This is what my Timeline looks like.......
One thing I found interesting while doing my timeline was that 3 of the 5 assignments I chose were when I had to write a research paper. Freshman year of High School my paper was on "Night" by Elie Wiesel and how children were treated during the Holocaust. Junior year my paper was on "Macbeth" and the theme of Appearance vs. Reality, lastly Senior year my research paper was on "Othello" and the relationship between Desdemona and Othello. The reason I chose these 3 papers I'd written was because I was given a topic and then I was allowed to choose how I wanted to go about developing the topic as well as picking an angle to research, specific to that topic I had chosen.... This opportunity really allowed me to develop my writing skills as well as gave me a chance to have an opinion on an issue, stand by that opinion, and find research and studies that supported my viewpoint.
Being allowed to stand by my viewpoint in a way coincides with what Taylor Mali says when he states that this generation lacks conviction..... I was allowed, in the form of a paper, to stand by my opinion and argue it! I was given a chance to have that conviction, which Mali states in his poem no longer exists in this generation, through my writing. Writing these papers helped me realize that my opinion on certain issues matters and that everyone deserves a chance to provide evidence to argue their opinion.....
It probably sounds like I just said the same thing over and over again. But I feel that repetition really drives the point home. Keep your conviction!
Peace
I really like the way you have tied this back to your first blog post. I think you are sort of creating a theme for your postings that might carry in big or small ways throughout your posts (or you might go down other paths, of course). Anyway, I like how you are taking this new piece from your daybook and making a connection back to this other text through your reflection here.
ReplyDeleteHey Cory! It's ironic to think of how much we all dreaded doing those research papers in high school, and now looking back, to see that they were the most influencial in making us the writers we are today! I liked what you were saying about the papers being an opportunity to create an opinion and stand by it. I think that questioning things and being willing to let your opinion separate you from the crowd is good. Hey, maybe writing all those papers helped us to become more courageous in voicing our convictions and standing up for what is right!
ReplyDeleteHey Cory! I really really enjoyed reading your blog post. I kind of envy your way of writing... I also picked my timeline to write about so I know where you are coming from. I want to focus on the second to last paragraph and the last paragraph. When you said that you were given the chance to state your opinion in the form of a paper, that really sums it up. To be given that oportunity is awesome. I also love how in the last paragraph you said you sounded like you were repeating yourself but repetition really gets the point across. I think that you are right because if you really focus on one thing for long enough then eventually you will get it. I enjoyed reading this!
ReplyDelete-Arin Hall
How's it going Cory? I really liked your timeline post. I thought it had some great events, a lot of which are related to school projects. WOW! You really did have a lot of writing to do. I remember when my class had to read the Macbeth drama. I wasn't really into it because I had a really difficult time trying to understand his writing style and what all the allegorical elements within the text were trying to convey. I also liked how you at the end related your timeline to your other post concerning Taylor Mlis poem about conviction and having confidence.
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