In order to prepare for my research project, I read What is Positive Pyschology & Why Is it Important? (Positive Psychology Program), Greater Good in Action: Science-Based Practices for a Meaningful Life (UC Berkeley's Project Home Page), and Three Good Things (Greater Good in Action). Below are my journal entries for seven days with three different gratitude moments that occur each day. This assignment will help me with my research project on positive psychology. By writing gratitude moments and considering what caused them, I can think of the goodness in my life that I might take for granted. After the seven days, I will see if writing these journal entries make me happier.
Tuesday, October 30
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In this weeks blog post, I have read What is Fan Fiction -- and why is it making people nervous? (Stephen Downes) and Rewinding and Rewriting: The Alternate Universes in Our Head (Hidden Brain Podcast) to help me write my second draft of my narrative project and understand a counterfactual. Below is a vlog of me answering some questions about the revision process for my narrative project. For my midterm reflection blog post, I wrote about my experience in this class using the text Reflective Writing and Genres in Academic Writing: Reflection to help me do so. Below, I included specific assignments, readings and processes that helped me learn and grow in the class. I focus on my writerly identity and even my blogging. I chose to not film a reflection video because I am not yet comfortable talking in front of a camera. This reflective observation is about my thoughts on how I have done in the class and how I feel I can become a better writer.
My experience in this English Composition I course has been very beneficial in teaching me how to be a better writer. Writing the blog post every week, especially the blog posts writing about different scenes has helped me compose my Narrative Project. I was also taught about literary analysis and it has helped me understand that I must provide context which is background information that frames the text along with subtext which is the theme or the main idea of the story, symbols, motifs, essentially what is left unsaid in the story. Don Murray’s “Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product” allowed me to realize that writing is a form of language and communication, and that you’re active in your own choices in your writing. From his passage, I understood that in order to write something, I just have to write about anything because eventually I’ll be able to develop something from an idea. Even listening to Lulu Wang’s podcast “What You Don't Know” helped me recognize context in a story. The text in a story has to have description along with senses, symbols, and motifs. Description is an important aspect in a story because it allows the reader to relive the story with the author. The process as we discussed in class is a phrase Professor Mangini says which is “what’s D.A.T.” That phrase means that we as students have to question our writing and ask whether or not our writing has description, action, and a clear time-frame. As I continuously rewrote my narrative project, especially in the blog posts, I was able to ask myself if my story had any description and if it delivered subtext. Although I was a little nervous, I was glad that I shared my story to my class and received feedback from them. That experience really helped me develop my story and add information that a reader would want to know in my story. I needed to also add dialogue and more sensory details in order to relive the scene rather than just retelling the scene. Another aspect of the class that I find interesting is reading and writing blog comments for and from classmates on the blogs. Reading the comments on my blog allow me to grow as a writer and improve my writing. Even writing comments on classmates blogs help me with my own writing. I have never experienced a class like this course, and I like that we have more freedom like creating a blog and a website. As an artist, I am used to critique sessions so when we comment and talk about how we can improve our writing, I really appreciate it. Instead of handing in an assignment and receiving a grade, we are able to critique and learn how we can improve. My three primary intrinsic English Composition I goals for the rest of the semester is getting assignment done a few days before the due date, using more description and sensory details in my writing, and sharing my opinions and thoughts in class because sometimes I can be a little too shy to share my ideas. For this week’s blog post, I have read What is a Found Poem, Sample Found Poem and Examples of Found Poems to help me write my own found poem by taking works from my Narrative Project. This found poem summarizes the decision of going to community college, and how it affected me my senior year of high school. The type of found poem I created is an erasure poem which means that I took my existing Narrative Project and erased the majority of the text, leaving behind select words and phrases so when it is read in order, it composes a poem. Below the found poem is a reflection section where I answer questions that will help improve my narrative project when I revise it.
“How Could I Not Go There?” I grabbed mail out of the gold mailbox It was a breezy afternoon, I flipped until a purple and gold pamphlet caught my attention I wanted to apply to this school; West Chester University “How could I not go there?” I raced up the stairs to discuss the possibility to my future My mom was laying out blue sheets of paper I was puzzled on what was happening A wave of disappointment filled my mind My mom, unable to send me to a four-year school Only to community college I was upset, skeptical of the school at first But after visiting, I fell in love with West Chester I didn’t fight back, this conclusion was due to the financial decisions my dad created He destroyed my family and I, made me depressed I recovered as it matured me, but I felt embarrassed and so out of place Why would he do this, I feel resentment, anger I knew it wasn't the right choice for me I would be at a loss of experiences and independence, I felt like a failure Reflection
After reading My Mother Gives Me a Writing Lesson by Martin Lee, I was able to understand and improve last week’s blog post Composing a Past Scene in this blog post. From the reading, I made sure to incorporate and pay more attention to sensory details and dialogue in order to enhance my scene.
As per usual, I grabbed the mail out of the gold mailbox hanging outside on the brick wall next to my front door. It was a breezy November afternoon and I had just returned home from school. I flipped through the pile of mail until a purple and gold pamphlet caught my attention. The smiling students on the pamphlet made me excited because I already knew I wanted to apply to this school early in my senior year of high school, to West Chester University. All three of my brothers attended, along with my mother and older sister. The campus was basically engraved in me, how could I not go there? With the pamphlet in my hand, I raced up the stairs to my mom’s room to discuss the possibility to my future. “Mom, look what came in the mail”, I exclaimed after opening her door. “I see, could you get your sister? I need to talk to the both of you”. My mom seemed uneasy and upset. “Okay”, I said a little confused. I ran down the steps to receive my twin sister, sitting on the top bunk of our bunk bed in our room. “Ana, mom needs us”. “Why?” She asked with an attitude. “I don’t know, let’s find out”. We walked back up the stairs to meet our mom for our little meeting. My mom was sitting on her bed, laying out various blue sheets of paper. Ana and I looked at each other, puzzled on what was happening. “Girls, sit down”, my mom finally said. She pushed back her curly hair and paused for a moment, her voice was a little shaky. “I want you to look at this graph”, she said as she held up a blue sheet with two graphs. “As you can see, there is a difference in the cost of tuition of community college compared to a four-year university.” Immediately, a wave of disappointment filled my mind. I knew where this conversation was going. Holding back tears, I was crushed. My mom continued, “Unfortunately, I am unable to send the both of you to a four-year school, I’m only able to afford to send you to community college”. I was upset and angry. Just several months ago in the summer, she had taken us to visit West Chester, her beloved school. Ana knew it was the perfect school for her because of the Early Education program. I was skeptical of the school at first only because everyone in my family went there. But after visiting the art department, I fell in love with the school. Ana and I just nodded in agreement because we knew how hard this was for her. We didn’t fight back like we usually did. Although my mom made this conclusion to send us to community college, it was made due to the financial decisions my dad had caused for my family several years ago. My parents had divorced when I was younger because of the financial decisions my dad had created for my mom. He destroyed her credit, and it caused her to become self-supportive. My family and I lived in a beautiful home, with a pool and a giant backyard. Friends and family regularly visited and we hosted many gatherings and parties. In 2012, we discovered that we had to move, and eventually we found a smaller house nearby. My dad’s choices made me depressed. I saw a therapist which made me feel a little better, but it didn’t bring back my old life. Eventually I recovered as it matured me, but I am still faced with the remnants of the financial choices my dad had produced. My dreams of attending a four-year university was ruined. I felt embarrassed and was always nervous whenever a classmate at school would ask, “What school are you going to next year?” I would pause, biting my lips and unable to answer. Everyone passing in the hallway at school was wearing a school t-shirt or sweatshirt. I felt so out of place, wearing my simple white sweater. At Strath Haven, my high school, everyone was so intellectually competitive. After years of hard work, I knew I could’ve been accepted to West Chester. “Is it a coincidence that everyone is wearing a school shirt today?” I questioned a classmate sitting next to me. “No, today is college decision day” she exclaimed, wearing an oversized red Temple hoodie. Sitting at my desk, I sank into my blue metal chair. I felt like I was a failure. I couldn’t show off the achievement of being accepted to a school I wanted to go to. I could’ve worn my favorite grey West Chester sweatshirt that was sitting in a box, in the bottom of my closet. I still love my dad but I question, “Why would he do this to us?” All of my life, I lived with my mom and we visited him several times on weekends. For some reason, I can’t help but feel resentment towards my mom. I can’t take my anger out on my dad because he isn’t around as often. I am at a loss of experiences and independence I desperately crave. In this week’s blog, I listened to Lulu Wang’s podcast What You Don't Know and have interpreted and annotated her story in order to write about a moment that had a negative impact on my life from a choice my parents made, in particular from my dad. I haven’t personally made any decisions that have a negative impact, so below is a moment I know that fits well for this week’s post.
I looked down at the purple and gold pamphlet, the students on the cover smiled at me. I became excited because I already knew I wanted to apply to this school early in my senior year of high school, to West Chester University. All three of my brothers attended, along with my older sister and my mom. The campus was basically engraved in me, how could I not go there? I walked up the stairs to show my mom the possibility to my future. As I opened the door, my mom already knew what I wanted to discuss. She sat on her bed with blue papers laid out in front of her. She told me to get my twin sister Ana so we could discuss our college plans. It seemed difficult for her to express, but she eventually explained that she was unable to send the both of us to a four-year university. My sister and I were crushed; she wanted to attend West Chester for Early Education and I for Studio Arts. Of course, we didn’t plan on liking the same school, but we assumed it would be affordable for our mom. In my mom’s hand, she held a paper with a graph of the cost of community college compared to a four-year college. There was a drastic difference, but I didn’t want to say anything. My mom described that in order for her to afford to send us to college, we would have to attend community college. Ana and I sat there in silence. We didn’t fight back as we usually did because we didn’t want to hurt her feelings. We nodded and agreed to this decision. Although my mom made the conclusion to send my sister and I to community college, it was made due to the financial impact my dad had caused for my family. The financial decisions my father had caused for me and my family had made a huge negative impact on my life. He destroyed my mom's credit. I still love him, but this decision had affected my future. My family and I lived in a beautiful home, with a pool and backyard. Friends and family regularly visited and we hosted many gatherings and parties. In 2012, we discovered that we had to move and my mom was forced to become self-supportive. We eventually found a small house, and I began to feel as though life was moving too fast. My dad’s choices caused me to become depressed. I saw a psychologist which made me feel a little better, but it didn’t bring back my old life. Eventually I recovered, but I am still faced with the remnants of the choices my dad had produced. My dream of attending my first college choice was ruined. Even though I am receiving a great education from community college at a lower price, I am at a loss of experiences and independence I desperately crave. |
Chrissie FackenthallI will use this blog to write and post weekly assignments for my English Composition I course at Delaware County Community College Archives
December 2018
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