A Class I Liked and a Class I Disliked
In high school I took one class that was really enjoyable and that was conspiracy theory. It was a two quarter class so I took it for an entire semester my senior year. In this class we talked about many conspiracies ranging from JFK, MLK, the moon landing, the US’s ties with Cuba. Throughout this class we watched short films that would give us both sides of the conspiracy theory so that we could try to make our own unbiased opinions about these events. It was very enjoyable for me because I liked being able to have my own opinion that can’t be wrong and it was very cool to learn about history. And to top off the class, we had an incredible teacher who was really into the topic.
The class I disliked the most in high school was trigonometry. This was for many reasons. One reason was because it was a very difficult class with new information that was hard to comprehend. It was also tough because our teacher would leave the room for 75% of the class and stay in the teacher’s lounge. This meant we had to try to figure out the work on our own, or get help from our TA who was learning how to do this stuff at the same pace we were. The teacher was also not my favorite.
Coming into UNE with this knowledge has made me know that I should only pick classes that sound interesting to me and ask other older students which classes and teachers would be good for me.
About UNE
UNE is a very similar place to the town that I’m from which is part of the reason why I chose it. The location is very similar being that it is on the water, but the people are different. UNE is much more diverse and people here don’t talk and act quite the same as they do back home. This is not necessarily a bad thing because it is good to get to see what other parts of the country act and hear what they talk like.
Free Write
This fall has been eventful for my family. My parents sent their first kid off to college, and my younger, undersized brother is finally able to play football. I was excited for college life but I am more excited about my brother, I wish I could be there to watch him. After all of these years of us playing football in the street and yard, and years of my mom saying he’s too small to play youth football, he is finally allowed to play for the high school freshman team. He is still considered “undersized” but isn’t the smallest on the team but can definitely take a hit better than anyone on that field, because he doesn’t let anything keep him down. I really want to be able to go down and see him play, hopefully I will have a couple days off to watch him in person
Using Social Media and Why
I use social media because it is helpful in many different ways. One way is because it is how I communicate with my friends. My friends and I use Snapchat to talk to each other in a group chat to see what we’re up to. I also use Instagram which is a great way to find entertainment just by scrolling through my feed. I also use this to keep up with friends I haven’t seen in a while to see what they have been up to recently. Social media has made both good and bad impacts on my life but I one hundred percent believe that the good outweighs the bad.
Process for Writing Rough Draft Number 1
To start off the process, I briskly read through the articles once again and stopped myself when I found anything important. These important parts of the articles were quotes I thought would be useful when it came to supporting my thesis. I highlighted these so that I would remember where they were and be able to find them to be able to use in my essay. Then I began writing, with a little but of procrastination, and finished the essay using and analysing the quotes i had.
How My Essay Went
This was the first essay I have had to write since last school year so it was a little bit of a wakeup call to me. I did a bit more procrastinating than I wish I had done and did not have as much free time as I have in the past. In the end I am proud of my final outcome and thankful for the fact I had other students review and comment on my work, it made the process a lot easier and taught me more about how to write.
What Has Worked For Me So Far
School so far has been going well for me. I’ve been able to stay on top of my work and get it done in a timely manner. One thing that has worked for me the best has been the fact that I have to go to a required study hall for eight hours each week. This is where I get most of my work done and it is also great because I have other people there that I can ask questions to if I need help with something.
This is Water
- DFW’s goal is to tell a story that shows how you begin to learn more about your surroundings as you get older. He starts off by talking about the young fish and the old fish. The old fish asks how the water is and the young fish don’t know what he is talking about. The young fish have no idea that they are in water or have any idea what water is because they have not been around long enough to learn. The old fish knows because he is a veteran when it comes to knowing his surroundings. This compares to humans because when you are young, you don’t really know much about your surroundings, you just kind of go with the flow, but as you get older that all changes. You begin to look deeper into everything around you and why it’s there.
- I agree because as you grow up you become more knowledgeable and attentive to your surroundings.
- I disagree because you aren’t just born with this knowledge, you learn it by experiencing everything happening.
- Speeches and essays are extremely different when it comes to what is being said. Speeches are supposed to almost be like stories so that you can keep your audience hooked and they listen to what you’re saying. On the other hand, essays are more informational and try to grab your attention with surprising facts and flashy words.
Conversation
Conversation is the act of two or more people talking to each other and going back and forth with their thoughts. Conversation can be both positive and negative. In some cases, people may be having a conversation about something good that has happened and they are talking about it and they are both happy. In other cases the conversation could be bad and include the people having the conversation fighting with each other and raising their tones causing them to be seen as angry.
Identity
My identity is that I am overall a good person. I identify as someone who is caring and tries their best to stay out of trouble and look out for others. I am a hard worker who tries to push people to work as hard as me because I’m always up for some good competition.
Chabon Piece Identity
In Chabon’s essay, Abe is able to choose his identity. Even though it is something that is different from the norm, he still has the ability to pick and choose how he wants people to see him.
Identity Shown in the Real World
In my experience I have seen many different kinds of people show their identity. In one case I remember a guy I went to highschool with. He was very smart and everyone knew that. He dressed as your typical smart person and excelled in school. Always raised his hand and got the answers correct in class and was always willing to help. This wasn’t the only way he wanted to be represented though. Junior year he tried out for the football team and made it and was now not only the smart guy, but now also the athletic guy.
Essay 2 Self-Reflection
For me, I feel as though since we began writing, my overall writing skills have gotten better. Even after the first essay I realized that my writing had gotten a lot better since high school as it felt more fluid for me to write. One way I think it has gotten better is due to the fact that I don’t have someone hovering over me throughout the entire process to check to see if my writing is exactly how they think it should be, I like how we are given more freedom when it comes to this. I can write how I feel is the best way for me and it has really been working out for me. I also believe that since the first essay, my confidence has gone up a lot when it comes to writing and that has really made me feel good about myself. In high school I would get 60s and 70s on my papers, but now I’ve been getting mid to high 80s and it makes me feel as though I could write anything.
Using My Writing in the Future
I feel as though using the writing techniques I have learned this year will help
