Writing Wrap-Up

Throughout the school year our English class has written a couple of big essays and the WrAP test with it’s dull writing prompts. And throughout the year my writing has gotten better, yet in some spots I’ve begun to lack. The subjects to write about, to me, have become harder and harder to form many ideas and to support them. You could day in some way I have become lazy with coming up with strong ideas to write about.

                The first paper that our class was the Literacy Narrative, were I wrote about a book that changed my outlook on reading. I mad a 90/100 on this paper which I found rewarding. Ideas, voice, and word choice received 9.5’s, and 8.5’s on organization, sentence fluency, and conventions. I was also suggested to revise the awkward wording section in the paper, and to make the first sentence more of a hook to catch the reader’s eye.

                 The second essay was a Profile was I wrote about a café, this was my favorite essay I wrote overall his year. However, I received the same type of score on organization, sentence fluency, and conventions bringing in a solid B, and ideas and voice as A’s. While writing I wasn’t sure how to fix the errors that gave me B’s. Overall on the paper I got a 31/35.

                The Literacy Analysis was enjoyable for me to write about. I like the story that I was analyzing. My thesis got an A, but the support for it acquired a B. the Lowest technique grade was organization, I suppose it was because I was focusing on the thesis and how to support it more than anything so I lost sight of how the support was organized to create a clearer pattern. The paper turned out to be a 87/100, which is a good grade. The biggest problems that needed to be fixed were to support the thesis with stronger evidence. And grammar and how to introduce the quotes.

                The Global Issues paper to me was my least favorite to write. I didn’t do so well with supporting my thesis which got a D I lost the drive to write about this issue because it didn’t connect to me or interested me very much. With this paper I became lazy to cite things correctly, and I could have done much better than the grade that I received, but that paper that I turned in did.

                And finally the WrAp essay was we had to write about whether you were for or against free music downloading. I was for downloading free music and told why and supported my ideas. I received 4.0’s for all the techniques scoring an overall 24.0. I was really happy with this because I have never received all 4’s; I usually had a couple 3.5’s. I thought this was a good step up for me with the WrAP writing prompts.

                Overall throughout the year my writing has progressed in some place, but fell in others. And throughout the year all my papers had some similarities that fell on the technique of organizing my ideas better. I like writing about places and object that I have seen or in contact with. I hope in later years my writing will continue to grow better. And I also hope that I will organize my paper better with writing more essays and papers.

Common Errors List:

1. Semicolons must have and independent clauses that are closely related on both sides.

ex: Call me tomorrow; I will give you my answer then.

2.Use commas before or surrounding the name or title of a person directly addressed.
ex:Will you, Haley, do that assignment for me? 
Yes, Doctor, I will.
3. Commonly confused word: affect vs. effect 
rules :Rule 1. Use effect when you mean bring about or brought about,cause or caused. Ex:He effected a commotion in the crowd.
Rule 2. Use effect when you mean result. EX:What effect did that speech have?
4.Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.
EX:______ did the job.
I, you, he, she, it, we, and they all fit into the blank and are, therefore, subject pronouns.

 5.If a word answers the question how, it is an adverb. If it can have an -ly added to it, place it there.

EX:She thinks slow/slowly.

She thinks how? slowly.
She is a slow/slowly thinker.
Slow does not answer how, so no -ly is attached. Slow is an adjective here.
6.When the entire whoever/whomever clause is the subject of the verb that follows the clause, look inside the clause to determine whether to use whoever or whomever.

EX:Whoever is elected will serve a four-year term.Whomever you elect will serve a four-year term.

Free Reading

this week I have read Mockingjay the last book in the Hunger Gamer series I have read the required 150 minutes. along with the Mockingjay I have also read some of my science textbook.

Free Reading

this week I read the required 150 minutes by reading Catching Fire the second book to the Hunger Games series. I read the whole book and though it improved the first book very well. I am very excited to see what happens to all the characters in the final book of the series. I like the series because its one in a few modern day books that have symbolism and a clever way to put what the characters do and the predicaments that they are put in. The book offers how a different types of government can cause different outcomes, with Katniss's government the outcome is one that is not a bright one for the ever controlling capitol.
The book ends with the reader wanting more from the characters and their situation will make their future look like.

Song Analysis

The song I chose to analysis is called "Small Bump" by Ed Sheeran the song is about a father getting his head rapped around having a baby, that was not planned. The baby is not due until four months later. In the song the father is thinking about how the baby will look like, how it will act, and how the guy will have to act like a father. You find that the baby was unplanned in the 1st verse 3rd line, "but for now your scan of my unmade plans..", this is basically saying that right now you can see his mistake on a scan instead of out in the world. There is one line that is repeated through the song a couple of times that says "If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you" how can the baby be inside the father?
Another line that I like in this song is in verse 2 line line 3 thats says "Finger nails the size of a half grain of rice.." the reason i really like this line is because it really shows the listen how small the baby is or will be. In the chorus it says "You can wrap you fingers round my thumb and hold me tight. And you'll be alright" it shows that if the father holds the baby tightly then the baby will be safe and alright. Verse 3 has a lot of rhyme and gives the song a sort of rhythm to it. Finally verse 4 only has 2 lines, but have a greater impact on the song that any other lines or verses in the song. The "father" is talking in past tense about the baby instead of the present, and replacing "you're brought to life" to "then torn from life". the mother had a miscarriage, but the father goes on to say "Maybe you were needed up there but we're still unaware as why." when the father refers to "up there" he is talking about heaven and how the baby was needed and only God knows why, however the parents still don't understand why the baby was needed and why it had to leave them so suddenly.

Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde

In Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde she writes how a fourteen year old thinks and the insecurities that they think about. In the girl that is the main person in the poem talks about her mom being behind closed doors, this could mean more than one idea. 1) That her mother doesn't really concern herself in her daughters life, 2)her mother is ill and can't provide fore her daughter the way she want to. After reading this poem through I couldn't understand why the author had named the poem Hanging Fire to better understand this I went on dictionary.com, and found that hanging fire means a firearm that has been pulled it's trigger, but is delayed in igniting. I couldn't understand why the author had related a fire arm to a teenager so I read through the poem again and found two possible reasons for this. The first possible answer would be that the girl is hesitant because of her mother, and the second is shes hinting on comiting suicide.
The patterns I found throughout this poem is the line at each of the stanzas saying "and momma's in the bedroom with the door closed" this could hint that the girls mother doesn't involve herself in the daughters life, and this affects how the girl feels about herself. The language is easily relatable because every teenager goes through these feelings, and large chinks of the stanzas are read in one sentence structure. In the second line of the first stanza personification is found by her "skin betrays" her or keeps breaking out in acne. the girl also come back to the thought of death many times in this poem, she is either planning on killing herself, becoming familiar with it, or is scared of becoming older or not getting to grow up. The girl is writing about everything that bothers her so someone would care since her mother doesn't seem to care and/ or is busy behind those closed doors. The poem also hints an important need of the parent figure providing for the child or teen with guidance or help whenever they are unsure thus the title Hanging Fire.

Free reading

For this week I have been reading the Hunger Games. I read all of the required reading time just by reading the Hunger Games. I have really enjoyed this book so far and can't wait to read the others. I am very surprised that the movie follows the book a lot. Some movies don't follow the book very well but some of the lines out of the books. I am almost at the end of the book and I don't want it to end because it is very good. The author writes very well and helps the reader imagine what it would really be like to be in the games. I also wonder how the author, Suzanne Collins, came up with the concept of the book.
I look forward to read the other books, and to see what happens after the 74th Hunger Games ends. Some parts of the book show how Katniss never gives up, even in the worst conditions. Sometimes I wonder what I would become if I was In Katniss's world, and it's very scary to think that you are just a pawn in someone elses game. Hopefully the books will end well.