Essay # 1
After submitting my writing narrative assignment I was very saddened to know that I feel not smart enough or fit enough to write. To complete the narrative I had to remind myself of a time period in my life where I for once felt like I was a great writer. The writing piece I ever felt comfortable about was my personal statement. After reflecting I realized I was so confident with writing this assignment because I was writing about my own story. There’s no one who can tell your story better than you can. I had to find the motivation to write because me and writing have a very mix feeling relationship. I sat down and went down memory lane trying to remember the changing point I had with writing. That moment was writing my personal statement because it allowed me to tell my story of being a foster care child. Writing for once allowed me to be free and didn’t force me to have to use texts for supporting evidence. When I had my turning point for writing I sat down to think about what I wanted my readers/colleges to know about me. I remember listing out characteristics about myself that I wanted to make sure my readers recognized.
During the process of writing I put on music to help me get in a head space of reflecting. For sometime I was stalling because I was unsure on what point in my life I had my transition moment with english. Then, I recalled listening to this specific song that reminded me to never give up and there I was recalling the time I wrote my personal statement on what I went through in life. After writing I felt relieved and realized writing is more than putting words on a paper but expressing yourself in a way. After that experience I started journaling and from there I beganned a better relationship with writing. Now that I’m currently reflecting on this I remember struggling to put all my ideas together but I wrote nonstop and then circled back to make sentences. I learned that I sometimes write how I speak which isn’t a quiet good thing.
Lastly, completing this assignment has shown me some of my flaws in my writing. These are flaws I plan to work more on to make me a better writer.
Essay # 2
Firstly, I wrote an Exploratory Essay on The Second Shift. This essay was difficult in numerous ways. When the assignment was presented to me I felt nervous and concerned as I have had very little experience with writing this type of paper. Being exposed to a new form of writing forced me to prepare differently than I have for other assignments. It has added a new set of skills to my writing. In this Exploratory writing I intended to inform the readers on the history and diminishment of The Second Shift. I began the assignment by completing a lot of research. I read several peer review articles and chapters from Hochschild book, The Second Shift. A large percentage of the information obtained and expressed in this writing was learned from Hochschild’s book as she is the founder of the term The Second Shift. It became evident that over years The Second Shift has been diminished due to more resources being easily accessible for families. Parents, themself no longer have to take care of certain responsibilities around the house because in their communities there are businesses that provide these services. Historically mothers would have to solely maintain the cleanliness and upkeep of the household, but nowadays the responsibilities are shared. Fathers are helping out around the house and if there is a pizza shop or fast food restaurant in their area, then they can simply make a call to provide food for their family.
Next, I wanted this Exploratory essay to present the readers with facts so that they can see how there has been a shift from then and now with The Second Shift. I intended for the readers to follow my writing to examine the ways The Second Shift has transformed for the better. I personally see the shift in how mothers are maybe less stressed now due to having useful resources for help. Furthermore, resources such as laundromats, restaurants, and childcare services have made it easier for parents to spend more time with their children and ultimately decrease the responsibilities of The Second Shift. I got this topic for my essay from using articles that have been used in my english courses. My professor advised us to use readings from either or english classes. And having to use readings from my courses to complete this assignment helped me figure out faster what I wanted to write about. Despite these instructions limiting what I was able to write about, it helped me make a decision in a short time period because there weren’t that many options. Before starting my essay I had the idea in my head that The Second Shift has been the same, but after doing research I was able to see that there has been a shift. Finding articles that proved The Second Shift has been diminished was very interesting because I had my own philosophy about it.. I was so excited to start writing and explaining my personal belief, but I then found out that this kind of writing should be all fact based. Finding this information out left me no choice other than doing a lot of research to make sure what I was presenting was accurate. In the process of my writing I kept in mind what I wanted my reader to see, which was a shift in The Second Shift. Making a decision to leave out my opinion was very challenging, but it made my writing fact based. I also struggled with the citations, but I did research on the format. I remember while writing I would quote the speaker and come back because I was unsure on the citation format. This writing piece has helped me figure out a way of explaining myself without using my personal opinions.
Lastly, being able to receive feedback from my peers was a great experience. Although, I was hesitant about it because of my writing ability. I received great feedback and constructive criticism that I was able to convert into my paper. Also, having to use peer review articles for the first time equipped me with skills to conduct research and this assignment.
Essay # 3
For my exploratory essay I was expected to complete research on a topic that connected with our course. I then decided to write about The Second Shift and it’s demise in current day. After figuring out what I wanted to write about I found credible sources that would help validate my argument. Finding sources was a difficult part of this assignment due to this topic being not talked about often. I proceeded to search for articles to help with my claim and learned so much about The Second Shift. When doing research I also had to find information that went against my claim. Finding a counterclaim wasn’t the hardest part but finding text that conveys a message on the demise was.
Before completing this assignment I was very nervous. I was nervous because I never wrote a research paper. The first task from my professor was completing a research paper without your personal opinion/beliefs. Not being able to add my personal opinion was difficult because when I explain evidence I like to incorporate my own beliefs to expand on the writing. Learning to write a research paper strictly on facts and evidence was a new skill, I enhanced and definitely will be adding to my tool kit. Learning how to write this kind of paper has prepared me to be a little more confident in my writing. This has helped with my confidence because I always put myself down but I went to complete this new assignment and received a good grade. Part 1 of this assignment was strictly fact based. You can’t get facts wrong because research shows proof and all you have to do is copy that information and explain it.
Next, I started completing this assignment by drafting out what I wanted to include. I searched for articles and cited each one and pasted the link in my notes. This helped me organize my thoughts and led me to complete the abstract for each article used. The abstract consisted of a summary on each text I was using for my exploratory essay. Writing an abstract was difficult in the beginning also because it’s strictly facts without an opinion. Practicing over and over writing without my personal beliefs has helped with the final draft paper. Constantly rewriting at least two versions and rereading them has brought me to deeper analysis. The Second Shift has grabbed my attention like no other topic. I’ve learned a new citation skill, ASA style. Learning this skill will help in my other classes for college. Writing about this concept numerous times has built my confidence. I’m confident enough to inform others on this demise and provide evidence that validates my point.
Research has allowed me to understand more about The Second Shift history and how it came about. I learned that The Second Shift has diminished over time due to the amount of resources provided in current day. In modern day society there are more businesses, which means more services are provided to help satisfy customer needs. Parents don’t have to complete the task of laundry. There’re laundromat businesses that offer services such as someone doing your laundry in exchange for money. The Second Shift has been diminished because of the outpour of resources provided now. In my research I went another step ahead to interview someone who is a babysitter in present day. Adding this to my research would help validate my claim and give my readers a perspective from someone who’s a caregiver for families and in exchange is compensated. I intended for the readers to see the transition of The Second Shift over time.
Something that helped with my writing was receiving feedback from my peers who I was very comfortable with. Peer review helped me see something from my classmates’ perspective before it was pointed out by my teacher. This review process helped my writing because when my teacher would look over my work there were very minute mistakes, which led to my confidence for writing increasing throughout this course. My classmate would receive my work then look it over and have it back to me in a day or so for me to fix mistakes then turn it in before the deadline. Peer review is very useful because you learn from your peers and receive constructive criticism.
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