Last Post Ever

Throughout this writing class I obtained and learned several concepts that will help my writing in the future. I learned how to form an argument that was logical, thought provoking, and also emotionally relatable. Without these essential components trying to argue anything would be impossible. This class also helped me with my personal writing process. It made me realize the true importance of rough drafts, which through free writing can bring out some of the best ideas. Also during the writing process I always struggle getting started. In order to overcome this I usually skip the introduction paragraph, where a paper usually starts, and begin with the body of the paper. I normally know where I generally want to go with my paper just not where to start. This is how I improved my writing process during this class. Another section of the class that I really enjoyed and got a lot out of was the primary research during the second unit. Since my major is biology I am sure I will have to conduct my own experiment of some sort in the future, so any exposure to this kind of writing helps tremendously. I had never done any of my own primary research previously so getting to do that was exciting and insightful. Also connecting primary research to previously conducted research is a critical skill to have in the science field. Almost every category of science must use experiments to back up their claims and use other experiments for further support them or show discrepancies. So once again in anything I do related to science I have a good foundation in scientific writing to work with.

"Laying Sod"- Poetry Analysis

First Reading: 3
Second Reading: 6

The poem “Laying Sod” is about creating art, and the fact that it is more prominent these days. The author writes that his father and especially his father’s father would never write poetry or produce any works of art. Instead they worked out in the field and made sure the conditions were suitable for crops to grow. Then the author compares this to his writing, and says that it is actually not that different. Just as the farmers keep away the snakes from the prosperous ground, the writer enlightens people and keeps them away from being ignorant. He says he is taking the “green patches”, or stories of the past, and laying them out so everyone can see them and read them.

After writing about the poem my understanding grew greatly to a 9 or even a 10. When you write about something you are forced to analyze the piece and make connections about what is going on. Rereading the poem is also really beneficial to understanding it. On the first read your brain is trying mainly to identify what is going on at the surface level. On a second read you can start to fully what is happening and then start to look deeper. Then after reading it again and writing about it, a deep understanding of where the author is coming from and the purpose of the poem or short story can be identified. Going through all these steps is really key to analyzing any piece of writing that you might read.