Blogpost #5

Our Secret by Susan Griffin is an essay from her book, "A Chorus of Stones". The essay is very peculiar in terms of writing style and its construction. Nonetheless its content is very much relatable. The writing is somewhat autobiographical, as she takes historical events and relate them to her own personal life. She uses sentences in italics frequently throughout the essay and although they seem irrelevant and inapt to the writing they actually have a major contribution to the theme of the essay. The content of the essay is very intriguing. It is like Griffin's essay is a composition of a biography of Himmer Heinrich and an autobiography of her life. Her feministic views are evident through the piece. Going back to the construction of the essay, it's more of a collection of thoughts rather than order and chronological & sequential order. I enjoy this essay because she provides information from her life as it relates to history and conveys it in a manner that is so unique and outside the norm. Secrets are obviously a major motif throughout the essay. More importantly, the society’s perception or set model of how people should be plays a very vital role in the essay too. Secrets are oftentimes secrets because others are too ashamed at what society might judge or perceive them as which in turn creates unstable individuals who become slaves to by their own will. Griffin shows how hiding secrets can create monsters of good people and destroy the individual completely.

Blogpost #3

My writing process. My writing process is very strenuous to say the least but I have a very outlandish and bizarre approach to writing. My brainstorming process is pretty normal although I don't use the traditional bubble map, spider web, and all of that other foolery. The traditional process is just a collection of random thoughts, whereas my process is more of an organizational thought pattern on paper. When writing a paper I usually finish it in one sitting. This allows me to brainstorm and construct a full length paper all in one. I don't stop to proofread or spell check because a rough draft is made for revisions and peer analysis anyways. After my paper has been revised I go back and double check my work. I reread it and try to substitute some words and reconstruct some sentences to give my paper a more sophisticated and suave flow. Oftentimes I allow my mother to give me tips on some of the vocabulary and syntax in my paper before I produce my final draft. After all those steps have been completed I compose my final draft. Before I submit my paper I allow someone to evaluate it and give me their honest thoughts about the composition, vocabulary, and flow of my paper. I could care less about the content especially if it's a pre-determined prompt. Now that's the way I construct a paper. I like my method because it allows organized creativity.

Blogpost #1

Writing. I have a lot of experience with writing. I have been writing poems, raps, short stories since I was about 6 or 7. Poetry was probably the first form of writing I was introduced to. My mother was a poet so she would work with me and help me build my vocabulary. Some of my other earlier experiences with writing include "writing the dictionary" when my mother put me on punishment. In 5th grade and 8th grade I made a 6 on my writing test (1-6 was the scoring range, with 6 being the advanced) and in 11th grade I made a 265 on my GHSGWT. I also took various Honor English classes as well as AP Language. With that being said, I feel like my writing skills are near excellent, from the eloquent diction and syntax to the overall composition of my writings. My writings grab the audience’s attention. I’ve learned to incorporate antidotes and diversify the languages and vernacular throughout my writings. Make no mistake, I absolutely despise writing. I particularly abhor the actual physical writing part. I do however enjoy the thought process and brainstorming of writing. I also take a delight in seeing my thoughts in a physical state rather than the abstract. Often times though I experience writer's block, and the prompts that I am given greatly contributes to that. Another weakness of mine is that a lot of times I find that my writings aren't long enough and I often find myself rambling on in order to complete the writing assignment. The type of writings I have done include: analytical essays, haikus, Shakespearean sonnets, limericks, short stories, persuasive writings, informative writings, biographies, responsive essays, and letters. I have a love hate relationship with writing. I hate the drafting process and the proofreading of writing but the finished product is love. It can bring great pleasure to see how you can successfully put your thoughts into a physical form while thoroughly conveying those thoughts to your audience. Hopefully this year in English 1101 I can develop the write attitude towards writing.