Today’s blog post is going to be about me reflecting on the past 8 weeks that I have been in English Composition I. Before I started writing this midterm piece I was given a couple of links to help me be a better writer. First, I wanted to brush up on my reflective writing so I watched a video about Reflective Writing and after feeling like it didn’t help that much I read the next article I was given called Genres in Academic Writing: Reflection. Not too long after I realized I had to make either a video or a essay. I didn’t exactly know how to go about making a vlog and posting it so I read all the Articles that he had given us on his website. I chose to go through all of them starting with What is a Vlog? Then went to the rest How to Upload a Video to YouTube, How to Upload a Video to YouTube From your Phone , How to Embed a YouTube Video on Weebly Blog, YouTube Video Editor. After watching and reading all the articles and videos I decided that I would rather write about it than make a video.
I was sitting at my desk for about 4 hours or so on Thursday, starting just after I got done my Intro to Business class thinking of what I had actually improved on with my writing. At first I couldn’t think of anything, but then I remembered that I have 7 blog post that I could look at and think of what I had learned in class and out of class. There was only one way to remember all of the things that were going through my mind at the time and it was to make a rough draft for my Midterm Reflection. Starting a paper in the past was never an easy task especially for me. But as I wrote each essay, week after week it would continue to get easier starting these papers. I didn’t really pick up on this until I started Composing a Past Scene: Part Two, which was week six, that I noticed that I made the introduction and first paragraph in like 20 minutes. A normal Introduction and first paragraph for me came along within about an hour consisting of me thinking for about 40 minutes then, finally feeling like I had a nice first sentence. I started to think “maybe it was because I was never a big fan of writing so I never normally did it unless it was a class essay or a research paper.” Next, I thought “it could be that I was being to picky about the way I started.” But, no matter the fact it took me this long to realize it and made me think about what else could have gone unnoticed. Every week Mr. Mangini would give us a couple articles to give the class a better understanding about that weeks blog assignment. The third week we had to Compose a Present Scene. Then, a week later he had us rewrite it and include dialogue and symbolism to make a more meaningful story with background information. Having the time to go back and look at what I had written a week later made me realize that I had to get my thoughts out before they are gone. Since then, with every blog I write I’ve included a rough draft even if I don’t really have too many ideas. After putting them down on paper it gave me the feeling that I was in control of my thought and the way I could portray them to my audience, giving them a better understanding of the story that I want to show through my words. What are my three primary intrinsic English Composition I goals for the rest of this semester?
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Today’s blog post is going to be different. I will be writing in a style called Found Poetry and the genre I will write about is called Erasure. It takes the whole story and changes the way the story looks by making the main text a light grey. Then, you make the important things, the ones you want the audience to read, black. Before sitting down and writing this piece I had to figure out the genre of Found Poetry I wanted to write with. So, to get a better understanding I read What is a Found Poem?, Sample Found Poem and Visual Examples of Found Poems. After reading these I felt more confident in my understanding of what a found poem is and figured out a way how I could write one out of my Narrative Project Draft #1.
“IT’S FRIDAY MY DUDES!!” my little brother yells as he’s running down the steps, through the living room and into the dining room. Upstairs in the room next to his, I get startled awake, throw the blanket off of me and sit upright with the sun blinding me through my window with smoke pouring out of my ears from being awoken in such a obnoxious way. I think to myself “does it always have to be so annoying around here?” Not too long after, I force myself up and walk downstairs to the mouth watering aromas of bacon, pancakes, sausage and syrup. I scavenge what I can off of the plate that my mom serves the food on knowing that I'm running late, as usual. I dart up the stairs again changing my clothes, brushing my teeth, grabbing my backpack, running back down the stairs and up most of the block before I see the number eighty three pass by me honking as if she would stop and wait any longer than the three seconds it takes for everyone to board the bus. I answer my question from the morning in a sarcastic voice as I walk back home shamefully “nahhhhh it couldn’t get any worse than this.” Trying my hardest to forget that it was only seven in the morning. When I got home I had to awake the beast, my dad, in order to get a ride to school. As I open his door inch by inch it starts creating a high pitched and very loud creak like a scary movie. He awoke with a couple of grunts and moans then I say in the nicest way possible “hey dad, I missed the bus can you please give me a ride to school.” He quickly snaps back with “can’t I just be left alone to sleep for one single day without being startled by someone who needs a ride to tardy town.” Before he had the chance to finish his sentence I zoom back into my room to get away from anything else he can say to me. We get our stuff and he gives me a ride to school without saying anything else other than “see you at home.” When I had gotten to school I got my late pass, stopped at my locker and proceeded to my first block. I look at one of the clocks built into the wall, I was ten minutes late as I arrived at the door. I walk in and take my seat in my math class. “late as always, do you even set alarms in the morning or do you just wing it?” With a displeased tone. I chose not to answer and class resumed with no interference's. The rest of my classes were normal and I mostly paid attention to the clock, breaking down the amount of time left into fractions making it easier for me to get through the classes. I get through lunch and it was nice I sat with friends and enjoyed the little time we had away from classes. Finally, my last class history I didn’t mind it today’s lesson was about knowing where all 50 states were on the map. I had studied the night before so the test was pretty easy. Not to long after I hop on my bus and arrive at my house. I go inside, quickly say hello to my parents sitting on the couches, then go up the stairs as fast as my leg’s would go, into my room to the last place I remember leaving my stack of money. I saw nothing not even the twenty five dollar gift card and my heart dropped along with my stomach.. The worst part about it had to be that I know exactly who took the money. My older brother. He was always the worst like he was possessed by a demon doing horrible things and taunting us till we were filled with rage. I ran down my steps and told my mom and dad what happened. At first they shrugged it off thinking it couldn’t have been more than $20. Seconds after, I told them how much it actually was. Their moods changed abruptly and were sad for me. They said “we’ll give you the money back and make things right.” But, my brother was not home at the time and there was no telling when he would be back so I went to my room with an unsure feeling, not knowing when I would get my money back. My parents chose to not have the conversation around me because they knew it would get hairy. I could hear the yelling coming from downstairs later that night. “Where’s Dylan’s bracelet money.” Said by my mom with an angry tone “Why would I know?” Said by my brother. I was imagining him and seeing the smile on his face lying to my parents. “We know when you lie. We want that money back it’s not yours and it’s not fair to him.” My mom snaps at him “I can’t give back what I don’t have.” My brother yells back continuing to get louder. Nothing else was said after that. My parents knew they couldn’t do much else other than kick him out and that’s what they did. It didn’t work for very long through he came back within a half hour and the rest of the afternoon continued without a word from anyone. Just a week ago I had this same feeling, not having money. It was a taunting feeling that came when my friends would flash money at school, reminding me that I didn’t usually have much more than lunch money. So when I got to my house I started watching YouTube videos thinking of ways to make money. Later that day, I had an idea while watching a video about making parachute cord bracelets. I could make and sell them to my friends. Thinking that even if I sold one that would be amazing. So I told my parents, they thought it was nice that I was doing something other than play videos games and watch videos. I bought 3 different colors green, blue and neon orange. I made one green bracelet and a blue one to wear to school tomorrow. My one friend , Greg, comes up to me and asks “what is that it looks sooo cool.” I proudly say “yeah well I make them and if you want this one I'll sell you it for five dollars.” He shook his head in agreement and we exchanged his money for my bracelet. I couldn’t help but smile and think “my first customer.” I continue on with my day and go home with a new found love for making bracelets that night I had made six more bracelets hoping that tomorrow would make more money. Fortunately, I was right and the next day I had 4 people come up to me and buy bracelets. Then the next day I had sold out of bracelets because I only brought eight instead of 10 . This continued on for 3 school days, day after day making more and taking requests for other colors or multicolored ones to be made that night and given to them by the next morning. I had sold way over 50 bracelets and I kept close track of how much money I had earned $325 and a $25 visa gift card. All that was taken away because of a negative choice my brother made and how it affected me.
Composing a Past Scene: Part Two
Today’s blog is going to incorporate what I learned in class about My Mother Gives Me a Writing Lesson by Martin Lee, What You Don’t Know by Lulu Wang and My Name is Margaret by Maya Angelou. I’m going to retell a story about a scene that had happened in my past when I was younger. One of the most negative times of my life has to start back in 7th grade with my family. My father paid most of the bill's so my mother was the one that usually gives out the remaining amount of money to my four brothers and I at the time. One day I was going through YouTube and I saw a video showing how to make parachute cord bracelets and I thought to myself “well that could make me some money.” Soon after, I went out with my parents and they had bought the supplies I needed to make a couple bracelets. I make two bracelets and wore them to school. My one friend , Greg, comes up to me and asks “what is that it looks sooo cool.” I proudly say “yeah well I make them and if you want this one I'll sell you it for five dollars.” He shook his head in agreement and we exchanged his money for my bracelet. I couldn’t help but smile and think “my first customer.” I continue on with my day and go home with a new found love for making bracelets that night I had made six more bracelets hoping that tomorrow would make more money. Fortunately, I was right and the next day I had 4 people come up to me and buy bracelets. Then the next day I had sold 8 bracelets. This continued on for about two weeks day after day making more and taking requests for other colors or multicolored ones to be made that night and given to them by the next morning. I had sold way over 50 bracelets and I kept close track of how much money I had earned a little over three hundred dollars and a twenty five dollar visa gift card. I was never more truly happy then at that moment just the knowing that I had plenty of money to last me for a while. After some thought, I knew I wouldn’t spend it on just candy or another toy, but that I would invest it into a bank account and save it for something more important. Knowing that my parents would be busy with work until the weekend, I still had a two days to hold this money so I put it into the safest place I could think of… under all the shirts in my shirt drawer. After two tiring days at school it had officially become the weekend it was friday but it was time to make a bank account and deposit money for the first time ever. I get home go right up the stairs, run right into my room, into my shirt drawer and there’s nothing not even the twenty five dollar gift card. The worst part about it had to be that I know exactly who took the money. After taking just under a week reading and rereading thinking of things that I could rewrite to make my scene better. After all that thinking I decided that it was better for me to brainstorm and just write down what I could think of and see how it went. What I found myself getting annoyed with was how long the background information would take me to read. I also felt like it was taking away from the main point of the story so I decided to re write the beginning but other than that I liked the way that I built the story and was able to explain the way I felt after I didn’t find the money where I had put it. |
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