Question for my Research Project

Ø  How is it coming along?

For my final essay in my English 103 class is a research paper, which is my favor out of the all the essays I had to write this semester. For me research papers are simpler than putting my thoughts on to paper.  It’s Friday night and I am about half way done and its due Sunday. I need a few more books to complete what I have. I am doing the research paper on The Iranian Revolution. I have broken it down into a few different parts. After the opening came I put what caused the spilt of the religion. Next was the first shah that sold oil to other countries. Fourth the bio of the leader of the Iranian Revolution and then how the Revolution all came about and what happened first. Last are the effects after the Iranian Revolution and who’s happy and who’s not.  

Ø  What do you need to do to complete it?

I need the bio of the leader of the Iranian Revolution. I want to find more information on the first Shah that started sailing oil to other countries.  I would like to find the books written by the leader of the Iranian Revolution and see how different people seen the books. I need to work on my opening and closing but I always do this last for some reason. It’s just easier for me to come up with the opening and closing if the whole paper is done.

Ø   How do you plan to accomplish this?

Tomorrow I have got a babysitter and I plan to go to a book store and read as many books about the Iranian Revolution as I can. I am bringing my computer with me to get as much of the work as I can before I have to be home. I have a clear a web of I have plan to bring all my research together. I hope it get me a good grade because I feel more comfortable doing research papers.

Ø  What areas of difficulty are you encountering?

The only area I was having problems with was finding a good place to get the bio for the Iranian Revolution leader but I have found a book at a store. I can’t a ford to buy the book but hoping to use at the store for awhile. Also I haven’t been able to find newspaper from the date it happened but I am still looking and my fingers are crossed that I will find some. I find myself during the holidays or will the last few weeks not caring about school. I just want the semester to be over. I tired of staying up all night and getting wakened up by my son at five am, I just want the semester to be over.

Ø  How might you overcome these obstacles?

I am going to the book for some time to read the book there and hope that it’s not a book that have a cover over.  I am holding my head up and I just keep telling myself that the semester is almost over. And next semester is my last. I can get a good grade and be done with my English class for a long time.

Writing Styles

Online communication sucks for me. I am not a social person; I like to keep to myself. Posting my feeling online for the world to see can be very hard and has created a lot of stress for me. But I do like writing this blog, it’s gotten very easy. Over the last few months, I have learned not to care if anyone has read my blogs or not. In my English class’s discussion board has been a great way for me to see how other people writ and helped my writ more and put more thought into my writing.

My online communication is brief and to the point. I hate trying to make my paper, blog or whatever I am writing long. I don’t like reading anything that seems like it’ll never come to an end. And I would hate to have other people read my work and feel like it goes on and on. The only time I like to use a lot of detail is when I am telling/writing a great story and in college most papers are research papers, so why make them long and not to the point ? I hope other people don’t see my work as never ending and not to the point.

Other people might see my writing style very different then I see it. I have been writing this blog for 13 weeks now and not one person outside of my class has commented on it. So to say anything about how the public see my blog/writing is very hard. But I do have some feeling about how my group sees my writing style. From their comment and peep editing, they most like see my writing as tossed together and not well throughout.  Which can be a little true, I have a hard time working on a paper for a long time and going back and rereading it. I can work on it for a few hours but if I don’t finish it in that time, I stop caring. For rereading it to make sure it reads smoothly, I just can’t do it more than once.

Lastly my writing style does change. If I like what I am writing about then I do my best to take my time, which makes my writing better then if it’s a subject I don’t care because then my writing is tossed together and not care about. For the most part everyone can pick out which one is which for the first paragraph. After most teachers have told me time and time again not to be person about research paper, lots of my papers lack a person touch now. The only time I put person touch in my writing is when I am telling a story. But those are the only times when my writing changes. I hope that one day my writing will not change and it will be great no matter what subject or if different type of writing I am work on will remain consistent.

Stop and Love What You Have

A truly great and eye opening book is Reading Lolita in Tehran. So I had to read this book my English 103 class, which I wasn’t happy to know that I had to read it and Animal Farm too.  I had read Animal Farm in high school, so I spend a lot of time reading, Reading Lolita in Tehran. At first it was hard to get into, when I got to about ten pages in I remember reading “How many people get a chance to paint the colors of their dreams?” This is when the book becomes hard to put down.

To think about great women in history that have made a name for themselves or lived out their dreams. After reading, Reading Lolita in Tehran it helped me to see the bigger pictures of dreams and how lucky I is to be an American! I don’t have to hide my dreams from the government and I post whatever I like all over the place, if I please to do so.  I can take any class I want, will almost.  Freedom with school is the greatest thing in the whole world.

 I also learned from reading, Reading Lolita in Tehran that no one can take away your knowledge. I was not push to go school and get an education. After reading this book I know what to tell my son about education. And I will never let him give up on his education; he is a boy and wouldn’t have the same problems as girl have in Iraq. But I want him to know that knowledge is power and at the end of the day you will always have your knowledge left, no matter what. Also to teach those whom are willing to learn, like in this book the author never let her will to empower women die.

In Reading Lolita in Tehran, Nafisi says “when all possibilities seem to be taken away from you, the minutest opening can become a great freedom.” I am American I know that I have and will in the further take freedom for grated, because I know that freedom is America. To see in a different world where freedom isn’t there, is hard to read about. You know that not all places around the world are great but when you are touch my a book about young people wanting it to change it, made me think of America when not everyone was equal. It makes me think, why hasn’t the rest of the world followed that every human is equal?

This book also showed me that literature is powerful but to know that girls all the way around the world feel power from just getting to read is simply beautiful. I have taken for grate getting to read whatever I want; yes I know I am an America. To think about “banned books” is crazy to me. I always think of my teacher wanting to read all the time and to think of a place where teachers tell children what books are okay or not okay to read is very crazy. I think it’s amazing to read about the Nafisi story and how she empowers those girls. I hope those girls see Nafisi as a hero and be brave to keep bring the literature to all girls.

Critical

I have been taking an English 103 class for critical thinking skills, for a few weeks now and my writing doesn’t seem to be getting in better. I took English 101 a little over a year ago and had no problems with my English essays but doing critical thinking essays, they have become nothing more than just stressful.  There are lots of different writing actives we do in this class that can be fun and not stressful but some are very hard and stressful. I remain hopeful that my writing will get to where it needs to be at.

Critical thinking is very hard compared to research papers which I am used to doing. Research papers are simple, just write down what other people have said or did but critical thinking papers are very different. When doing critical thinking one you don’t chose sides of an essay, book, report or speech, two you analyze what was said and did and three I haven’t had to use MLA Format in awhile and now I feel a little lost with the new up-dates, because most of my research papers are APA Format.

As the weeks go by my blogs are getting easier to write and I don’t think so much about putting them on the web for everyone to see.  I think this my favorite part of the class as the weeks go on.  I don’t have to think about using MLA Format or about citrating correctly.  I use the blogs to warm up my writing now and before I was just looking to make sure I have the word count. Also enjoy reading other peoples blog to see what they thought about the same type or why they did a different type then mine.

Discussion board has been getting easier for me as well. I think the discussion board is the only place where I feel like I am gaining critical thinking skills. I enjoy reading other people thought and the question they ask. I think the discussion board is a more comfortable place where I feel more open.  While read other peoples post, I feel like I am gaining different way to be critical and how to go about it.  

Worst part for me in the whole class is the group actives. Mostly because I do work a few days here and there, have a kid to take care of and go to school full-time, so I feel really bad when I am running late on posting my group answers. I also feel like I don’t take as much time going the actives as everyone else in my group does. I think that they get mad because my answers are usually half ass.   But hopefully the next group active I will be less stressed to do a great job and take my time.

I know my writing is a work in progress and it takes time to be a great writer. I just hope it gets there before the semester comes to an end. I know what I need to work, like taking my time and reread my work. If I need help understanding the assignments then ask for it. I will continue to try my hardest and work on taking my time to make sure my essays are well thought out.