Unit 2: Analysis

Unit 2 Pieces:

Cover Art Analysis Post

 Artifact Essay: "Take Me to Church" Analysis


Relearning Analysis: SUPA WRT 105 Unit 2 Reflection

Analysis was never a task that I struggled with. Between my over-observant ADHD mind and years of writing essays in ELA class, I have learned to find deeper meaning and purpose in a source or piece of evidence. However, one of the problems I often encountered when writing was that I never knew where or how to start my pieces. I would sit for an hour or more just typing and rewriting an intro paragraph that would hook my audience while also leaving enough room to cover as large a scope of analysis as I wanted to. Oftentimes, I would end up being forced to cut out parts of my analysis and discussion, or I would go the other way and have a ridiculously large thesis statement covering too many areas at once.

This unit introduced me to the idea of an evolving thesis, where I could take an idea, make it my starting thesis, and then run with it as I incorporated sources to analyze. Finally, I could stop worrying about covering all my bases in my thesis and just write what my mind had to offer. In many ways, I feel like this new concept has freed me from the rigidity of high school essay structure, and now I can explore any topic I choose to my heart and hands’ content. The Artifact Essay linked above was my first time writing with this style, and I have never felt more satisfied and accomplished with a piece before. I truly feel that I was able to let my own style and purpose speak for itself. Instead of following a strict outline I was able to introduce my topic, expand on ideas, raise challenges to my ideas and opposing ideas, and evolve my thesis over time using confirming and complicating evidence.

Not only that, but being able to write freely also improved my analysis overall. As I developed my piece, every so often I would think of a new detail to add into my analysis, or I would notice a connection that I had overlooked beforehand. Even my structuring of my argument felt more organized and connected than the times where I was told to conform to a set format. I very much enjoyed learning to expand my writing in this way and I feel that my analytical and literary skills have improved significantly as a result.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cover Analysis: "A Weight Lifted"

Image
The New Yorker  magazine cover, "A Weight Lifted", by Barry Blitt No matter the context, any good analysis is rooted in careful observation. Noticing even minute details and seemingly-obvious patterns can reveal something bigger about the true meaning/nature of the subject at hand. Looking at the covers of The New Yorker , it is clear that the artists leave details to point to a deeper commentary on current events. It is up to the readers to infer what that message is for themselves. This particular cover, "A Weight Lifted" by Barry Blitt, features a watercolor painting of a bald eagle carrying a disgruntled former president Donald Trump through the air. Its talons are holding Trump by the shoulders, like a real eagle would carry its prey. The eagle is huge, with a wingspan that seems to be bigger than Trump. Trump is dressed in a blue suit, matching blue pants, black shoes, a red tie, and a white shirt underneath. His recognizable wispy yellow hair is clearly visib...
Read more

Two Very Different Stories About Being Isolated From The Rest Of Society

Image
My thoughts on The New York Times's Op-Docs How to Be Alone  by  Sindha Agha and  A Conversation With Native Americans on Race by Michèle Stephenson and Brian Young. "Op-Docs" are short documentaries presented by The New York Times. The series began in 2011 and consists of hundreds of videos covering a wide variety of topics, opinions, and stories. How to Be Alone (Agha, 2020) The Op-Doc How to Be Alone , directed and produced by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Sindha Agha, portrays with almost painful accuracy the dreariness of a day stuck at home during the Covid-19 lockdown. It was published on May 21st, 2020, just a couple of months after quarantine began in the US, but the experiences described in the video still feel all-too-familiar today, almost nine months into quarantine. There's nothing to look forward to and very little structure outside of what you impose on yourself, and all the days begin to blend together into one big, unending blur of loneliness. Agha...
Read more

TED Talk Response: 10 ways to have a better conversation | Celeste Headlee

Image
  The events of the last year have laid out clearly just how divided the United States is right now. Every single topic of conversation can turn into a verbal battle, and for better or for worse, people refuse to really try to understand what their "enemies" are saying. I can't think of a better time to listen to what Celest Headlee is saying in this TED Talk, because right now what we need is to stop screaming at each other and instead try to engage in any kind of conversation that actually does something of use. I think now more than ever, it's easy for someone to become entrenched in their own ideas and to shut out anything that doesn't fit. We can post anything on social media, and the more it gets seen and interacted with and liked and shared, the more we feel validated of our beliefs and sure that we are right and others are wrong. That can lead to conversations just becoming ways to spread your beliefs just like you do online, which in turn only leads to ar...
Read more