Jocelyn's English Blog

 Response:  There have been many times when I worried about what other people would think of me especially when I had to share my opinions or try something unfamiliar. Sometimes, I hesitated to speak up because I did not want to be judged or say something that others might disagree with. This affected my decisions because I focused more on how people might react than on what I actually wanted to do. However, I have learned that trying to please everyone can prevent me from being confident and expressing my own thoughts. Why should I let other people’s opinions control my decisions? I shouldnt because everyone has different perspectives and I cannot make every person agree with me. This realization has encouraged me to be more confident in myself and focus on making decisions that reflect my own values. Summary: Today in class we learned about and did exercises on more rhetorical devices. Reflection: Knowing rhetorical devices is important because it helps me understand how wri...

Response:  One time I exaggerated something to make a story more interesting while talking to my friends about an experience I had. I made the situation sound more dramatic than it actually was because I wanted to get their attention and make them laugh. At the time, I thought exaggerating would make the story more entertaining, and it did make my friends more interested in what I was saying. Looking back, I realize that exaggeration can be effective when it adds humor or emphasizes a point, but it can also make a story seem less believable if it goes too far. Overall, this experience taught me that the way I present information can influence how people respond to it, which is also important when using rhetorical strategies in writing. Summary: Today in class we learned about and did exercises on rhetorical devices, understatement, hyperbole, and litotes.  Reflection:  Knowing rhetorical devices is important  because it helps me understand how writers communicate the...

 Response:  After reviewing the feedback on my argument essay, one thing I did well was clearly communicate my main claim and maintain a consistent position throughout my essay. I think this helped make my argument easy for the reader to understand because my evidence was connected to the overall point I was trying to make. One area I need to improve is my commentary because I can sometimes explain what my evidence means without fully explaining why it matters to my argument. The next time I write an essay, I will spend more time connecting each piece of evidence back to my claim and explaining its larger significance. I will also try to use more specific pieces of evidence instead of different generalizations. Summary: We looked at our feedback from our essays and began writing poems. Reflection: Knowing where we went wrong on our essays can bridge the gap between our current writing habits and what we need to know for the exam.

Response:  One conversation that changed me was a conversation with my old tutor who encouraged me to take my goals more seriously and not let fear of failure prevent me from trying. Before that conversation, I sometimes focused too much on whether I would succeed instead of thinking about what I could learn from the experience. The conversation made me realize that making mistakes is a normal part of improving and does not automatically mean that I have failed. It also encouraged me to be more confident in my own decisions and to listen to advice without allowing other people’s opinions to completely determine my choices. Overall, that conversation changed the way I approach challenges because I now try to focus more on growth and effort than on being perfect. Summary: We completed a worksheet on the poem we had analyzed. Reflection: Going back to complete work on a reading helps us make sure we actually understood what the author was trying to convey and cleans up our reading com...

 Response: A time when I had to write a poem was for a school assignment and the writing process was more challenging than I expected. I started by thinking about the main idea I wanted to communicate and then wrote down different words, images, and experiences that connected to that idea. At first, I was focused on making every line sound good, but I eventually realized that a poem does not have to be perfect in the first draft. I revised my wording and added imagery and literary devices to make the poem more meaningful and engaging. I was proud of the finished product because it felt personal and showed that I could communicate an idea creatively rather than simply answering a question directly. Summary: Today in class we analyzed and annotated a poem. Reflection:  Knowing how to analyze poetry is essential  because it teaches the analytical and reading skills tested on the exam and helps us become better writers. 

Response: I wasn't in class to take notes or do the practice and there was nothing in canvas so I looked it up. Clustering can be useful to organize ideas before immediately trying to write a complete response. You could write several possibilities and see how they're connected instead of struggling to develop one idea from the start.   Summary: I was not in school on Friday because of an appointment