Reading and writing skills are some of the most important abilities a modern student and worker needs in the world today. Prior to my sophomore English class, I had very little skills. These skills were developed from the many class discussions, books we’ve read, and lessons on grammar and organization. I have learned a great deal of how literature and writing is connected to the world we live in. There are still many skills I need to learn to be successful in my future but these skills will gradually learned just like those I have learned this year.
Class discussions were great tools in understanding complex subjects, symbolism, and common writing techniques. They aided me in become a better writer and helping me understand the deeper meaning within literature. WE read many books during the school year. Each one had its own importance in developing specific writing skills. The short stories in the beginning of the ear were also very important. They helped me understand organizational skills, and taught me to take closer attention to finer details to better understand a story. Out of these stories I felt that “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” was my favorite. The story made many connections to real life such as Bottom’s comical word blunders and comedic personality. The story made me learn more about myself and what type of person I really am.
My future is very dependent on having good English skills. I am fully comfortable with writing five paragraph papers, but what organizational; skills will I need for writing much longer essays. I feel I still need to improve my vocabulary and grammatical skills. These are two important characteristics of great writing that I have not achieved. I am very optimistic about my future and writing. My English 10 experience has truly been a success and I am grateful to my teachers that have influenced me so much and have made me realize how important these skills are in the real world.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
Vinettes
Reflection on Vignette Assignment
The vignette assignment was easily my most enjoyable project of all year. I think that these short stories were what helped me advance in writing the most. Emotions are what help make a piece of writing so great. Having personal experiences and remembering my feeling of these experiences are what helped me make these stories interesting and exciting. They were the first stories I had ever written with so much emotion and detail, that I enjoyed writing. I selected this piece because of how much it did change me. I feel it was a very important assignment to me to help me gain a better understanding of good writing. My idea for the vignette stories came almost automatically. The idea of telling my experiences in scouting has always interested me, lending it to seem perfect to use those experiences in this assignment.
The project did take a long time because I wanted the stories to be so perfect. I did not have near the trouble in writing because of how interested I was in the subject. There were much fewer revisions done to the assignment compared to the summer reading. This really made me realize how far my writing had come. The only problems I encountered were trying to incorporate accurate passages from the story, The House on Mango Street, and coming up with my own analogies that would make the story more interesting.
I learned a great deal from this assignment. It really taught me how to incorporate my feelings into writing and accurately use analogies to add interest to a story. I do not think more time would have affected me on the assignment. Now, I feel like it would be interesting to expand those stories and add more detail, adding length to the tales. The reason for incorporating this assignment was to show the assessor the change this assignment caused in my writing. I feel it is probably the most important project in the portfolio and has influenced me the most.
The vignette assignment was easily my most enjoyable project of all year. I think that these short stories were what helped me advance in writing the most. Emotions are what help make a piece of writing so great. Having personal experiences and remembering my feeling of these experiences are what helped me make these stories interesting and exciting. They were the first stories I had ever written with so much emotion and detail, that I enjoyed writing. I selected this piece because of how much it did change me. I feel it was a very important assignment to me to help me gain a better understanding of good writing. My idea for the vignette stories came almost automatically. The idea of telling my experiences in scouting has always interested me, lending it to seem perfect to use those experiences in this assignment.
The project did take a long time because I wanted the stories to be so perfect. I did not have near the trouble in writing because of how interested I was in the subject. There were much fewer revisions done to the assignment compared to the summer reading. This really made me realize how far my writing had come. The only problems I encountered were trying to incorporate accurate passages from the story, The House on Mango Street, and coming up with my own analogies that would make the story more interesting.
I learned a great deal from this assignment. It really taught me how to incorporate my feelings into writing and accurately use analogies to add interest to a story. I do not think more time would have affected me on the assignment. Now, I feel like it would be interesting to expand those stories and add more detail, adding length to the tales. The reason for incorporating this assignment was to show the assessor the change this assignment caused in my writing. I feel it is probably the most important project in the portfolio and has influenced me the most.
reflectyion on summer reading
A Reflection on Summer Reading
As a writer, my skills have drastically advanced. From summer reading to our essays on dystopia, I improved significantly. It seemed important to begin my portfolio with my first paper, summer reading. The paper gives the packet a base to show how far my writing has come. Looking back on the paper I only remember how much of a hassle it seemed to write. The paper took numerous drafts and tons of “wasted time,” despite the fact that the paper was a mere page and a half long. I chose the book, Bringing Down the House, because of the advanced math concepts the MIT students used to aid themselves in blackjack. This intrigued me because of my personal passion for math and science, not so much English. This was a common theme in my past writing. The papers would be scientifically done, only fulfilling requirements in the minimal impassive way.
There was a great deal of time spent on this paper. The many revisions, even a point was I started completely over, took time and aggravation. Problems of poor grammar and using too much plot were the main causes learned very little from doing this assignment. Blinded by confusion, the paper did not turn out well. Even if there was more time allowed I don’t think the paper would have been any better. My skills were not adequate and organizational skills were not proficient. The importance of this piece is to show how far I have advanced in my abilities. The best way to show this would be starting with my most unskillful example of work and compare to my best.
As a writer, my skills have drastically advanced. From summer reading to our essays on dystopia, I improved significantly. It seemed important to begin my portfolio with my first paper, summer reading. The paper gives the packet a base to show how far my writing has come. Looking back on the paper I only remember how much of a hassle it seemed to write. The paper took numerous drafts and tons of “wasted time,” despite the fact that the paper was a mere page and a half long. I chose the book, Bringing Down the House, because of the advanced math concepts the MIT students used to aid themselves in blackjack. This intrigued me because of my personal passion for math and science, not so much English. This was a common theme in my past writing. The papers would be scientifically done, only fulfilling requirements in the minimal impassive way.
There was a great deal of time spent on this paper. The many revisions, even a point was I started completely over, took time and aggravation. Problems of poor grammar and using too much plot were the main causes learned very little from doing this assignment. Blinded by confusion, the paper did not turn out well. Even if there was more time allowed I don’t think the paper would have been any better. My skills were not adequate and organizational skills were not proficient. The importance of this piece is to show how far I have advanced in my abilities. The best way to show this would be starting with my most unskillful example of work and compare to my best.
Friday, June 1, 2007
An Introduction Letter
"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."
- Vincent Van Gogh
Writing and reading were never a passion of mine. They seemed like emotionless timewasters that would prevent me from other things I wanteed to do. Why? The simple answer is that I was never a very good writer. This class brought my ideas of wrting and turned them around. It has become a way to incorperate emotion and thought into work. I have gained a much better understanding of grammer and improved my vocabulary. Large papers were always difficult to write. Now, my skills allow me to write an orgainized five paragraph paper that fully meets the requirments of the assignment. These skills will be nessasry for my future education to eplain my thoughts and express ideas with other people. This packet is a collection of a feww of my assignmentesnts troughout the year. The pieces I chose are three to show howmy writing has improved for the better and how it has affected my reading skills. The importance of this project is to inform about my sucess in the class and how to grade e on the PGR. It is important to fully understand the transfer I have gone through. From being an...
- Vincent Van Gogh
Writing and reading were never a passion of mine. They seemed like emotionless timewasters that would prevent me from other things I wanteed to do. Why? The simple answer is that I was never a very good writer. This class brought my ideas of wrting and turned them around. It has become a way to incorperate emotion and thought into work. I have gained a much better understanding of grammer and improved my vocabulary. Large papers were always difficult to write. Now, my skills allow me to write an orgainized five paragraph paper that fully meets the requirments of the assignment. These skills will be nessasry for my future education to eplain my thoughts and express ideas with other people. This packet is a collection of a feww of my assignmentesnts troughout the year. The pieces I chose are three to show howmy writing has improved for the better and how it has affected my reading skills. The importance of this project is to inform about my sucess in the class and how to grade e on the PGR. It is important to fully understand the transfer I have gone through. From being an...
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
My gains from the blogging experience...
I thoroughly enjoyed the blogging experience. It gave me the chance to share my ideas with others and easily understand a concept if I was confused. Blogging is a great wa to assign homework because it works as a classroom discussion any time of the day, leaving no opportunity to misunderstand a lesson. I felt that my writing also helped others form their ideas. I also felt my blog helped others design their own because of my experience using the site. Specific times in which I incorporated others ideas were such as in deciding what to do for my three personal blogs, the ones on any part of the story. I felt it would help new students if I depicted the characters, themes, and symbolism. Blogging truly was a benefit to my writing and is a great idea for english classes to help interpret and discusses books and lessons.
The Similarities
Orwell wrote this book in a time of fear and confusion. At the time it paralleled the government and living styles of the citizens like himself. There were many threats then and now depicted similarly to these in 1984. Its ideals of dictatorship and extreme limits to personal freedom are not as revolutionary as from when the book was written. now, it is clear that these problems are very realistic and many have already happened. He explains many of these as individual threats. Things such as thought police, who controlling every move, and the freedom of knowing your family history exemplify loss of personal freedom.These two are the most radical ideas to modern readers, but in reality are ot outrageous. Laws and acts by the government presently allow more governmental power to find personal information than ever before. The thought police and children who are spies on the parents are references to these acts. The clearing of past history is another way to make the government seem more powerful and ultimately makes the citizens that more brainwashed. THere are few people who are less affected, like winston. He is the parallel to modern day peacemakers. All h wishes to o is figure out the deep lies of “Big Brother” and to find what the past was like. There are so many similarities in this novel to present societies. It seems as though more similarities will continue to arise in the future, affecting all citizens and eventually turning many of us in Winstons.
Warnings
1984 is one of Orwell’s most powerful warnings ever issued against the dangers of a totalitarian society. Other of his books such as Animal Farm are much similar, but do not give the intensity and realistic quality of 1984.The book shows the worst human society imaginable, a dystopia, in an effort to convince readers to avoid any path that might lead toward such societal degradation. In 1949, at the dawn of the nuclear age and before the television, Orwell’s vision of a post-atomic dictatorship in which every individual would be monitored ceaselessly by means of the telescreen seemed terrifyingly possible. Backed by his party names, posters, and details of society assist Orwell in his work. To this day the book is still a great influence on the future. Things like telescreens have been created, just not for the same use, and similar governments in other countries are similar to his concepts. His warnings influence all who read his book and reveal some of the most terrifying possibility we fear.
Other examples such as two minutes of hate and the bans of information on the past also warn the reader of what present events are leading us to. In our world there is much hate. Things like wars, dictatorships, and other governmental issues are main causes of this. The idea of two minutes of hate seemingly makes sense in the future. The constant build up of such anger would drive citizens to insanity the entire time, so why not get it all out in two minutes. Other warnings such as banning of the information of past events are not only mentioned by symbolized by things such as the paper weight. This terrifying concepts are important warning George Orwell felt would be important to keep in mind for the future. The success of this book is determined on the influence on its reader. This book has truelly affected all of its readers and future leaders.
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