Blogging Around

I read Marika's blog post about blogging this year. She brought up a few really good points, such as the stereotypes associated with blogging and the outlet for self-expression that blogging offers. I left her this comment:

Marika!
I completely agree. I was also a little reluctant to start blogging. I'd never done it before, and it didn't seem like my thing. But like you said, it turned into a great form of self-expression. I love your prompt idea! I also think it'd be 'megafun' to respond to one specific word in a blog. I think it'd be so interesting to see how one word can trigger such different thoughts and ideas for different people. Great post!
-Kate K

I then read Kyle's blog. He also wrote about blogging this year, and he brought up a few good ideas, such as some criticism of specific blogging prompts and the lack of interaction with the online community.

Kyle-
I found your post really interesting. I've read your personal blog, and it's very entertaining! So I'm glad that blogging in English led to starting your own blog. I agree that some of the blogging prompts were somewhat forced and could be improved upon. I also struggled with the 'best of week' prompt, although, in theory, I think it is a good idea to reflect on the insightful comments of our peers. I think sometimes it's just hard to remember those comments at the end of the week. I also agree about the online community part. I hope that Mr. Allen continues blogging with his students in the future, but I think adding an element of online interaction would make the blogging experience even more worthwhile. Great job!
-Kate K

Metacognition: Blogging this year

Blogging in English class this year has been a really rewarding experience on multiple levels. It opened me up to a different side of myself that I otherwise may have never gotten in touch with, and it will provide an archive of my thoughts and memories for a long time to come. It also serves as a reflection of my overall experience in sophomore English. Looking back at all my posts, I can really see how my thinking and writing skills were challenged this year. The blogging prompts were able to stretch my mind to its limits, and I enjoyed the variety of topics that blogging offered, a variety which is usually absent in typical, monotonous English classes. 

In addition to expanding my own thinking and adding a depth to my English class experience, blogging offered me easy access to my classmates' ideas and perspectives. I really enjoyed the 'blogging around' prompts, which required me to read the blogs of my peers. Not only did this give me inspiration for my own future blog posts, but it exposed me to alternative viewpoints about the units we were covering in class.

Best of Week: Comparing Michael K to God

I'd say the most insightful idea of the week was a comparison of the relationship between Michael K and God/religion. I hadn't noticed that connection before, but after Margot brought it up and Crystal elaborated on the topic, it made me view the story in a completely different way. Michael K is able to remove himself from the system and find meaning in life, just like Jesus, who lived his life contrary to what society expected of him. Also, at one point in the story, Coetzee writes about Michael K being from 'beyond the grave', suggesting that he is almost otherworldly or divine. Margot pointed out that, at times, Coetzee's writing style almost mimics that of a prayer. Also, as Mr. Allen said, Michael K's line, "I am what I am," is almost exactly the same as the words God said to Moses.

This concept really made me view Michael K differently. I've now come to realize that he is so much more than just a deformed, unfortunate man from South Africa, and his life means so much more than the trivial struggles he endures. He represents a broader idea, the idea that it is possible to escape the limitations that modern society tries to force upon you and find a more meaningful life for yourself.

360 Degrees: Life and Times of Michael K

Before we started reading Life and Times of Michael K, I was a little reluctant. I'd heard from my brother and some of his classmates mostly negative reviews, including criticism of the lack of plot. I'll admit, I was preparing myself for a bore. 

However, I was surprised to find that this book had one of the most intricate, meaningful storylines I'd read in awhile. The language was vividly descriptive and had beautiful rhythm, and rather than causing me to lose interest, the triviality of events added a uniquely realistic quality that I had not experienced in literature before.

My own reaction to the text, combined with the discussions we had in class, led me to the conclusion that this book can be interpreted in vastly different ways. I think some readers take it at the surface level. They may become bored with the bleak monotony of Michael K's life, although the sheer beauty of the language probably compels them to finish it.  I think one potential explanation for the reason this book has been criticized by teenagers is the prevalence of more cinematic plotlines in pop culture today. It was definitely an adjustment reading a story where nothing seemed sugar-coated or contrived in any way.

I think there were others, like me, who took awhile to accept Coetzee's style of writing, but eventually grew to truly appreciate the meaning behind the humdrum of Michael K's rugged life. I know I wouldn't have noticed much of this meaning without Mr. Allen's guidance or the insights of my peers, but I now feel that I have a greater sense of the reason Coetzee is so acclaimed. It is because the story is so ordinary and the events so natural that the characters are so human and relatable. And it is because of this realism that the themes of the story have such a resonant impact, leading us to question our own lives and the society we live in. 

It seems to me that, much like Jane Eyre and Heart of Darkness, Life and Times of Michael K is written in a style that takes some time to adjust to. However, it's often stories like these that, once accepted and understood, have the most profound effect.

Metacognition: Short Story

Overall, I think my thought process for writing my short story worked pretty well. As always, once I got a good idea, I had no problem with the beginning of the story. My thoughts flowed pretty quickly, and, after listening to Mr. Allen's advice, I found it very helpful to just type and wait for the right words to come. It was the middle part and ending that were more difficult for me. I think those are the most critical parts of any story. All the beginning has to do is capture the reader's interest in some way, but the middle must intensify the plot and put pressure on the characters, and the ending must have some sort of resolution and leave the reader satisfied. At first, I was overwhelmed by all the requirements I set up for myself. In a way, I think my expectations were limiting my thinking. I wanted my story to be perfect. Honestly, I expected myself to be as good as the great writers of our time, and the truth is, I can't be that good. 

Once I came to that important realization, everything became easier. I began judging myself on my own standards, and I was much happier with the writing of my story. In any future writing assignments, I think I will remind myself to forget all expectations and just write. 

Metacognition: Jane Eyre essay

I'm not gonna lie. This Jane Eyre essay was a major challenge for me. From the very start, I was concerned, because I tend to get rather controlling when it comes to writing--I'm sort of a perfectionist, and I want everything a certain way. I think it was a good exercise for me, just so I could learn to be more flexible and collaborate with others on a piece of writing. I think my thinking worked pretty well as far as getting started. Our group established ground rules so we'd all be on the same page, and we started working on our portions relatively early on in the process, so we'd have time to piece them all together. I think one aspect that was lacking was communication while we were writing. Although we made the expectations very clear, we didn't tell each other the specifics of what we were writing until after we wrote it. This became somewhat of an issue, since Marika and I ended up using the same film as our reference. After this was resolved, I think we had a relatively good finished product. The only thing I would do differently next time, besides communicate more, is leave more time for polishing and editing at the end. I think we were a little rushed, which led to us forgetting silly things, like attaching the bibliography. I appreciate that Mr. Allen spent time trying to teach us collaboration skills, because I think these will be useful to all of us in our future lives. 

Metacognition: Short Story

I was really interested to see how the story-writing process developed, especially because I've had such an issue in the past with finding an idea and sticking with it. I think that my thought process worked relatively well. I wrote my story fragment about one idea, and although it worked well for the fragment, I struggled with finding a way to expand upon the fragment. I looked back at something else I had written for my own enjoyment, and it fueled a new idea for me to run with. I was proud of myself for being willing to start over completely, something that I typically avoid doing at all costs. 

As far as things I could improve upon, I think I'd do more typing, less thinking, like Mr. Allen suggested. I think sometimes I psych myself out with thoughts like I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen next or I need 500 more words...but I have no idea what those 500 words are going to be!

My new motto is: Just write. I was somewhat skeptical when Mr. Allen first made this suggestion, but I've found that it's 100% true. You do do your best thinking at the keyboard. There have been times when I've thought I was completely stuck and had no idea where my story was going, but, just by typing something, anything, I stumbled across the answer. Now that's cool.