The assignment I feel most successful with is essay 3. The reason is I got to express a bit of my creativity when making a flyer about a poet and being able to do research and find copyright-free images for them. Then using the BMCC library to learn about the poet. The assignment I feel I could’ve done better was Essay 1. I should have been focusing and taking things slow on the content I was writing to make sure that I was aligning with the requirements of the essay rules. Next time when proceeding to write an essay on an evaluation I will need to read more carefully on what I write and make sure to read what I write. Then make sure to cross-reference each detail within the text. One thing I learned this semester was how to cite when writing in MLA format. It never came to me how important it is to credit the author from where you pulled your quotes and to also give the exact day you accessed these certain sites where you pulled your cites from. Then the way to also write where the quotes come from.
Alexander Tineo
In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World, the precision of the language used transforms ordinary story elements and makes powerful symbols like greatness and possibility. For example “Not only was he the tallest, Strongest, most virile, and best-built man they had ever seen, but even though they were looking at him there was no room for him in their imagination.” The simple words used “tallest”, “Strongest,” and “virile” create a vivid and overwhelming image of the drowned man. This straightforwardly highlights the drowned man’s physical presence, making him literally and figuratively larger than life. These common adjectives are used very precisely transforming the man from a mere corpse into a symbol of greatness and possibility, through these simple yet effective words, Marquez conveys how the villagers’ world is limited but expands as they project their dreams and desires onto this drowned man, showing the potential hidden within the ordinary things in life.
Even though poetry is not my thing, over these past two weeks I have seen a little improvement in my understanding of poetry when it comes to tragic themes since I enjoy it. I’ve become more aware of how tone and metaphor create meaning, which has helped me better understand the complex text of Oedipus the King. Poetry often conveys deep emotions using few words, a skill that applies to Sophocles’ play where each line holds importance. A poem that resonates with Oedipus the King is Maya Angelou’s “Alone” Both text explores the the theme of isolation and the inevitability of fate. In Oedipus the King, the protagonist’s quest for truth leads to separation from society and his family, reflecting Maya Angelou’s poem on the deep loneliness experienced by individuals regardless of the people surrounding them. This awareness of how isolation and fate twist together has deepened my understanding of tragic themes in poetry.
Writing essay #1 was a struggle. I learned that I need to focus on ensuring that the content written is accurate and aligns with the assignment requirements. I can see that I misunderstood some elements such as the correct use of quotes and the central themes in the source material. Then I realized one issue was I used a quote that wasn’t present in the article. Moving forward, I will spend more time cross-referencing my sources to make sure I’m accurately representing the material. This experience will change how I approach my essay when writing by making me more careful with fact-checking and being sure that I understand the core themes before drafting my essay. For example, I will take things slowly by rereading my essay and sources after drafting to verify that all the quotes are used correctly and reflect the author’s point. I’ll also focus on a clear and precise thesis that fully satisfies the essay’s objectives avoiding irrelevant information
The prewriting assignment is designed to illustrate how the course will operate, particularly in terms of the essay submissions and the reading-intensive nature of the material. To help the students understand the course the activities provide detailed instructions. For example, in activity 7, multiple slides offer examples of what to do and what to avoid when writing a thesis statement. Ensuring students grasp the fundamentals of writing a strong essay. By putting mind to this, students can build a solid foundation when they write their essays. Following this, the video and essay examples provide an in-depth explanation of how the essays should be structured and the correct format to be submitted. Additionally, the Introduction materials highlight the proper way to cite an author’s text to support arguments within an essay. Finally, by combining these resources the pre-writing assignment sets the seal on students to be well-prepared to meet the course’s writing and reading demands by equipping them with the skills to succeed in future assignments.
