Reflection.

The primary thing I learned in this class was how to do an analysis paper. To take someone’s paper, book, or other work and try to find what the person was trying to say, in my opinion, is an interesting aspect if writing that I hadn’t really done before. I’m not sure how or if I will be applying them to my continuing education as most of my classes will be dealing with strict research and facts as will my career, but if I do end up needing to analyze a something than this class and type of writing will definitely be something I can refer to. As to the readings and how they affected me, I have to say that they made me think about what it would be like to be in any of the situations. Poor Ireland and the poverty-stricken time and area or in the middle of a potentially dangerous toxic spill. Living in a country and growing up in the times that I have, things like this do not register until you read about them in some way.

As to meeting the learning outcomes, I feel that I have met them all in one way or another, though not necessarily as well as I would like. I think that I may continue my English classes, though I do not need to, so as to continue my understanding of English and the different writing styles.

My writing has changed, though the process I use when writing has not. I find that I look for the underlying meaning more when reading and utilize the meaning that I decipher when writing in whatever situation.

The primary challenge for me was trying to understand what the instructor was looking for in my writing. I found that, in this case, I may have been better off attending an actual class rather than the on-line option. As far as overcoming the challenge, I don’t know that I actually did, though I tried my best in the class, I still found that I was not quite where I wanted to be in my grades.

I think that the assignments I enjoyed the most and was the best at were the assignments for Smith’s “A Modest Proposal.” I enjoyed reading this and found that I had a definite point of view, and that made it easier to write about it. The hardest assignment, in my opinion, was on “Bartleby the Scrivener.” I had the hardest time reading this, let alone analyzing it.

Overall, I have to say that this has probably been the most challenging class I have taken to date and that, though it frustrated me many times, it was probably the one that I learned the most about myself from. I enjoy reading, but I do not enjoy analyzing that which I read, I just want to read for the pleasure of it.

Technology in Classrooms

Online classes are extremely different than in class settings. The primary difference in this is that you are responsible for everything from managing your time and making sure you do the reading, to submitting your assignments when and where they are supposed to be when taking an online class. I find that most of my learning has been best done online due to my hearing loss; however of all the online classes I have taken, English is by far the hardest to do this with. There is something to be said for being in a classroom setting for classes such as this, I find that understanding what the instructor wants in a course like this is much easier in person rather than through technology. The thing I found most beneficial, technologically speaking, in this class were the lecture videos from the instructor. When these were posted I found that I understood more of what she was looking for in the assignment. I also feel that using the types of technology available in these classes can be beneficial in the long run as most fields of work require the ability to use various types of technology these days, though it is unlikely that we use these particular types of technology when we leave school, the knowledge of how to use them can only benefit in the long run. I can’t really think of something that I liked more than others, but as I said, the lecture videos were most beneficial. As to the future I am afraid that I will not have much option of online classes due to my hearing loss becoming worse and will therefore be in the classroom with assistance for my hearing such as a “FM” system or a sign language interpreter.

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Revision Nightmares!

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This essay has caused me considerable difficulty to be honest. I have had a harder time writing this than any other assignment. While writing this essay, I have read several critiques of the book from different viewpoints, looked up various options for what view to write from and spent many hours going back over the book and my other sources. Revising this paper has become a particularly laborious task. Rewording things to make more sense, finding the best way to say what I am trying to say without using first or second person, and generally trying to get everything into cohesive form.

I tend to revise most of my writing, as things don’t always translate properly from thinking to writing so I find that one revision or more help make the writing better understood. The few times that I have not revised my papers I have noticed a distinct decline in the quality of what I write.

For this essay specifically I have revised it many times, from the very first paragraph written and throughout the writing process. I would get a paragraph written and find that it either didn’t flow into a cohesive paragraph, or that I had not transferred my thoughts properly. I plan to continue to revise this to the best of my abilities so that the paper is the best I can make it.

This website helped me with the angles needed for revision of an essay.

Hopefully there aren't many people that are having as much of a difficult time as I am. Good luck everyone, and have a great summer break.

Tentative thesis for White Noise essay.

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In White Noise by Don DeLillo, DeLillo frequently references supermarkets, describing them in how they look and feel and giving the reader a different view that one would usually give a supermarket. DeLillo’s consistent reference to supermarkets is a comparison to the real world. The many different products as well as the variety available for each product can be seen as the variety of people in the world and the class system those people live in. From the generic, lowest cost, to the brand name and most expensive, the purchase made makes a statement about who a person is and where they fall in society.

This link really helped me see what different views I could write the essay from.

Summary and Response to Critical Essays

 In John N. Duvall’s critical essay of White Noise by Don DeLillo (White Noise was written in 1984 and first published in 1985, Duvall’s critical essay of this work was printed in the Autumn of 1994), Duvall goes in depth into the writing and unusual way DeLillo presents certain parts of the book as well as the representation of certain characters and breaks down the satire and unusual aspects of the story. In breaking down certain parts of the story and reducing them to the easiest meaning, Duvall allows anyone to understand the story (to an extent) and gives the reader another way to view the story and its meaning.

One of the first things that Duvall cites is Jacks obliviousness to the totalitarianism of his modern society given the fact that he is a professor in Hitler studies, the ultimate example of totalitarianism. In doing this Duvall shows the reader that no matter how smart a person is, they can be blinded to what is in front of them. By then going into Murray’s acts and choices in the supermarket compared to the Gladney’s, Duvall points out how heavily the average family relies on the aesthetic way consumer items are displayed. Duvall’s explanation of the “TV man’s” speech cites that Americans rely heavily on modern media and find their validation within it.

Duvall’s critique of Don DeLillo’s White Noise made it possible for me to understand certain aspects of the book that were, until reading the essay, completely confusing to me. Duvall made it possible for me to comprehend the more unusual aspects of the story and understand the reason for the seemingly unneeded and confusing text in part I. Duvall’s article shed light on the unusual acts of Murray in the supermarket, why the TV man made such a big deal out of the chemical spill not being covered in the media and many other things that I could not comprehend.

This article would be good for my essay #3 because it explains so much of what I did not understand and gives a wholly different perspective to the story. After reading this article I am going to re-read the book and I think that many things will start to make sense and that I might even enjoy reading it this time.

Duvall, John N. "The (Super) Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise." White Noise: Critical Essays. n. page. Print.

White Noise blog

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White Noise, by Don DeLillo is difficult to follow. I found that part II of the story was the easiest to understand and follow and that part I was the hardest and the most fractured. I am having a hard time with the book in general and find that I have to read some parts several times in order to even begin to understand. There are many characters that I do not see the purpose of even being included in the story, let alone, their unusual actions. For instance, why does the character Murray smell all the groceries in the Gladney’s basket, or the neurochemist feel the need to hide, why does the book start by describing the students being dropped off at the college with detailed descriptions of what they bring and eat; these are some parts of the story that I have a hard time understanding the significance of.

I enjoy reading most anything, yet this book has me turned around and trying to find the underlying meaning, if there is one, and confused in general. I am going to have to re-read the whole thing again in order to come to any conclusion and write a paper on it. If anyone can shed some light on the book or give me their views on it, this may help me.

This is a review of the book that I recently found that I found interesting.

Mid-term check-in.

Dear Laura Cline:

            I have to say that this has been an interesting class so far. The experiences have varied from fairly laid-back to extremely difficult for me. The extremely difficult assignment, and biggest challenge, for me would have to be doing the analysis paper on Bartleby the Scrivener. The reason I found this so difficult was that I was expected to write an analysis from a point of view that I do not hold. Though I realize that doing this expands our writing capabilities as well as challenging ourselves to do better, I found this assignment irritating and frustrating. At this point in time, I do not feel that I have had a “biggest success” as I have only one graded paper and have nothing to really compare with, though having a good grade in the class is a success in my opinion.

            The readings, videos, etc. have not had much effect on me, though “A Modest Proposal” did make me stop and think about how things used to be and how they are now. Since reading this I have done research and found that though there are distinct differences in societies today versus societies back before the 1900’s there are also similarities and these similarities make me think about what will happen to the various societies in the future.

            Literary analysis is not new to me. I was introduced to this type of writing in my first semester at Yavapai College when I took a critical thinking class and I find that, for the most part, I enjoy writing this way. Though it can be challenging, it is interesting to look at something you read from a different point of view than just for entertainment.

            I hope that as this class goes on I will find that my writing is improving and that I continue to maintain a high grade. My goals are fairly simple in nature; mostly I just hate to do badly at anything.

Sincerely,

     Angela Baker