Free blogposts – My Writing Journey

Blogpost #6 – “Death of a Mountain”

As a person who does not like to read, especially nonfiction, it was hard to get started reading such a lengthy journal. However, as I continued reading, I gained much more interest in the paper because Reece did a really good job describing things. He did great using his words to paint the magnificent beauty of the mountains and everything they are home to: plants in all sizes, animals, streams… The way I read things in English is that I usually say words out loud. Doing that does not only help me understand the sentences better, but also gives me a chance to practice speaking for better pronunciation. Sometimes, it can be exciting to do some impressions in dramatic or majestic parts. I like very much how vivid everything that Reece was talking about was. It is so powerful when he compared the differences, changes that mountain mining has done to the place. Above all the ethos of his work, Reece writes in a way that makes readers feel his compassion and empathy for the beautiful land that is being destroyed. It was helpful when he recorded things with specific dates like a journal. Besides that, Reece has made the mountain, subject of his journal, something he and his wife cherish, value, and hold dear to their hearts.

Blogpost #7 – Random poem

It was raining on September 29, and this was what I wrote during freewriting

Whenever it rains

            I am thankful

            I am thankful when it rains

            I am thankful for the cars

                                    for the big umbrellas

for the rain boots

for the waterproof jackets

I am thankful for the cooling rain

for the refreshing rain

for the cleansing water

I am thankful for the greening grass

for the grassy smell

for the graying sky

for the bluing sky

I am thankful for the nicely paved roads

I am thankful for the rain drops on the concrete

I am thankful when it rains.

My thought for poems has changed. I realized that American poems were not bounded by any rules or restrictions like Vietnamese poems. Poetry is a great way to express your thoughts without having to think too much about being bad at it. Everyone can write poems which will be their own accomplishments.

Blogpost #8 – Annotated Bibliography

As the second step of our big research paper, we had to write an annotated bibliography for our sources. My system to do my research paper was to search for as many sources as possible. I would read briefly but throughout what the source was about, and then decide if I can use this source for my paper. I then saved the source and carefully labeled it. After getting all the sources I needed, I stopped all research and turned all my attention to my sources. I would carefully read through each source, copied important quotes, and made notes. I always have a Word Document titled “Sources,” which I now realized that it is just like a complete annotated bibliography of my paper. The difference is that I did not have to write a summary or evaluate the sources because I had already done that in previous steps. At the beginning, I though writing an annotated bibliography was rather boring and a complete waste of my time. However, writing out the summary and what I was going to use the source for turned out to be a tremendous help. I was able to go back and see each source’s purpose in actual words. Would I like to write an annotated bibliography for each of my future paper? The answer would definitely be no, but if I had to, now I know that it will be for the better.

Blogpost #9 – Animating Revolt and Revolting Animation

            This piece by Halberstam was my favorite. It was so interesting to look at things, particularly cartoons which you thought were so simple (well they were made for children), in a different way. I am a complicated a person but when my views at things and people are very simple, I usually do not think too much about what was going on behind the storyline. However, reading this chapter of Halberstam’s book made me recognize the complexity of everything in my life. This sounds like a pretty bad idea because no one wants to further complicate his or her life.

Blogpost #10 – The Banking Concept of Education

This reading was probably the most relatable to me as a reader because it reminded me of many things I have experienced throughout my school years in Vietnam. As dull as the system was, there were also some good things I think any system could benefit from. The number one thing I think students in America and free countries should be taught is respect. An example would be a class I’m taking this semester, in which some of the students have been completely disrespectful towards the teacher. I have to admit that she could use some improvements as an educator and lecturer. However, she still very much deserves the respect. These kids should be taught discipline the way I was taught, I emphasize on the kids for two reasons: 1) strangely, as young as I am, I’m older than most of them; 2) besides years wise, I’m confident to say they are very childish. Learning to be respectful of others means so much more than just to get what we want. These kids need to know that respecting someone also means respecting yourself. Through respecting, one will have a chance to stand in someone else’s shoes and learn from all what the person has to offer.