Assessing my progress during the semester. 1.Reflecting on my performance this semester, i realize that none of my four assignments truly stood out as exceptional. While i aimed to deliver strong work, all of my assignments were somewhat mediocre. Even essay #3, which initially appeared straightforward, proved to be more challenging than expected. Despite my efforts, i struggled with organizing my ideas and adhering to the requirements, which prevented me from achieving the results i had hoped for. 2.Essay 4 stands out as the assignment where i could have improved the most. I finally managed to gather all the necessary information and structure it correctly, which was a significant step forward. I also has additional opportunity to incorporate relevant quotes, which should have strengthened my arguments. However, i still fell short of delivering the essay as it should have been. The main issues stemmed from lack of thorough proofreading and not fully aligning the essay with the expectations outlined in the guidelines. 3.The most important lesson i learned this semester is the critical need to pay very close attention to the essay guidelines. This includes understanding the specific requirements and ensuring my work adheres to them. Additionally, i have realized the value of revisiting my work multiple times-proofreading at least five times before submitting- so that i can catch errors, refine my arguments, and present a polished final product. This approach will help me improve the quality of my assignments in the future.
Michal Piencioszko
In Flannery O’Connor’s story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, simple and clear language gives deep meaning to everyday things. Raymond Carver once said that simple things can have great power, and this idea fits O’Connor’s writing well. For example, the grandmother’s hat is not just a hat—it shows how she sees herself and what society expects from her: “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.” This line shows the grandmother’s concern with looking proper and being respected, even in death. The hat, a simple object, reveals her vanity and focus on appearances. By the end of the story, when the grandmother faces her own death, the hat loses its importance. This shows the difference between her earlier pride and her final vulnerability. O’Connor’s clear, straightforward writing turns ordinary things, like the hat, into powerful symbols that add meaning to the story.
I think that fairy stories are good for children. They enrich creativity, educate children on right and wrong conduct, and offer them a platform to work out complex emotions. “One of the central reasons that fairy tales are important is that they aid in child development. Fairy tales are often shaped to test children’s initiative”.(p.77)- “The Positive Impacts of Fairy Tales for Children” by Leilani VisikoKnox-Johnson. Also “Acting out folk and fairy tales enables children to explore their developing inner selves, to take risks, and to exercise imagination and creativity”(p.62) – ” Rediscovering the Power of Fairy Tales” by Mary Howarth. The two quotes mentioned stood out for me, as they represent what fairy tales represented for me when i was growing up and later on I passed on to my daughter when she was growing up. To my understanding Fairy Tails are meant to be use for entertainment, educational and explorative purposes. Fairy Tales can teach our young once difference between good and bad, how to act, how to use manners and how to treat others.
Even story’s title can have an influence on how a reader prepares for the story line. Before reading the story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, I expected to be a romance story, just from reading the tittle. Getting deeper into the reading, I was looking forward to a happy ending love story , since the grandmother was describing a gentleman that she remembers from her working days, who passed away a wealthy man and told a story of a mystery house with hidden treasure ” she would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man”. Unfortunately the story does not end with happiness/love and discovery of the mystery treasure, it becomes a tragedy, ending in brutal deaths and agony. One unexpected decision in the story, altered the faith in the characters story life. I read the story twice and every time I had a vivid image of the kids being taking away to the woods, while seeing the parents fear and pain through their eyes. The grandmother on the other hand , did her best part to speak some sense into Misfit by using religious language and reversed psychology. One main specific idea, that I had to read and research after reading “Excerpt from ‘On Her Own Work’: The Element of Suspense in ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find.’” was the part of the grandmother’s gestures. First gesture was “hands waving” after the accident that family just had, to attract attention of approaching vehicle, in which there were 3 man , whom one of them was her killer, Misfit. Second gesture was mentioned at the end of the story, […]
Over the past two weeks, my ability to read and understand poetry has improved. Now, I can better understand deeper meaning and emotions, especially in themes of loss and conflict. Reading poetry was never an easy task for me, and I always thought that poetry is simple writing with random picked words. Gwendolyn Brook’s poem ” the mother” has been important in this growth. What caught my interest was the title ” the mother”, which is written in all small caps. That intrigued my curiosity to learn deeper meaning to this poem. Her focus on grief, guilt, and the struggles of motherhood connected with me. The poem deals with fate and choice, This new understanding of how to read a poem will better direct me onto reading the ” Oedipus the King” , as Greek plays, stories and mythology requires some type of background history, as everything in the play might have a meaning. It is difficult for me to directly quote from poet ” the mother”, but I will paste 1st stanza of the poem for references. Abortions will not let you forget. You remember the children you got that you did not get, The damp small pulps with a little or with no hair, The singers and workers that never handled the air. You will never neglect or beat Them, or silence or buy with a sweet. You will never wind up the sucking-thumb Or scuttle off ghosts that come. You will never leave them, controlling your luscious sigh, Return for a snack of them, with gobbling mother-eye.
In writing the Essay # 1, I realized that I struggled with proper formatting and misused quotes, which weakened my argument. My citations were inconsistent, and I did not integrate quotes smoothly into the text. Also after reading Professor’s comment, I realized that I used too much of the abstract language which clouded my message, making it harder to communicate clearly. These mistakes obstructed the overall flow and clarity of my essay. Moving forward, I plan to focus on improving my formatting by closely following MLA guideline. Additionally, I will work on selecting more relevant quotes and include them naturally, ensuring they support my points effectively.
After reading Toni Cade Bambara’s short story ” The Lesson”, I would center my essay on positive human emotions and traits, such as joy, happiness and kindness. I would title it “Kill Them with Kindness”. In the story, Miss Moore takes the children on a field trip, stopping at an upscale toy store. This experience plants a “seed” of awareness in the children’s minds, sparking both joy and happiness. Miss Moore’s kindness stands out as a key element in the story, but it’s also a source of discomfort for the kids, particularly Sylvia and Sugar, because it represents something unfamiliar to them. Miss Moore’s approach, though well-intentioned, challenges their worldview, making them uneasy about the unfamiliar kindness and lessons she imparts. Ultimately, her actions provoke complex emotions, but they also expose the children to the new experiences and understanding, which Miss Moore’s true lesson-using kindness to help them grow and see the world differently.
In Toni Cade Bambara’s short story “The Lesson,” the narrative shines with a sense of curiosity and discovery, as Miss Moore takes the children on a fun and thought-provoking trip. Miss Moore, a creative and thoughtful teacher, believes in learning through new experiences. Instead of simply telling the kids what to think, she brings them to the exciting FAO Schwarz toy store, where they get to see amazing and expensive toys like a $1,195 sailboat. The children are wide-eyed and intrigued as they wander through this new world, full of toys they could never have imagined, “So she leads us around the windows of the toy store and me and Sugar screamin, ‘This is mine, that’s mine, I gotta have that, that was made for me, I was born for that”’. It is fair to name this essay “Imaginary Spark”. Sylvia, one of the children, is a bright and lively character who, despite being strong-willed, finds herself thinking deeply by the end of the day. While she initially resists Miss Moore’s lesson, Sylvia’s natural curiosity and competitive spirit push her to reflect on what she’s seen. Rather than feeling discouraged, Sylvia’s reaction is one of excitement and motivation. The adventure has sparked a desire in her to explore new possibilities, and she leaves the story with a sense of determination and hope. The lesson, while subtle, awakens in Sylvia a playful yet meaningful drive to learn and grow.
The prewriting assignment in Week 1, Activity 10, is designed to help you begin preparing for your first essay. After completing various activities that involve reading Gabriel García Márquez’s “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” exploring related scholarly articles, understanding primary and secondary sources, and learning how to formulate thesis statements and use MLA citations, you are now asked to engage in prewriting. This step involves reviewing the provided directions and analyzing sample essays and directions to understand how to structure your own work. The purpose of this prewriting assignment is to help you organize your thoughts and ideas before drafting your essay. It encourages you to critically engage with the text, the scholarly articles, and the essay-writing techniques you’ve learned, ensuring that your eventual essay is well-informed and thoughtfully constructed. This process serves as a foundation, guiding you in developing a clear thesis and effectively integrating evidence from both primary and secondary sources.
A prewriting assignment is a task that helps you plan and organize your ideas before you start writing a full essay or paper. It’s like making a map before a trip. This process involves brainstorming ideas, outlining, and gathering information. The goal is to figure out what you want to say and how to say it effectively. For instance, you might jot down your main idea and arrange them in a logical order. This preparation makes the actual writing easier and more focused. By spending time on prewriting, you ensure that your final piece is clear and well-organized. Essentially, prewriting helps you think through your topic and plan your approach, so when you start writing, you have a clear direction and structure. Making sure that all the essay is written in an organized structure and is making sense.
