4.30.13- Self Reflection

4.30.13
Literary Essay Writing: Self Reflection

Reflect on the decisions that you made to organize and craft your essay to include a strong claim statement with supporting evidence. Reflect on the process you used to connect each paragraph back to the claim and what decisions you made regarding the use of direct quotes and paraphrasing in your writing.

1. (MENTOR ESSAY) Name something that you admired that was imitated in your own writing from the mentor text essays about Scout’s Honor or The Marble Champ. What effect it had on you as the reader that made you want to use that writing technique or style? Copy an example from your literary essay and explain. (2pts)

I admired their thoughts in the Marble Champ, so I wrote, "I think part of her learning this lesson is also learning that sometimes you have to forgive and forget." I really liked the thoughts that were incorporated in it because I think it really made the essay more meaningful and understandable.

2. What strategies did you use that were helpful in generating a claim statement? Give an example of how this planning had an effect on your essay. (3 pts.)

I think that reading other essays and looking at the big ideas in the story help. This planning helped my essay and effected it because my essay had ideas and thoughts from the essay, so my essay was very intertwined in the essay.

3. (YOUR OWN WRITING) What did you purposely decide to put into your draft to improve your essay writing and try to convince the reader? Share two different examples, lifting exact words/lines from your own literary essay. Name the decision used and the effect you wanted on the reader.


Example 1: (2 pts.)
Exact words/lines from your own literary essay.
"When I'm reading, I always like books that have a storyline or a character that you can imagine in your life."

Why I used these lines
I used these lines because I wanted to make the reader understand that this story is very interesting and has a storyline/character that you can imagine.

The effect I wanted to have on the reader
I wanted the reader to know that this story is interesting and I wanted the reader to feel as if they could relate to the essay and the story.

Example 2: (2 pts.)
Exact words/lines from your own literary essay.
"Finally, at the end of the story she gets over everything, but before she can fully end, she is affected."

Why I used these lines
I wanted to show that her past definitely did have an effect on her, and she needed to take time to recover.

The effect I wanted to have on the reader
I wanted the reader to understand that sometimes in real life and in this story that it might take time to recover.

4. What part of your first draft was difficult for you? Share at least one specific part that was a challenge. (3 pts.)
"Ruthie learns throughout the story to not let anything that has happened in your past affect where you are today."
This part of my conclusion was hard for me because I had trouble rewriting my claim. Rewording it and finding different adjectives was difficult for me.

5. What part of your writing was successful and helped to improve your final literary essay piece? Share at least one specific part where you felt successful. (3 pts.)
"Stories like Swim by Jennifer Weiner, where the main character Ruthie learns that sometimes you have to not let what's past affect your future."
I felt successful when I wrote my claim into the intro because I knew that it flowed and fit into my words perfectly.