Journal 8

At this point in the semester we have already taken the midterm and written our first paper. I think that some things that I did in preparing for these two things were good, and others, I could have done a little better on. The midterm was a little tricky to me. I studied really hard on all of the literary terms. Although, I did make a few mistakes on my midterm on the literary terms section. For the final, I will make sure that I start studying and working on my terms in advance. I also worked hard on trying to analyze the story. I think I waited until the last minute to work on that part, so I did have a few mistakes. The last page of the midterm is where I really need to study. I will also be sure to know that everything that I am studying is correct. I will need to make sure that I let Dr. Armstrong look over my study guide, so I will know if I do have any mistakes. I will start studying and looking over everything that we do in class each week, then I will not feel like I am cramming so much. I believe that the paper went well. I am pretty sure that most of my information was accurate. For our next paper, I will start off with a rough draft and let Dr. Armstrong look over it, and correct any mistakes that I have. I did not get a chance to do that with the past paper. I also think that I could have learned a little more about my literary theory that I chose. I believe that everything that we have turned in and completed so far, like the midterm and the paper, were to help us learn and know how to go about doing things differently when working on the final paper, and the final exam.

Journal 7

Now that we are in the middle of the semester, I believe that a lot has changed since we first started. I believe that the way that I read has changed dramatically. Before when I read, I would hardly analyze the story. Now, when I read, I look for deeper meaning and actually have interest in doing it. I pay much more attention to detail and how it affects me personally. I am much more interested in literature and learning more and more as the year comes to an end. I believe that I have definetly became more of a critical thinker. I now look for more meaning behind stories. I look past the surface of the text. I think that I still need to improve in some areas. I should work more on my literary terms, like I said in the previous journal. With the help of this, I believe that I will be able to improve greatly. I have also noticed how this class is helping me in many of my other classes. Now, when I read I understand things more easily. I am able to look deeper and have more interest in trying to actually figure out what everything in the text means. I think this will also help me with writing my papers and becoming a much better writer. I am very pleased with how much this class has helped me overall. Not only in english, but surprisingly my other classes. Hopefully I will keep improving as the semester continues.

Journal 6 - Literary Theory

I would have to agree, that most students typically would have a little trouble understanding literary theory. At this point in the semester, I believe that I am still having some trouble understanding literary theory. In my own words, I would have to say that I believe that literary theory is the way that we interpret and analyze literature ourselves. I did some online research to see if what I thought that literary theory was, was correct. I found that "literary theory is the body of ideas and methods we use in the practical reading of literature. By literary theory we refer not to the meaning of a work of literature but to the theories that reveal what literature can mean. Literary theory is a description of the underlying principles, one might say the tools, by which we attempt to understand literature." This made things much more clear for me and more understandable. Literary theory is very important to make sure that we do grasp a good concept of all of the meanings that lie underneath just the text. I do believe that there are some things that I could do to make myself understand literary theory more clearly. To work on this, I need to make sure I understand all of the literary terms completely. 216 As for my own "theory" of what literature is, it is not fully developed yet. I believe that I still have much room to grow and learn more. I actually enjoy reading literature now. I believe that part of this is because, I enjoy trying to find out what the deeper meaning behind the story is. I think that I should work more on my literary terms so I learn how to analyze these literary works that we read even more. With the help of this, I believe that I can develop my theory even more.

Journal 5

This semester we have learned a lot of new terminology that will be on our upcoming exam. I have recently been trying to prepare as much as possible. I do have a vocabulary study sheet that I use to study. One thing that really helps me with learning new terms is making note cards. I make note cards with the term on one side and on the opposite side I put the definition and clear examples. I go over these new terms every day to learn and make sure I know them. This English 112 class has made me think a lot more. I do use our new concepts and ideas when reading and taking notes. Some of these concepts make clear sense to me, and others are a little more challenging for me. This just means that I will have to prepare for the ones that are more challenging even more. One of the terms that I find challenging is 'New Criticism.' The definition of new criticism is a method of literary criticism that concentrates on textual explication and considers historical and biographical study as secondary. This one is slightly confusing to me. This means I really need to make sure that I pay close attention and learn exactly what this term means, along with all of the others.

Journal 4

We have our first literary analysis coming up very soon. I have been trying to prepare for this as much as possible. I have been reading all of the stories and scholarly articles and am trying to research these stories and authors as much as possible. I am starting to find a lot of good information. I am stuck between deciding to write about A Good Man is Hard to Find and Sonny's Blues. These were my two favorite stories that we have read so far this semester. I really enjoyed these and some people or instances in these two stories somewhat related to experiences I have had or seen people close to me experience. I plan to write about what the story meant to me. I will also include how I interpreted the story, and what I learned when I researched more and looked for more meaning in the story. I will also discuss some things about the author of the story, and how the story relates to me personally. I do have a process that makes writing easier for me. I like creating an outline before I even start writing my paper. It keeps me on track when I am writing, instead of skipping around and rambling. I would also need to develop a good thesis. Next, I like to write a rough draft on paper so I can scratch out anything I need to, add things that I forgot, and make notes and reminders. Next, I would type up my paper and let others proofread my paper for me to get any suggestions that they may have that would make my paper better. Finally, I would write my final draft. As of now, I am aiming towards writing my paper on A Good Man is Hard to Find.

Journal 3

We have done a lot of reading so far for this semester. I think that some were harder than others, but I have really enjoyed them all. One of my favorites was Sonny's Blues. Sonny seemed to remind me of some things that I have seen many people close to me experience. I believe that is why I really enjoyed that story so much more than some of the others. It made me want to know more and look into the symbols in the story and what they meant. I also really enjoyed the story and scholarly article on A Good Man is Hard to Find. The scholarly articles actually seem to help me understand the stories more, and the different ways that people interpret them. That is when I first really got interested and wanted to know more. This class has helped me learn to look for deeper meaning when reading. This has really helped me change my reading process. Before, I would just read because I had to, now I actually enjoy it and learn to look for the deeper meanings in these articles and stories. I was actually surprised that my reading process has changed so soon. I believe that a lot of the change in my reading process has to do with the questions that we are asked on moodle. These questions make me read and understand more. Now, I do it without even thinking about it. I am pleased at how our class is taught, and am extremely happy I decided to take this class. It has only helped me for the better. I have noticed that a lot of these characters remind me of things around me, or things that I have been through. I have definitly made some connections between our stories and scholarly articles and the world around me.