Friday, June 8, 2007
Reflection Letter
Well first off I would like to say that writing has never been one of my strong qualities. I have always been good with things such as business letters, resumes and such, but when it comes to writing an essay I seem to always struggle over wording and getting my thoughts out onto paper. This class has been one of the hardest I have had to take in my two years at EVCC, but I did enjoy the challenge. The identity section made me really think about who I am and how I fit into the big picture. The community section got me contemplating how all of my interests, such as drawing, being a Mom, and barbecuing with friends, get me involved in communities every day. The tradition section helped me change my view on what we consider traditions to be and how pop culture changes these on constant basis.
This whole experience made me realize what a diverse society we live in and by reading what others had to say made me appreciate that fact more. Through the topics of identity, community and tradition my classmates have opened my eyes to the fact that we all have different interests and different customs, but we also have a lot in common. The world is such a large place and to be able to get to know my classmates and get a glimpse of how they think, feel and live, as well as share my views and ideas, has made this whole struggle worth it.
The culmination of our quarter in English 101 is a portfolio that displays how not only our writing skills have evolved, but how our personal views have been challenged and altered. The pieces that I have chose to present to you span a wide range of issues from metaphors to pop culture to the excessive eating that takes place during the holidays. The diversity of topics we were assigned to talk about surprised me and made me really contemplate topics that are present in my everyday life, but that I never really pondered before now. I hope what you read here helps to open up your eyes to another view of the world and possibly change how you interpret it.
This whole experience made me realize what a diverse society we live in and by reading what others had to say made me appreciate that fact more. Through the topics of identity, community and tradition my classmates have opened my eyes to the fact that we all have different interests and different customs, but we also have a lot in common. The world is such a large place and to be able to get to know my classmates and get a glimpse of how they think, feel and live, as well as share my views and ideas, has made this whole struggle worth it.
The culmination of our quarter in English 101 is a portfolio that displays how not only our writing skills have evolved, but how our personal views have been challenged and altered. The pieces that I have chose to present to you span a wide range of issues from metaphors to pop culture to the excessive eating that takes place during the holidays. The diversity of topics we were assigned to talk about surprised me and made me really contemplate topics that are present in my everyday life, but that I never really pondered before now. I hope what you read here helps to open up your eyes to another view of the world and possibly change how you interpret it.
Introduction to Critical Thinking Piece
The first assignment I have to present to you demonstrates how I have used, along with my classmates through an online discussion board, critical thinking skills to analyze the use of metaphors in a poem. “Ending Poem” is a fusion of a mother and daughters examination of who they are and how their ancestors have contributed to who they have become. My family has always been a strong force in my lives and my mother is possibly the strongest. Not only have I been influenced by her, but my Russian heritage has had a large impact on who I am today. Being able to relate to this poem helped me interpret the metaphors that were used. I have always enjoyed poetry and have found translating what the author is really saying a challenge. This discussion board made me think about how different objects symbolized different aspects of the authors heritage and others postings opened my eyes to metaphors I really hadn’t thought about.
Critical Thinking Piece
In the “Ending Poem” discussion board I posted the following:
Throughout this poem there are several significant metaphors. One is the example given in the question of the tree and how it has been rooted in several places. Moralles and Levins also use it to convey how they are connected to other continents. "Africa waters the roots of my tree," and "I am a late leaf of that ancient tree." Both these lines show how she is the person she is by the places that have influenced her past. All these people from different communities have intersected to create a community that has produced her family-line.
Another metaphor that is used in the poem is a tablecloth. "The table has a cloth woven by one, dyed by another, embroidered by another still." Most people possess something that has been handed down through generations. This tablecloth that they speak of represents something that has been altered and enhanced and then passed down through the generations. Each person that contributes to it's creation are apart of a community of people that want to leave something for their successors.
Not only was I able to use my critical thinking skills to understand the metaphors in this poem, but I was able to enhance and improve upon these skills by reading what others had to say. Bailey Luder posted the following:
The poem conveys several different people who descended from different areas of the world. "I come from the dirt where the cane was grown" signifies an individual who either grew up in somewhere in a warmer climate where sugar cane was grown, or was born to parents who came from there.
She viewed the line “I come from the dirt where the cane was grown,” in a completely different way than I did. Being able to cooperatively decipher the poem expanded how I interpreted it and strengthened my critical thinking skills. After participating in the discussion board I was able to reread the poem and see what the authors had to say in a different light.
Throughout this poem there are several significant metaphors. One is the example given in the question of the tree and how it has been rooted in several places. Moralles and Levins also use it to convey how they are connected to other continents. "Africa waters the roots of my tree," and "I am a late leaf of that ancient tree." Both these lines show how she is the person she is by the places that have influenced her past. All these people from different communities have intersected to create a community that has produced her family-line.
Another metaphor that is used in the poem is a tablecloth. "The table has a cloth woven by one, dyed by another, embroidered by another still." Most people possess something that has been handed down through generations. This tablecloth that they speak of represents something that has been altered and enhanced and then passed down through the generations. Each person that contributes to it's creation are apart of a community of people that want to leave something for their successors.
Not only was I able to use my critical thinking skills to understand the metaphors in this poem, but I was able to enhance and improve upon these skills by reading what others had to say. Bailey Luder posted the following:
The poem conveys several different people who descended from different areas of the world. "I come from the dirt where the cane was grown" signifies an individual who either grew up in somewhere in a warmer climate where sugar cane was grown, or was born to parents who came from there.
She viewed the line “I come from the dirt where the cane was grown,” in a completely different way than I did. Being able to cooperatively decipher the poem expanded how I interpreted it and strengthened my critical thinking skills. After participating in the discussion board I was able to reread the poem and see what the authors had to say in a different light.
Introduction to Revision Piece
For the revision piece I have decided to choose a timed write. The piece isn’t really that bad, but I missed the point of the assignment. We were told to analyze a film and then tell how the film changed our views about non-conformity. I analyzed the film well, but unfortunately left out the most crucial part of the assignment. I am keeping the essay mostly the way it is, but I am inserting a paragraph to actually complete it. Although I feel that all of my writings could do with a good revision, this one bothered me the most since I could’ve easily solved the problem by just thoroughly reading the assignment. Our instructors have told us that following the instructors is vital and I unfortunately have had a problem with that on all of the assignments.
Original Piece
In the film Akeelah and the Bee we were presented with several characters who not only had problems fitting in with their peers, but had problems really figuring out who they were. In this story the struggle to become apart of those around us is not only external, but internal.
Akeelah is a bright, young person who has trouble accepting her intelligence. She comes from a place where being smart is frowned upon. As Akeelah is getting a drink at the school water fountain she is approached by two bullies who call her names, like "freak." They say that they know she is smart and that she will do their homework; when she tries to run she is attacked. The fact that Akeelah can't excel in school without being criticized for it makes her feel isolated from the rest of her school that doesn't value those unique qualities she possesses. Another example of this is when Akeelah is studying for the spelling bee; her "gang-banging" brother comes in and states that "those white folks are going to tear your black ass up." Akeelah feels like an outsider because she is an African-American and she is competing against rich, white kids.
Another character in the film who is made to feel like an outsider is one of Akeelah's competitors, Dylan. However, unlike Akeelah, Dylan's isolation is forced upon him by his father. At the beginning of the district spelling bee all of the kids are mingling and getting to know one another, but Dylan is sandwiched between his parents and isn't allowed to fraternize. Even if he wanted to his father would look down upon it and cause Dylan to re-think his own desires of having friends. Another example of this is when Akeelah decides to invite Dylan to drink soda and goof-off with the other spellers. She is met with a firm "no" and a swift goodbye from Dylan's father. He is made to study continously and never really has a chance to be a kid. Even when he is in school he isolates himself from others; he is seen studying alone in a classroom after school when other children are meeting to study spelling. He has become so isolated that he doesn't even think about going to join them.
These two characters are presented throughtout the movie has strong, but unsure of who they really are. They over-achieve in areas that most of us would fail in. Because of their uniqueness they are shunned and made to feel like outsiders. In the end though, they see that they should celebrate their differences and embrace who they really are; this is the only true way to happiness.
Since each of us has something unique about us I feel that we can all sympathize with these two characters. We know what it is like to be different and we know what it is like to want to be accepted. In every aspect of our lives there is room for prejudice. We see what we want to see even without facts to base it on. We constantly make assumptions about others. If we ever want to look past their differences we need to be comfortable with our own. Akeelah realized this by the end of the movie and in return she became closer to her loved ones
Akeelah is a bright, young person who has trouble accepting her intelligence. She comes from a place where being smart is frowned upon. As Akeelah is getting a drink at the school water fountain she is approached by two bullies who call her names, like "freak." They say that they know she is smart and that she will do their homework; when she tries to run she is attacked. The fact that Akeelah can't excel in school without being criticized for it makes her feel isolated from the rest of her school that doesn't value those unique qualities she possesses. Another example of this is when Akeelah is studying for the spelling bee; her "gang-banging" brother comes in and states that "those white folks are going to tear your black ass up." Akeelah feels like an outsider because she is an African-American and she is competing against rich, white kids.
Another character in the film who is made to feel like an outsider is one of Akeelah's competitors, Dylan. However, unlike Akeelah, Dylan's isolation is forced upon him by his father. At the beginning of the district spelling bee all of the kids are mingling and getting to know one another, but Dylan is sandwiched between his parents and isn't allowed to fraternize. Even if he wanted to his father would look down upon it and cause Dylan to re-think his own desires of having friends. Another example of this is when Akeelah decides to invite Dylan to drink soda and goof-off with the other spellers. She is met with a firm "no" and a swift goodbye from Dylan's father. He is made to study continously and never really has a chance to be a kid. Even when he is in school he isolates himself from others; he is seen studying alone in a classroom after school when other children are meeting to study spelling. He has become so isolated that he doesn't even think about going to join them.
These two characters are presented throughtout the movie has strong, but unsure of who they really are. They over-achieve in areas that most of us would fail in. Because of their uniqueness they are shunned and made to feel like outsiders. In the end though, they see that they should celebrate their differences and embrace who they really are; this is the only true way to happiness.
Since each of us has something unique about us I feel that we can all sympathize with these two characters. We know what it is like to be different and we know what it is like to want to be accepted. In every aspect of our lives there is room for prejudice. We see what we want to see even without facts to base it on. We constantly make assumptions about others. If we ever want to look past their differences we need to be comfortable with our own. Akeelah realized this by the end of the movie and in return she became closer to her loved ones
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