ENG 112 (DE): Close Reader

To fully understand what a text is trying to convey you must take the time to do a close reading of the text. Close reading allows for the reader to interpret what they think the purpose of the author was in creating the text. It also allows for the reader to have their own interpretation of what the text is actually saying. Close reading is a whole different approach on reading. It's beyond just reading the text, but you must go beyond the purely obvious (what you see, hear, etc.) and think more about what the text makes you feel. Do you agree? Disagree? Can you understand the perspective of the author? AND SO ON....

journal 2

I think of close reading as taking apart a reading piece by piece to analyze its possible meaning(s).  It involves looking at plot, characters, background story, and other details to come up with symbols and meanings that may arise from deeper consideration.  Its purpose is to discover an idea or moral that the author intended to portray through their writing, and possibly apply it to the way we think in our own lives, or even just the way we view the story.  In doing close reading for this particular Inquiry, I’m learning how to take a stand on and clearly express my views on roles and relationships of men and women.

Close Reading Journal 2

To me a close reading is figuring out the deeper meaning behind what the author was saying.  When doing a quick read over you never dig deep into the novel to really see and understand what the author is trying to convey.  When doing a close reading you are looking so deeply at the text, that it allows one to see the deeper meanings that the author incorporated in his/her writing.  I am learning that their is a lot more to a book than just text.  Authors incorporate so many meaning throughout their books that if you do not read very closely and according to detail, these will into be seen throughout the book.

Close Reading

In my opinion, a close reading is analyzing a text. A text could be anything, like a book, poem, or even a t.v. show. A close reading is breaking down that text to find deeper meaning, not just what first appears to the eye or mind. A close reading allows readers to see what the author's purpose, tone, and message is for writing the text. It also challenges readers to look beyond the surface for patterns and other mechanisms the author uses.

Journal 2

In your opinion, what is close reading? What is its purpose? Are you learning anything about writing, or yourself, as you engage in close reading for Inquiry I?

To me a close reading is analyzing a text and coming to our own conclusions. Close reading is analyzing text in depth to look past just the words and make some great observations. The purpose is to bring more meaning to the writing. I am definitely learning more about my writing because I am looking much more closely. I am seeing the patterns and my style of writing more and more.

Journal 2

A close reading is a in depth analysis of a text, where you break the text down to segments to try to understand the reasons why things were structured the way they were and what their meaning is. Also in a close reading you scan the text for things that are significant and if there is symbolism, metaphors or repetiton being used. The purpose of a close reading is to you try to get a feel for what the meaning of the text is and at whaudience the text is appealing to and through what ways. As I engage in Inquiry 1, I find that I am reliving some of my childhood because I get to look back on shows and other texts that influenced me as a child. It's also interesting to see if texts from my past, like television shows and commmercials, have really played a huge part in the way I view gender.

Journal 2

In my opinion, close reading is when you read and understand the text in a deeper way than you usually would when just skimming over it. You examine each word or phrase and try to determine what the deeper meaning is behind the text and try to understand what the author is saying. The purpose of close reading is to find a greater meaning in the text you are examining to get a better understanding rather than if you were to simply read it. I would say that I am learning a lot about myself through inquiry I. I have been able to think about what types of texts have influenced who I am today and how. Specifically for Inquiry I, exploring texts from my childhood reminded me of my childhood and how I grew into the person I am today.

Close Reader

Close reading is the ability to read text of some sort and depict the internal meaning from the external meaning. The purpose of close reading is to fully understand a text in it's entirely whether it be internally and externally. I am learning by doing close reading. I am learning that it is very easy to miss the meaning of a text if you do not read it in the proper context. I rediscovered a part of me that I had not thought about in a long time. I remember being an impressionable young lady who gravitated towards people and forms of media that was similar to my upbringing. Little Women was a positive outlook on females and I was surrounded by positive female images so naturally it was interesting to me.

Journal 2 - Enos

I believe close reading to be a "beyond" surface analysis of a piece of literature. I believe everything to have meaning and a close reading is one to which meaning and purpose can be extracted. By looking at the details of a piece of literature and visualizing why certain things were said or why certain things were placed, one performs a close reading. The purpose of it is to in some way create a purpose for its use. Whether to support or explain something, one engages in a close reading to reveal this connection.

As I engage in close reading, I actually do find out a lot about myself. Before I even started this assignment, I would have had no idea that my gender identity was shaped through the viewing of certain movies. Now that I'm really thinking about where my identity came from, these close readings really helped me to understand the shaping that occurred and why.

Journal 2

In my opinion a close reading is where you analysis a passage and reflect on what it means. A close reading is also when you look closely at the words the author choose and those reasonings behind the words. The purpose of a close reading is to look deeply into the meaning of the passage better understand where the author was coming from when he or she first wrote it. I have learned a lot about writing through close reading. I have figured out that a lot of authors are saying one thing and there is a underlying theme or concept they are trying to get across to their audience. It makes me think about how my own writing can do the same thing. Close reading makes me think that I can be a better writer just by trying to use simple tricks by using detail instead of just saying what I mean.

In your opinion, what is close reading? What is its purpose? Are you learning anything about writing, or yourself, as you engage in close reading for Inquiry I?

In my opinion, a close reading is reading really close. No really, like really close. Like, my pupils are changing size and I can smell the paper...Just kidding. A close reading is obviously analyzing the text (very closely, of course). It is important to think of many different aspects of a text in a close reading such as : tone, diction, flow, rhyme , style, theme, word choice, audience, context (literal and symbolism and motifs), setting, reference and the list goes on. It's purpose is to go deeper into the meaning of a work and not just read the words but truly understand their meaning and intent (read between the lines, if you will). Am I learning anything about myself? Not really... I have learned that I don't mind analyzing poems because Brit Lit trained me to ( black belt in poetry... if I must) and I would much rather analyze a short text and pick it apart than a larger one and hit on main points.

xoxo

Gossip Girl ... who cant be funny today due to the large amount of homework Columbia Prep has given her

Journal 2

In my opinion, a close reading is an in-depth examination of a certain text. To perform an effective close reading, one must focus solely on the text itself and pay attention to every detail. One must take of note of the author's voice, tone, mood, thesis, word choice, syntax and imagery as well as any other notable literary characteristic. All of these tools give the reader an insight into what the author is trying to say. In this class, I am doing a close reading on a Dr. Seuss book called Oh, The Places You'll Go. In this book I am learning a lot about how difficult it is to avoid gender stereotypes when composing a text. Dr. Seuss clearly intended this book to be as gender neutral as possible but still was unable to fully avoid these stereotypes. Although close reading do require a great deal of energy and involvement, they provide insight into the text that is often looked over by an untrained reader.

Journal 2

In my opinion, a close reading requires the reader to carefully examine a text. The reader has to analyze what exactly the author is trying to portray by using opinion and specific examples from the text. it also requires you to dissect the text with great detail. The purpose of a close reading is to show how a text relates to your own life as well as society in general and to understand the importance of text as more than a means of entertainment. Through this assignment I am learning about myself and writing as a whole. I have learned how a novel can affect my views on my own identity and my gender role. I also learned that writing is more important than I had previously believed. It can completely change a person's perspective.

Journal 2 - Close Readings

In my opinion a close reading is something that readers can do to analyze a piece of literature to find both the stated and implied meaning. When I first did close readings in high school I thought it was just the teacher "putting words in the author's mouth." I thought this because I thought that there was absolutely no way that the author could write and assume that the reader would make the same assumptions or draw the same conclusions that the writer did when he was sitting down writing it. And while I still think most pieces are overanalyzed to try to find something that isn't there, my senior research paper showed that a lot of the deeper meaning parts are fully on purpose and that the writer's influences in life are written into their works. As an author I haven't reached the level where I can attempt complex deeper meanings like the ones found in The Wizard of Oz, but as a reader these close readings are showing me a new way to approach a reading to find the meaning, bias or stereotypes even in pieces like kids’ books. There's time to learn how to incorporate parts to be purposively analyzed deeper than the superficial meaning that the words on the page have. Some of the most meaningful parts can be what is left out or not implied in the writing.

Journal 2

In your opinion, what is close reading? What is its purpose? Are you learning anything about writing, or yourself, as you engage in close reading for Inquiry I?

Close reading is when you take a special interest in a text to look beyond the obvious and "read between the lines." A Rhetorical analysis is a very good example of a close reading, where you look at each and every detail and discover the reason behind the use of that detail. Its purpose is to realize the effect of the readers of the texts, weather it be intentional or unintentional. For example, the use of rhetoric in commercials is obviously intentional, in order to use every detail possible to drive the urge in the audience to buy their product. But texts that effect kids understandings of gender roles, i believe, are more often accidental than on purpose. Since the beginning of civilization and before that, there have always been understood gender roles, and they are imprinted in everyones heads from the time they are little. So when people create a text, it is hard to exclude the normal gender roles because that is what everyone knows, anything else is just different and often unaccented. Inquiry 1 is making me think hard about weather I think these gender roles in texts are on purpose or accidental, and like I said i believe they are more often accidental than on purpose, just because that is what everyone konws

Journal 2

To me, a close reading is an interpretation of the text. A close reading is analyzing the text while giving a summary and one's own opinion. The purpose of a close reading is to understand what the author is trying to describe to their readers. A close reading also analyzes the text and gives support as to why one believe the reading is trying to portray a certain message.

As I engage in a close reading for Inquiry 1, I do believe I am learning about myself and writing. I am learning how to analyze a close reading as well as relating myself to the close writing to become a better writer.

How close is close?

In my opinion a close reading is a combination of an analysis and my own feelings and opinions on a text. A close reading helps me understand a deeper meaning or message that may be hidden in the text. The purpose of a close reading is for me to expand my comprehension after reading, watching, or listening to text.

During the current process of Inquiry 1 I realize that close readings are helping me improve my writing from tips through the close readings of my peer's papers. I have learned that most of my writing is very dull and has a "dictionary" feel when reading it. This journal would be a great example of that.

understanding a close reading

To me a close reading is pretty simple. It is just your opinion on what a text is saying in between the lines, and then proving your opinion by using what the text says to support you. the purpose for a close reading is to is to share your opinion on the text. It is almost like a review of something. it is a way for others, possibly other people who haven't read or see the text, to see what it is about and see what someone else thought of it. From writing a close reading for inquiry 1 i feel like i am getting a better sense of why i am the person i am today. it is like i am going back in time and thinking about what made me me.

Close Readings Journal 2

I think of a close reading as a reading in which the reader analyzes a text to find a deeper meaning. A close reading requires the reader to look for meaning in the text that the author did not directly state. It is an exercise that forces the audience to think more deeply about what the author is truly trying to say. Close readings can have multiple purposes; a person can close read in order to further develop his or her comprehension skills, or an individual can do a close reading to better understand a text or work.

As I engaged in close readings for Inquiry 1, I realized numerous things about writing. One of the most important of these is that every textual work can be interpreted in different ways by different people. And all interpretations are legitimate if they are able to be supported by the text. Also, it appeared to me how we are all subconsciously affected by the author's words. For example, I was extremely influenced by the gender stereotypes in the movie Grease, however, I did not realized the effects the movie had on me until I did a close reading of the movie. When I do a close reading on a text, I am always shocked at the amount of information that I did not realize was in the text the first time I read it.

Close up on reading!

I think a close reading is to zoom into the details that the arthur wrote in the text. Not only to notice the obvious evidence or details they are giving us but to notice the evidence in depth. I have been learning a lot while I'm writing the inquiry one. Even though all of this isn't new to me, I still think that as a writer, we keep learning as we go. Believe it or not, when i find a piece of evidence in a text that i can use for a certain reason, i find out i can use it to support other arguments. But sometimes then i struggle to know if i want to use that argument with the one i am writing about. So it can be quite a challenge. When you notice the little details you don't think are there, you have a whole different idea in your mind about the text. It's fun to zoom into the details in a text, it gives you a whole other topic to write about, rather than to just summarize what you read. it makes a good analyzation about the book also.

Close Reading- journal 2

A close reading is reading a text and over-analyzing it to understand a deeper meaning. Over-analyzing seems pretty easy when your given a piece of information to depict out your own thoughts and opinions on specific evidence that makes you believe a certain idea. However, inquiry one has been a bit rough for me. I picked a childrens book for my close reading. However, we were suppose to pick a text that had a certain value to our life and had a effect on us in some way or another. I thought this childrens book had a good moral and I did love reading it as I grew up. But, life does change and as I was writing my first draft I realized that this text did not have as much of an effect on my life as I thought. I could not go into enough detail or even remember certain experiences where this text had an effect on me. Therefore, close readings are very easy to do, the trick is relating them to your own life.

Journal 2

I believe a close reading is something you really dig into and make sure to analyze every part. When you read something and are doing a close reading on it, you should be picking it apart and figuring out every detail of the story to see in the eyes of the composer. It should show what the composer means when he/she says a certain thing. I think it is very important to analyze certain things to figure out the true meaning. In the close reading that I am doing, I believe I need to analyze things more rather than just telling the summary. I need to make sure that I'm getting how gender roles are being used and supporting it with facts or textual data from the movie. I want to make sure that I get the point across when describing the gender roles. I want to also make sure that I can show the obvious and the not so obvious ways gender plays a part in the movie!

Close Reading

In my opinion, a close reading is something you read very closely and analyze. A close reading would not be something you could just skim over and pull out main points. For a close reading I feel like you have to sit down and read it a few times, think about it, and reread it again. Also, with a close reading since your analyzing I find it very helpful to highlight or take notes on the text. The purpose of a close reading I think is to analyze and pull out a few ideas highlighted in the text and support those ideas by the claims made in the text. Close readings make you pull out a lot more detail than you normally would. As I engage in close reading I've learned that I enjoy analyzing something and than writing about it. I feel like maybe i'm a little better at analyzing than I thought. I've also learned that in everyday reading I miss a lot of things in texts that I don't catch because I skim over it or read it to fast.

Journal 2

In your opinion, what is close reading? What is its purpose? Are you learning anything about writing, or yourself, as you engage in close reading for Inquiry I?

Due: Thursday, January 27

To Write Or Not To Write!

I do not know how to classify myself when it concerns writing. It would be easy to classify myself as a writer but classification of a writer means different things to different people. I have written many things but does that make me a writer? When I was younger I wrote for pleasure but as I grew older and my schoolwork became more rigorous and demanding I began to focus more on writing for scholastic purposes instead of for a leisure activity. In this class I hope to define myself as a "writer".

Writer

My writing is for purely for academic purposes. That being said, it is one of my more preferable assignments due to the creativity and freedom that allows every student to submit completely different responses. This freedom is a nice break from the "answer key"- type problems like the ones in math, history, and most of our other classes that force the students to all approach the same problems in the same textbook way. Both are extremely useful in both college and beyond, but writing as a hobby or for pure enjoyment is one thing that has never caught my borderline ADD attention.

Do you consider yourself a writer? Why or why not? In addition, why do you write—is it for a grade, leisure, communication, work, etc.? What are you hoping to accomplish in this class?
Due: Thursday, January 13

I do not consider myself a writer. At no point in my life (besides when I was in first grade writing my James Bond "novel") did I ever write for pleasure. I have always written strictly for school and grades. I don't despise writing, it is just not one of my preferred activities. I like to think I am fairly good at it now after English 111, but in high school i was never the best at writing an essay. I do write for communication thought. Besides facebook, email, and texting, which I don't consider "writing" I write my grandparents in Pennsylvania letters to keep up with each others lives. Beyond that, I do not write. In this class, obviously I am hoping to get a good grade. I am also looking to further expand my writing skills, and use this class to help my writing skills continue to grow as 111 helped me. I think being able to write good essays/pieces is essential to being successful in most careers. One think I am looking forward to in this class more than 111 is the readings. I never read the books for my high school english class, but I know i'll have to in this class and I think reading will be a nice change from facebook and technology that I wouldn't normally get away from unless something was required.

I semi consider myself a writer. Finding someone who likes writing a research paper, however, is like finding someone who enjoys jumping off a cliff. Writer's memos aren't too bad, they are easily completed. Analyzing my feelings about a paper seems to take up a good amount of lines on Microsoft Word.

Writing for leisure is almost out of the question these days...(besides my latest work, "An Introspective of the Human Mind : Fourth Edition" of course). Writing for communication and for a grade seems to most fit students at the moment. Writing a paper is formulated, reviewed, reassessed and evaluated. Sometimes followed by a groan, a sigh of relief, or my favorite, the aggressive shove in the book bag. Is being forced to write really writing? (well, technically typing but let's not go there...) Writing for someones approval isn't fun, but then again, neither is a bad grade; conformity seems to be the best route. When I'm writing a paper for school, I constantly think to myself, "Who in there "'write" mind would want to read this for fun?" The solution to being forced to write academic papers-amusing myself with cheesy jokes on this blog. Sad, I know.

I have never written in a blog before and can't help but feeling a little like Sarah Jessica Parker, but without all the great designer shoes=(. A blog is what? Writing just to write with no story line? That, I'm not sure, but then again I'm just completing the assignment like everyone else. Writing seems to be underrated in this society though. Writing is a great form of documentation and throughout the years has given us some amazing texts from various authors. But today, why read the book when you can see the movie, right? Well, maybe not, but my point is writing is for the grade, simple as that. And in some ways thats okay to me. Papers are tolerable, they really aren't that bad. And I'm trying to not sound cynical about writing, just slightly rejecting how writing a paper is like slowly putting together a math equation (of course, with only one answer).

My goals for this class are : clearly, a good grade, to not sleep through my alarm and make it on time and to write something that someone might want to read ( forcing my roommate to edit my papers probably doesn't count). And hey, maybe having creative blog responses can be included in my goals, can't hurt right? =)

xoxo Gossip Girl

^ hoping that was appropriate - see everyone tomorrow!

Journal 1

I wouldn't generally proclaim myself as a "writer", but I do believe anyone and everyone is a "writer". I used to be afraid of writing before my AP classes in high school, I thought it was one of my weaknesses. But, I've learned that it's something I find to be both stressful and stress relieving at the same time. If used in the right way (without procrastination of course :)) I've found it to be even enjoyable. After taking those high school classes, I've also learned that language and even the formation of sentences is more than meets the eye. I hope to continue this discovery in this class and grow even more as a writer.

Journal 1

I don't really consider myself a writer at this point. Although I enjoy writing, I can definitely dislike it at times also. I believe, to be a writer writing should be a significant part in my life. Although I write all the time during the day, in texts, on facebook, and in class, I don't believe this makes me an actual writer. The majority of my time spent writing is for communication. However I usually only do longer types of writing in my classes. So it seems that it's more for the grade and not my enjoyment. When I was younger I used to write for leisure and fun. In this class I hope to become a more effective writer. Also I seem to repeat the same statement over and over when I run out of things to say.

Journal 1

At this point in my writing career I would call myself a writer.  I would not say I’m necessarily a very good writer but I do enjoy challenging myself trying to slowly improve each paper.  The most common times I write are for a class.  I am very critical about my writing, and tend to critique my writing very much.  In this class I am trying to better my overall writing skills.  In the past I had a lot of struggles with grammar and having good flow in my papers.  I think these things are still my main goal to work on throughout this class until I feel confident in my skills. 

Journal 1

I definitely do consider myself a writer in a variety of ways. Although this does not mean that I am writing full essays on a daily basis, I try to bring in everything I have learned about writing over my many years of school into my everyday life. Through text messages, emails, Facebook, and other means of communication, I am constantly writing throughout all of my free time. While this is definitely not a formal type of writing, I try and implement correct grammar, spelling and punctuation even in these very casual forms of communication. I definitely do not text or email as many young people do, saying things like, "C U L8R LOL," but instead attempt to write as if I was turning it into a teacher. So, while most of my everyday writing is a very casual form of communication, I feel as if I can still constitute myself as a "writer."

Journal 1

Yes, I consider myself to be a writer. Obviously, I write for school but I also use other forms of writing in my everyday life. I write when I type an e-mail, send a text message, or post something to a friend’s Facebook wall. These are all forms of writing that I use for communication. Although not recognized as 'formal writing', these are certainly forms of writing with their own vocabularies, slang terms, syntax, and diction. I don't usually enjoy formal writing but I do happen to enjoy writing when I'm communicating with friends and talking about things that interest me. I do not usually write for fun but I do enjoy doing the crossword puzzles in the newspaper if that counts...

Journal 1

I believe that everybody has the ability to be a writer. You do not have to be "professional" in order to be considered a writer. Many people, like myself, write to get information off of their brain. I do not check for grammatical errors for everything that I write because many times I am the only one reading what I say. However, I find writing as a way to express my feelings and de-stress. I could write pages upon pages on a topic of my choice, but sometimes I find it very complicating to write about a certain topic that I do not enjoy. Many times I find myself jotting words or phrases down on my paper without even realizing. I tend to use those words or phrases to write in my journal about how I'm feeling on any given day. It's hard to express my feelings to other people therefore, I find writing it down helps get things off my chest. I want to be able to be an efficient writer whether or not it is topics of my choice! I hope this class can help me accomplish my goal.

Journal 1

I consider myself a writer because I have spent years in school learning how to write. I have been taught to write in different styles to create various types of written work. I am able to write in different formats depending on what I want my audience to learn. Although I do not consider myself an elite writer, I know I possess the knowledge and skills that I need to write, and although I am not at a professional level, I am still a writer. Personally, I write for school or communication. Rarely will I write because I actually want to. However, I sometimes enjoy writing assignments from class. I am hoping to improve my writing skills and abilities in this class, especially the clarity of my writing.

Journal 1

I would say that if you enjoy to write, then you are a writer. This does not necessarily mean that the person is a professional writer, but loving to write is an important quality of a "writer." In my spare time, I love to write. When I am upset or I need to get things off my mind I do not talk to friends about my problems, I simply write. I like writing creatively rather than a prompt given to me, but I also like to make the best out of it.

In English 112, I hope to become a better writer. I love to write, but I still have imperfections that I would like to work on and better my writing even more.

Journal 1

I think I can say I consider myself a writer.  I’ve always enjoyed writing in all different forms; when I was younger I loved writing creative stories, and throughout high school I wrote pages upon pages of lyrics and poems as a sort of diary.  I also learned to write with my own voice and find personal ties to topics I was writing about, particularly in my high school essay class and in English 111 at Miami.  I write for different reasons…the majority of the writing I did during first semester was for school, but I also wrote/mailed letters to friends I promised to keep in touch with.  I also write journals on my own, just reflections on my life where I put into words everything that goes on in my head…I started doing this recently and it’s been a great way to organize my thoughts and end my day with some peace of mind.  In this class I want to continue generally improving my writing skills as I feel I did in English 111, and learn to organize and portray my thoughts accurately while still maintaining a personal voice.

journal 1

I consider myself a writer on a need to basis. I write when must write in order to accomplish what I want to accomplish. I may write to communicate with someone else, or maybe for a class or a job. I rarely write just for the fun of writing; although I will write down thoughts that I have from time to time so I can look back at them. that is pretty much the extent of my writing.

I really would like to become a more proficient writer from this class. The reason I want to become a more proficient writer is mainly for my future job. It is very impressive to be able to write good reports and be able to communicate well through writing.

journal 1

In some ways I am a writer. In the beginning I only considered myself writing on facebook or writing for classes. However, after English 111 I realized that I am my own, unique writer that has a lot to say about different topics. I have not only many opinions to share but now I like expressing them through my writings. I hope to get out of this class is what I got out of my first class with Leigh in English 111. I just hope to continue expanding my writing and vocabulary within my writing. But, also continue to love writing and lean something new about myself.

Journal 1

I would consider myself a writer because I do enjoy writing. However, i don't enjoy every type of writing. I took a creative writing class my senior year that showed me another side of writing besides mindless research papers that were on topics that i had no interest in. Being able to write what I wanted and expressing myself how I wanted made me realize I have an interest in writing. When I'm writing for school, especially research papers, I'm writing for a grade. I don't really write for leisure during my free time. During this semester I'm hoping to learn something new about writing and find a way to better my writing through the novels we read this semester.

ENG 112 (DE): Journal 1

I actuall do consider myself a writer. I enjoy writing and everything about the writing process. I enjoy editing papers most of all. To an extent, I'm sort of a grammar whiz! I LOVE grammar, which when I think about it is really awkward. I already enjoy writing very much, so doing it for a grade I also enjoy. This is because I really enjoy challenging myself to excell in my writing style.

In this class, I really want to master the art of writing to the best of my ability.

Journal 1

I would say that I do consider myself a writer because all of us in some way to an extent are writers. We use writing at school in classes, at work and we will throughout our careers. Typically when I am writing it is for a grade because I don't have time to write for leisure. I also use writing everyday for fun in a sense through Facebook, but when it comes to papers or longer writing, I typically am writing for a class and not by choice. I also use writing when I send text messages which also serves as communicating through writing. In this class I would like to accomplish a good grade, better organizational skills when it comes to my papers, and better grammar throughout my papers.

When I first read the prompt my initial response to the first question was I am not a writer. When I think of who a writer is I think of authors of novels. I don’t believe that I could write a book or a novel. As I start to reflect on the prompt a little bit more, I consider myself creative. Creativity is one of the major essentials of being a writer, so that would make me a writer. I love to write poems about important people in my life or even something I see in nature. I don’t write novels or enjoy writing papers, but when I believe I cannot physically tell somebody news I write them a letter. I also wrote in my diary so that I will never forget how I was feeling then in my life. When it comes to class papers I write for a grade, but I believe I write for communication in emotional settings of my life, Facebook, and email. One of my main goals for this class is to understand how writing and novels can help me reflect on my life.

Journal 1

I love to write and be creative with my work. So, do I consider myself to be a writer? Yes I do. In high school, my favorite class was creative writing. I would love to create poetry or stories and make them creative and interesting to read. Writing is the best way for me to express myself and different ideas that i dont get to express verbally. Writing to me also takes me to a different world. To me, it's important to express the personality of the writer in writer's work, that's what males the work unique. I dont like to type or write research papers, so i guess that i do write for a grade on research papers. But when it comes to creativity or essays that expresses my opinion I love to write and express my ideas within writing. Writing can express so much more than what goes on in the write's head.

Journal 1

Do you consider yourself a writer? Why or why not? In addition, why do you write—is it for a grade, leisure, communication, work, etc.? What are you hoping to accomplish in this class?
Due: Thursday, January 13

Welcome!

This is our class blog, where I hope you'll enjoy reflecting on issues that matter to you and our class. I look forward to reading what you have to share.

Leigh