Unit 1 Reflections

Academic writing is not a linear, 'cookie-cutter' worksheet-type process; it involves trial and error, taking risks, experimentation, and sometimes struggle, but ultimately discovery and growth.  I recognize that academic reading and writing can be difficult!  

In 2-3 paragraphs, using examples from your experience over the past 4 weeks, reflect on this definition of academic writing in your own process of Essay #1 and the class activities that led up to it.  Be detailed and honest, as these reflections not only help you grow as readers and writers but help me design future courses (that yes, will involve processes of experimentation, struggle, and growth

Academic writing, I believe is a platform to express your personal thoughts to the world by using a structural format for the connivance for others. It gives you the ability to express you're thoughts on a subject and put your mark on the world. In addition, it gives you a deeper connection through conversation and research on other people perspectives. Thus enlarging your point of views. I really enjoyed reading the articles but not doing the annotation blog. I feel like I would got the same understanding of the articles if I didn't annotate them. 

I also enjoyed the open guidelines on writing Essay 1. I believe this gives us a freedom to share our own experiences more openly. 

Practice Write 9/15

The way I do peer revision whenever someone asks me is usually more opinionated than academic. I often tend to give my views, what I support, and what I don't. For example, if I think that one subject should be talked about more, I would write that down. I find peer revision very useful for improving my writing.

Practice Write 9/8/16

How did you approach the Idea Draft for Essay #1? What did you do? How do you feel about it moving forward?

I approached the Idea Draft for Essay #1 by relating my personal experiences with the writings of Amy Tan. Then I focused on the main experience I connected with throughout the different writings. My plans are to expand more on the points I wrote and exploring the relationship between me and Malcolm X.

Book Club Blog #1 Predictions

After reading the first few pages, my first impressions on the book are the different tongues they speak in their conversations. However, the first chapter was very dull, the book didn't start out with as I predicted. Some predictions I have for the book are that Jaine and Pheoby are going to do something  bigger than through Jaine's experience with her husband Tea Cake.

Essay Draft 1 Idea Draft

-Lost of meaning through different language

- A language barrier not only stops you from communicating with another person, the translations does not fully translate every meaning and emotion within a conversation

-After reading Amy Tan writing, she gave me the impersonation of multiple identities. For example if you are religious, you might speak in a different language in church than you do at school. You might even act differently because different norms/values are in each environment.

- Similar to Tan, my mother did not speak english very well so she asked me to translate most of her conversations between her and her employee. Whenever my mother asked for a pay raise she would tell me in a very serious and demanding tone. However, I didn't fully express that when I was taking to her Employee because I wasn't feeling the same way she we feeling.

- My church community really set me apart for the values of the real world. I was taught different ideals/morals than what my school was teaching me. But it made me see the difference between me and other people, it made me different from other people.

- Some few things that gave me motivation are: My mother, my church family, and close friends.
About one year ago, the start of my Senior year in high school my mom started feeling depressed, to a point where it was so serious that it drove her to a point of where I could no longer see a living human being insider of her. At that point of my life I had nothing to lose, no hope, no purpose in life. After this experience it made me see that at some time life is sometimes depressing, but overall theres beauty in life

Practice Write 9/6/16

1) Did you personally relate to any of the readings? How? 

2) Did you enjoy any author more than others? Why?

3) How did the video 'add to the conversation'?

I related to mainly to Amy Tan's writings culturally due to the fact that both of our mothers are Chinese. After reading Amy Tan's writing on her mothers tongue, Amy Tan realized that there is a sense of lost communication between two languages. I enjoyed Malcolm X more than others because he showed more of a commitment towards learning a language so he can express himself elaborately with other people. The video add to the conversation by expressing everyones identity or what makes a person who s/he is. 

Annotation Blog #3 (Learning To Read - Malcolm X)

Summary/Main Points:
Malcolm X's biography on how he learned how to read is an unusual one. During his time spent in prison, Malcolm needed a way to express himself though literature. Thus, he spent most of his time reading book form the prison library. Later he finds that his time in prison gave him more freedom in reading than reading in college.


Quotes:
Q: "Immensely proud to realize that not only had I written so much at one time, but I'd written words that I never knew were in the world."
R: Malcolm deeply wanted to express himself to a point where he copied each and every page of the dictionary.

Q: "Months passed without out me even thinking about being imprisoned.  In fact, up to then, I had never been so truly free in my life."
R: Your first thoughts of a prison usually entails some criminals lifting weights, not a single image of someone reading in the library.

Q: "My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America."
R: I believe in what Malcolm says about homemade education. Even though college is meant for you to explore and digest new ideas, some of the best times I learn something is when I'm at home.


Critical Questions:
1. Will every single human being ever be given their human rights, if not realize their rights.

2. If you can spend a life time reading books, wouldn't nobody be 100% right if theres still knowledge to be attained.

Practice Write 9/1/16

How was your first 'formal' reading process for this class? Any difficulty, breakthrough, 'Ah hah moments'?

My first formal reading process was exceptionally long due to the transitions from summer to college.
However, it was relatively easy getting my thoughts and writings back into a orderly fashion. After reading the Inquiry and Introduction to They Say/I Say, I started enjoying taking notes/annotations to my text. It gave me a better way to summarize the main points, quotes, and critical questions.

Practice Write 8/30/16

8/30/16

What is academic reading + writing? List some assumption about 'academic writing' text you had before last week. Then, explore, brainstorm, + refresh your Thinking on some new concepts the you have learned since then.

Academic Reading and Writing is a way of communication on a skilled level between several people. The assumptions I had on reading and writing was really broad. I though of it as a higher level of writing, relating to the structural practices from Elementary school to High School. Thus academic reading and writing is just another point in the structure of academics. After reading the inquiry and intro of They Say/I Say some new concep

Book Club

Their Eyes Were Watching God