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Emory Ellis

Dr. deGravelles

English 1

28 April 2013

Dr. D in 2013

         This year was a challenging and frustrating year for me in English class.  I have always struggled with writing assignments, but I think most of it came from selecting the wrong topics.  I am pleased to have found my strong points in writing.  One of my low points was remembering to turn in routine homework assignments.  There were several accomplishments for the class and myself, but my greatest one was finding my love for poetry.   

          For my end of the year assignment I am required to do several things.  The first is the hits and misses, or what I think went right and wrong in blogging or other projects this school year.  Another is editing a previous main paper (one of the three papers that we did in the first three quarters).  The last thing is take something simple like an assigned blog post or other small to medium length assignment and turn it into a more intensified and “amped” version.  I was very excited to start this assignment because I am allowed the freedom to express my thoughts.

            The first thing I did was the hits and misses.  I knew what went well this year in broader terms, but not specifically.  I went through all of my blog post knowing that the free posts were my favorite to write about.  In my humble opinion, I believe that the Hurricane Issac blog was a hit.  I enjoyed rereading this one because it occurred with recent events and was written like a short story.  The other “hit” was blogging about “Nervous Conditions.”  It gave me a sense of where I was in the book with my comprehension and interpretation. 

            Contrary to the things I thought where on point, there were a few things that I believe did not go as well.  One “miss” was the blog that was based on Jane Goodall and her inability to give credit; it was talking about plagiarism.  This blog was assigned shortly after the research paper so the grade had heard, “Don’t plagiarize.”  And other things that are similar to “Make sure you paraphrase.”  I felt a little bit like it was unrelated to our class discussions at that time.  In addition, it was not enjoyable because I thought this topic was less than stimulating.  Something else that I did not enjoy was finding and pointing out poetic techniques like enjambment and personification in current popular songs.  I think I did not delight in it because I did not understand it for the most part, but I also did not fell like it helped me study.  It is not that I did not like it, but more that I felt it was a little unnecessary and it did not help me review for the test. 

            Something else that I did like was the paper I authored on how I grew and prospered as a writer.  I wrote about how my writing changed in 6^th grade with a workable writing style and fixed it through a crazy and emotional trip.  This was fun to express from a 9^th grade standpoint, and I understood it unlike some other works our class did.  I just created the paper like I was writing my own non-fiction short story about my life.  I know I used my best vocabulary, and it was easy to write because it is my favorite type of writing.  I liked writing that assignment so much that in the 4^th quarter I decided to make revisions to it and make it even more spectacular.  I did not have many mistakes in it, but I wanted to change the conventions to make the grammar flawless and make it more sophisticated.  I also wanted to change the organization because Dr. D had made multiple comments on sentences and paragraphs that needed improvement.

            Something else that needed improvement was my reading comprehension in “Nervous Conditions,” as I previously mentioned.  In my weekly blog for English, I wrote about how Tambu (the main character) felt about discrimination, her life, and her drive to change.  I think poems are a great way to convey how you feel about being put down and wanting to change something.  This is similar to how Tambu was feeling.  I decided that for my final mini-project (or the writing remix) I would turn Tambu’s feelings about discrimination, moving, and how she is treated, into a series of poems.  I love writing poems so I thought that this will be fun.  I used sonnets, haikus, and other forms of poetry.  This was a great way to practice poetry for poetry club and help me learn more about “Nervous Conditions” for the exam.

            Now that I think about it, my entire freshman year of English has prepared me for the final exam.  Even though I did not like two of the three papers I wrote, they still taught me a lot about how to write for certain topics and improved my grammar.  This is a good thing because the exam will have a huge writing portion and hopefully I am now prepared.

            I fell like Dr. D has prepared me for my exam and future years of English in reading, writing, community, and culture.  I have learned several new traits for writing and how to properly cite works.  I feel I am prepared for the rest of my high school life.  Thank you Dr. D, you are the best!

Writing Remix-

Poetry log 1- My brothers gone, will I me next?

My brother was gone

I don’t care

My rights are gone

I would give anything

I would be the one that would stand there with the knife

I would KILL to have my way

He took it from me

And I would take it from him if it was necessary

I am stuck.

I am out of luck.

What will happen if Babamukuru took another?

What if he took me?

What if it happens to me?

What if IT happens to me?

What if I am taken?

It would be the best,

And it would be the worst.

Poetry log 2- My freedom

Yet another day I work

Yet another day I stay home

Not getting a day of school

Not getting a day of rest

Yet another foot that I will wash

Yet another house I will clean

Not another book I will touch

Not another family member I will see

They have changed,

But nothing I want to change has.

If it were to change

I would have everything right

I would be being taught

I would be successful

I would be happy

My family would spit the work

My family would work together

My family would be equal

My family would be happy

Poetry log 3- going to school

My mother said no

My mother had the fear of loosing another child

She does not know what it is like to work with out me,

Or she does not remember

My mother says she will be ill and die if I leave

My father was against it

He claimed that I should not have an education,

But to help around the house

And do all his chores

My Uncle said to come

I could have a better life,

And meet better people

I could see things that I would not be able to see from our dirt house

My Uncle wants me to be successful

I want to be smart

I want to be educated

I want to be equal

I say that I don’t care what everyone else says

Poetry log 4- Nyasha Haiku

She is rebellious

I wish she was innocent

She has lost her roots

Poetry log 5- Sacred Heart Sonnet

This place is different

I am not use to this zone

I fell independent,

But I also feel alone

I’m glad for a new education,

But there is discrimination towards me

I understand the world in relation,

But I guess understanding is key

                         

My family is a wreak

And I am tearing them apart

I hope they understand my treak

So I can make intilectual art

My own needs are more important

My education will make me brilliant

Hits and misses-

Hits:

            http://emoryogh.blogspot.com/2012/09/hurricane-lock-up.html

            http://emoryogh.blogspot.com/2013/03/nervous-conditions.html

Misses:

            http://emoryogh.blogspot.com/2013/03/plagiarism.html 

http://emoryogh.blogspot.com/2013/04/trouble.html