our material together, I felt like our argument was much more organized in the structure. Since finishing our first draft, I know that we need to make substantial revisions. Because we combined two papers, it does not flow in the most effective way. An “if only” moment I have had is that we need to add more counter-arguments and refute them in our paper. We only have one counter-argument and we should definitely include more to make our paper stronger. How will you revise your argument? As I said in the previous question, Candace and I will work together to make our paper flow in a more effective way. We need to work on our transitions and may need to move paragraphs around. For our second draft, we plan on using more counter-arguments to refute in order to make our claims stronger. Recently, I have purchased a creative writing workbook and journal called Prompt Me by Robin Woods. When I was in high school, I really enjoyed creative writing and I used to write short stories all the time. Now that I am in college, I have not found much motivation to write for my own personal enjoyment because I have a lot of homework and studying. However, my English Composition I class has really inspired me to pick up writing again. To get back into the habit, I order Prompt Me on Amazon and I have absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to write or has writer’s block. Writing in my journal is my new favorite activity and I do it in between classes, while I’m watching TV, or right before I go to bed. There are a variety of prompts and endless possibilities of stories you can write.
Below, I have attached what the journal looks like and a story about my little brother Michael. He is five-years-old and has a very active imagination. Oftentimes, he will run around the house, punching and kicking the air like he is fighting a bad guy. He even adds his own sound effects and I always wonder what is going on in his head. I did a fill-in-the-blank prompt about him saving my brother Christian from being fed to sharks. It’s really short and doesn’t have much detail, but I hope you enjoy it. This blog post features my annotated bibliography for my research paper that I am in the process of writing. I chose my topic from the documentary film Where to Invade Next and I have written a full summary of the film in my blog post: Summary and Rhetorical Analysis of Where to Invade Next. My research question for my paper is: If American high schools eliminate standardized tests, will students' ability to learn and prepare for college improve? Below, I have provided sources that are relevant to my paper and will help me develop my argument that standardized tests should be eliminated.
Source 1: Clemmitt, M. (2015, April 10). Teaching critical thinking. CQ Researcher, 25, 313-336. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/
Source 2: Moore, Michael, director. Where to Invade Next. Dog Eat Dog Films, 2016.
Source 3: National Council of Teachers of English. “How Standardized Tests Shape- And Limit- Student Learning."2014. Retrieved from http://cccc.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0242-nov2014/CC0242PolicyStandardized.pdf
Source 4: Taylor, Kate. “92 New York City High Schools to Give No-Fee SAT on Wednesday.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Mar. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/03/02/nyregion/92-new-york-city-high-schools-to-give-no-fee-sat-on-wednesday.html.
Source 5: Wagner, Tony. The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--and What We Can Do about It. Basic Books, a Member of the Perseus Books Group, 2014.
Source 6: Walberg, Herbert J. "Standardized Tests Effectively Measure Student Achievement." Standardized Testing, edited by Dedria Bryfonski, Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints In Context, http://link.galegroup.com.libdb.dccc.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010478217/OVIC?u=pa_de_ccc&sid=OVIC&xid=94992545. Accessed 7 Apr. 2018. Originally published as "Stop the War Against Standardized Tests," Defining Ideas: A Hoover Institution Journal, 20 May 2011.
This blog addresses provides potential topics for my research paper. Using the documentary film Where to Invade Next, I chose three topics that I found interesting and that would make a good argument about how America can improve as a country. In Blog #9: Summary and Rhetorical Analysis of Where to Invade Next, I have written more information about the film. Below, I have provided a research question and brief argument about each topic.
Topic #1: Free college tuition in America
Topic #2: Better education in America
Topic #3: More benefits for jobs in America
This blog post focuses on the documentary film Where to Invade Next which features Michael Moore traveling to different countries. Below, I have provided a summary and a rhetorical analysis of the film. I will explain what Michael Moore learned from the various countries he visited and how ethos, logos, pathos, telos, and kairos are established. In the documentary Where to Invade Next, Michael Moore interviews people of all different countries in order to gain insight on how their societies work and compare them to America’s government system. First, Michael traveled to Italy to learn about the working benefits their citizens receive. He learned that Italians usually get eight weeks of paid vacation every year and women get five months of paid maternity leave. Similarly, Germany has only a thirty-six-hour work week and once their shift is over, they are not allowed to do anything work related. Their goal is to create less stress, which actually allows them to be more productive. In France, Michael learned that all schools, no matter how poor, get gourmet lunches everyday and get an hour to eat. Michael visited Finland where he discovered their secret to being the best country in regards to education. There, the children go to school for only four hours a day and have little-to-no homework. In addition, the teachers’ priority is the children’s happiness. In Slovenia, college tuition is free and some Americans even go there for education because tuition here is astronomically high. Crime is also handled much differently in other countries. In Portugal, there are no laws against drugs and no one is arrested for using them. When Michael went to Norway, he visited some of the prisons where he saw that the conditions were much different than the ones in our country. The prisoners were free to roam around the building and they each had access to a tv, books, a library, a pantry, and many other luxuries. In Tunisia and Iceland, women are equal to men and have more opportunities to advance in society. At the end of the film, Michael shared what he learned while he was at the Berlin Wall. He said that he was optimistic that America can overcome impossible obstacles in a short amount of time, just like how the Berlin Wall eventually fell. Many of the ideas the other countries had were all inspired by America’s ideas. We may have strayed away from some of them, but Michael suggests that we search our “lost and found” to further develop the way our society functions and how we treat people. How does Michael Moore establish ethos? In the film, Michael Moore does not establish ethos well when he is interviewing people from around the world about their lifestyle. The majority of the film is him asking questions to other people and then they give their answer. However, it is clear that Michael Moore has Democratic beliefs that Republicans would not agree with. For example, in Italy welfare is a “good word.” Michael replies that welfare is a “bad word” in America which implies that Republicans do not like increased taxes to provide welfare for the government. His questions to the people he is interviewing were focused largely on Democratic views that would support their political arguments, rather than asking questions that would support both parties. He established some ethos by letting other people talk throughout the film, however, Michael Moore himself is very biased. How does Michael Moore use logos? Logos is used in the film when Michael presents factual information to the audience. He uses the statistics of other countries and compares them to America. For example, he compares the tax rates of France and America. Michael is showing that even though France’s taxes are slightly higher, they include a lot more benefits unlike America. Another example is when Michael addressed the rate of crime after someone is released from prison. In America, 80% criminals usually end up back in prison within five years. However, in Norway, only 20% of criminals go back to prison. Michael’s use of logos thoroughly informs the audience of factual information. How does Michael Moore appeal to pathos? Michael appeals to pathos many times throughout the film by using video recordings taken during difficult times American history. For example, when the film shows the Norway prisons, American clips of police brutality and mistreatment of prisoners were shown. When the audience sees this, they most likely develop an emotional response to these videos. This emotion helps the viewers formulate an opinion about how governments should operate in addition to ethos and logos. What is Michael Moore's telos? Michael Moore’s telos is to discover the resources and successful ideas that other countries have and bring them back to America. His goal is to show the audience that we do not need an army to take away resources from other countries, but rather, we need to look for ways we can improve as a society in a peaceful manner. What is the kairos of this film? The kairos of this film is in modern time where a lot of changes are happening in America. The documentary was released in 2016 which is the year when the presidential election was approaching. The year before that, gay marriage became legal and now more and more states are legalizing marijuana. The timing of this film is very significant to its impact. Because so many changes are occurring, Michael Moore wants people to realize that it is possible to make more changes to fix the many problems we have in our country. He knew that now is the time to take action on new ideas before the issues in America become worse. This blog is an overall reflection about how my English Composition I class is going at this point in the semester. Below, I have provided insight about the progress I have made these past eight weeks and what I look forward to in the future. Please also refer to Blog #7: Life-Choice Memoir Process Reflection to learn more about my progress with my Life-Choice Memoir and the Reflective Writing video. In addition, I have also composed a brief video reflection summarizing the text written below. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think of the video! How did you feel about English Composition before the semester started? How do you feel now? Going into English Composition I, I was very excited. I had recently decided to major in English and I had been looking forward to gaining more knowledge about how to improve my writing. Now, I am ecstatic about the amount I have learned in just a few short weeks. The class is so engaging and the blogs really help me to create my formal assignments. I especially enjoy the writing sessions and how much work I am able to produce with free-writing. The first time we did this activity, I felt so accomplished and embraced the messiness of my unfinished work. In this class, how do we define composition? In class, we define composition as “combining two or more communicative elements to make meaning.” In this class, we write so we can [fill in the blank with a substantial answer]. In this class, we write so we can get our thoughts down on paper and eventually develop an incredible piece of work. The first step of the writing process is formulating ideas and writing as much as you can down. Then, you take the parts you want to include in your draft and revise them. After a lot of revision and getting feedback from others, your writing will improve dramatically since you first started. What have you learned thus far about yourself as a writer? As a writer, I have learned that my writing does not have to be perfect initially. In high school, I used to think that everything had to be structured and completed. Now, I know that writing is supposed to be messy and it’s okay if it is unfinished. I have learned that I am not limited by how I write as long as I take the time to revise and work hard to improve. As a writer in this class, do you feel as if you are improving? How so? Since the start of the semester, I definitely feel like my writing has improved. Before, it took me so long to develop one page of quality work. It was like pulling teeth out because I felt like everything had to perfect like I said before. Now, with free-writing, I can easily get 500 words out in fifteen minutes. Even though it’s not my best work, I go back and add more description. My ability to “show” has also improved. Before, it was very hard for me to develop a scene for the audience. While I was writing my life-choice memoir, I think I used more description than I have ever used before on a formal assignment. This is a really good feeling because I know that in future, it will only get better. What are your three primary English Composition I goals for the rest of this semester? My three primary English Composition I goals for the rest of this semester are: 1. Revise my life-choice memoir a little bit each day 2. Read more of my classmates’ work and comment on their blogs 3. Have more people read my work and ask them how I can improve Here are the first 350 words of my Life-Choice Memoir! I definitely need to make revisions, but I decided to share some of the work I have so far!
The circular button of the elevator lit up a dull yellow when I pressed the number two. Once the metallic silver doors slid shut, the elevator began to ascend. Reaching into my pocket, I made sure I had a pencil and a notebook ready to go. My peers were all nervously discussing what medical units they would be observing for the week. “So, Molly, what unit are you on?” Emma asked. “2 East,” I stated with a nervous smile, “You?” “MedSurg,” she replied. I nodded not knowing what else to say. Below me, I could feel the elevator coming to a halt, causing me to lose my balance a little as we were suspended in the shaft. The shiny doors slid open and I stepped into the hallway. “Good luck,” Emma shouted behind me. Giving her a quick thanks, I turned toward the sign with arrows pointing in different directions to figure out where I needed to go. For the most part the hospital seemed strangely quiet. I imagined there to be more hustle and bustle. The sign pointed me to left so I ventured toward 2 East. Even though I was wearing baggy teal scrubs and white tennis shoes that gave me blisters, I still felt like an outsider compared to the faculty. It was clear that I was a high school student by the lost look on my face. After passing a hallway filled with abandoned beds and closed office doors, I finally made it to the medical unit. This is where the hustle and bustle I expected was. At the nursing station, women in red scrubs were typing on the computer and talking to their co-workers. Others in blue scrubs were standing in various parts of the dim-lit hallway and typing on their portable computers or counting pills. Doctors in white lab coats were weaving in and out of patient’s rooms, constantly putting on hand sanitizer as they did. My feet felt like they were plastered to the floor, not knowing where to go or who to talk to. Timidly, I approached the nursing station trying to grab someone’s attention. This blog features my reflection about my Life-Choice Memoir that I am currently writing. Included below is my process of writing and how it has helped or inhibited me over the last few weeks. The video Reflective Writing helped me realize that by reflecting on my writing, I will become a better writer and make good revisions to my memoir.
Who did you work with to compose your life-choice memoir? Was this a good approach? To compose my life-choice memoir, I did not really work with anyone. For some reason, I am very private about personal writing and do not like to share it unless it is really good work. I did discuss some ideas with my boyfriend about what to write. He came up with some life-choices that I made, but they weren’t choices I was very passionate about and that I felt I could write about. While I do not like people reading my unrevised work, I think I should allow more people to read what I have. They can give me good feedback and tell me where I can improve in my writing. What rhetorical mode and genre are you using? For this formal assignment, the rhetorical mode is narration and genre is creative non-fiction. I am writing a true story about myself and incorporating description so that the audience can visualize what I experienced. When did you write this project? Good approach? I usually write in the morning or in the early afternoon on weekends. For the most part, my head is clearer and more focused at this time. Also, during my lunch break in between classes on Mondays and Wednesdays I find time to write. I think this is a good approach because my writing is better during these time periods and I am more efficient compared to doing it late at night. Where did you write this project? Good approach? The first draft I wrote was in various places throughout my house such as my kitchen or bedroom. However, since I am one of eight children this might not have been the best approach because it was hard to concentrate in my busy household. However, I did not really like the topic of my first draft and ended up changing it. My second draft I wrote at my boyfriend’s house while he was cooking dinner. I think this was a better approach because it was quieter and my writing flowed better in this environment. Why did you choose to write about your chosen topic? Good choice? Choosing my topic was very difficult because I felt like I had a lot of potential options. Originally, I was expanding on my personal narrative from my fifth blog, “Life-Choice: Should I Stay or Should I Go?”. It was about a friendship I decided to break off because it was toxic and causing me a lot of pain emotionally. There were some high stakes since we were both part of a large friend group and I knew that if I ended things with her, I’d have to leave the whole group to not make things awkward. I wrote 1000 words for it and I did not like it at all. I thought it was kind of boring and I could not get a decent amount of description from it. Therefore, I began brainstorming for new ideas and decided to write about the time where I decided I did not want to go to nursing school. There were high stakes involved because I had already applied to many colleges and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It was a very stressful time and there was a lot of pressure when I made that decision. I remember the day I made my decision very distinctly and when I started to write it, the story turned out so much better and more descriptive compared to my first draft. How did it feel to write this narrative ("during, after, and since")? Do you have any "if only" moments that can help you revise the draft? While writing the new version of my narrative, I felt really good about the work I was producing. My writing seemed much more descriptive and the words came easily to me which was an amazing feeling. I’m not quite done yet since I had to start over, but I definitely need to work on how I want to incorporate my “telling” moments and what kind of background I want to give to the story. How will you revise your narrative? As stated in my previous answer, I’m not done with my draft yet because I changed my topic. However, from what I have, I would like to add more description and start writing my “telling” moments. I want to make the reader be able to picture what I was seeing through my scenes and understand the choice that I made by not going to nursing school. This blog features Ernest Hemingway’s story “Hills Like White Elephants” which is about the tension between a man and a woman while they are talking over drinks. The man wants the woman to have an operation that the woman is hesitant about but will do it anyway in order to please the man. Stated below is my argument about whether or not she stays with the man. In addition, I have included my own story about a time where I decided to get out of a toxic friendship.
After reading the story “Hills Like White Elephants,” I think the woman most likely ends up staying with the man even though she should leave the relationship. My argument is that she is willing to do anything for the man, even if she does not want the operation or it is too dangerous. The woman mentions that she does not care about herself and that she will do anything to make the relationship better. The man seems to be very manipulative by saying that she can make her own choice, but he also mentions how their relationship will go back to the way it was if she has this operation. He does not want to seem controlling, so instead, he emphasizes that having the operation will be more beneficial. The man knows that the woman will do anything for him and continues to repeat how their love will grow after the procedure. When the woman does not want the man to talk anymore, she most likely realizes how toxic her relationship is. However, while the man was taking their bags to the train platform, she probably told herself that she wanted to be in a relationship with the man and did not want to leave him. At the end, she said, “I feel fine. There nothing wrong with me. I feel fine (Ernest Hemingway).” This shows that she completely ignored the argument and her feelings, in order to stay with the man. For this reason, I think she still stays with the man despite her better judgment. The summer before my freshman year of high school, I had a very big and life-changing surgery where I had to have my entire femur bone removed. It was replaced by a metal rod and afterward, I was on crutches for a long time. I was very nervous going into high school since I could not properly walk. However, I was going into the year with great friends from my high school, particularly my friend Elissa. We had become best friends during eighth grade and we did everything together. When I had my surgery, she was such a big help in getting me out of the house or giving me my own personal spa day. It was one of the best summers I had because she made me forget all about the pain in my leg. The first day of high school rolled around and I thought everything was going to be great because Elissa and I had all the same classes together. However, the day ended in tears. Since I was still on crutches, I needed her help carrying my books and we had to leave five minutes early from each class because I walked slower. Throughout the day, she became more and more distant. She was not talking to me and she left the classroom without waiting for me. The last couple of periods, I ended up having to carry my books myself and I was ten minutes late to class. When I got home, I cried to my mom because of how awful the day was. By the end of the school week, I knew things were very different between me and Elissa. I eventually confronted her about it. Most of the argument was over text message. “Hey, so it’s been really hard for me to carry my books from class to class and I was wondering if you could help me. I know it’s hard to carry all those books, but I could take a few to make it easier?” “Listen, Molly. This is high school now. It’s different than grade school. I can’t keep carrying your books and leaving class five minutes early. I’ll get behind and it’s not an easy thing to do. Plus, I need to make other friends.” Now, I was no longer sad. I was raging with fury. I texted, “You think it’s easy for me? Going to a new school, not being able to walk? Having to carry three textbooks, while being on crutches? Not knowing anyone else? I come home from school every day crying because so far I really hate high school and you’re not making it any better!” “I should not be the only one responsible for helping you throughout the day. It’s stressful! Make other friends,” she typed. “I will, but until I do, I need help. You’re being really selfish!” It was like an all-out war over text and we said a lot of awful things. In the end, we apologized to each other but nothing was the same after that. Not wanting to eat alone, I sat with her group of friends at lunch, but I would not say a word. I would ask random people if they could help me carry my books in between classes. Seeing Elissa in class having fun with other friends, made me so jealous. One day, right around homecoming, I realized we could not salvage the friendship and I had to move on. After that, I never spoke a word to her again. At first, I regretted not trying harder to keep the friendship. We had so many amazing memories together and I did not think I could have another friendship like that. However, after joining some clubs and branching out in my classes, I made the best friends I could ever ask for. I found people who had similar interests with me. We started hanging out on weekends and having sleepovers. Today, they are still my best friends and we talk often, despite being in college. Even though I was miserable at the time, I believe that things worked out for the better when I decided I did not want to be friends with Elissa anymore. I think if we held on to the toxic friendship we had, I never would have met my best friends. |
Molly ZahnerI will use this blog to post my informal writing assignments for my English Composition I class. Archives
April 2018
Categories
All
|