Class Reflection

            Overall, I learned a few things in this course. I learned to have patience, to be open to trying new things, and to take criticism--whether I think it is useful or not. This course also taught me time management skills as well. It seemed every time I had a paper due for this class, I would have papers due in my other Writing and English classes. I was overwhelmed with readings and writing assignments throughout the semester, which was a challenge, but I faired pretty well. Thus, I think I learned some valuable things by the end of this course.

            In this course, the texts we read and the film we watched were relevant to me. Each text highlighted social problems and issues that connect to peoples’ lives. These texts allowed me to think and analyze problems and why they are important. Not only were the texts important, they were interesting. I am glad I can say I was not forced to write about something terribly boring. I think the topics we covered in class will work for future courses as well.

        

    I have no choice but to keeping practicing writing being that I am an English major. I enjoy writing and I do it in my free time.

Research reflection

Good research is the foundation of any good paper. A well written paper uses scholarly sources to support their claim and to explore new things. For Writing 100, we were required to do research for our papers. The research had to be reliable, scholarly sources. Since I work at the library, finding good research sources is not that difficult to me. I already know the difference from a reliable source and one that is not. I know how to tweak searches in order to find research I want. Also, it does not hurt that I know exactly where to search. The only exasperating part for research for me is finding a source that focuses on what I want exactly. Sometimes you think you found a good source, but then you read it and it does not cover what you want. That’s when research becomes tedious and I am left searching for new sources. Overall, although I already know how research, this allowed me to have more practice. 

The Queen of Versailles

In The Queen of Versailles the Siegel family, who are very rich, are profiled and shown during the 2008 housing market crash. This family is rather large with seven children, many pets, a handful of nannies, and more toys then they need. Right away their ostentatious lifestyle is shown and everything they could possibly have they do. In 2008, when the housing market crashed, the Siegel’s wealth has taken a hit and they are losing money big time. This family who once did not give a second thought about money, is now astonished that  they cannot purchase and enjoy all the things they use to. They can no longer have their private jet, abundant of workers, and $100 million home that they were in the progress of building.

 The mother, Jackie, is seen the most throughout the film. Jackie is a former model and photographs and paintings of her seem to be in every room of their huge home. I first viewed Jackie as a trophy wife to a much older, rich man. Jackie gets whatever she wants and cannot seem to stop spending money, even when their money is tight. However, throughout the movie the viewer begin to see Jackie as more than just a beautiful, rich woman who cannot stop spending. Throughout the film you begin to actually sympathize with Jackie because of the way she is treated by her sexist husband, who objectifies her. Jackie is seen to be really self-conscious and this can be credited to her husband consistently saying he will trade her in for two twenty year old

. You can tell she does love this man, and it is saddening to see the treatment she receives. Although I sympathize for her and see some of the good qualities she has, I still think her lavish lifestyle and compulsive buying is a bit disturbing. She buys items she does not really need and the money to me is wasted. In a country where most of the population is poor and struggling, I cannot feel bad for their family for losing money.

The film was set up to really highlight the gaudy behavior of the wealthy.  It is shown throughout the film how dependent this family is on money and the things it buys. Once the house market crashed and their wealth decreased, this family seems to not be able to function. Their pets are dying, the home is a mess, and they are all walking around as if someone died. It is important to note that they did not become poor. They still lived in their beautiful home, had some help, and continued to buy stuff. I felt worse for their workers and the ones they laid off more anything. I do believe if the film was different my opinion on the family and Jackie may be slightly different. For example, if the scene where the pets were shown dead and where the nanny showed her home in the children’s playhouse were left out, I may feel more sympathy for the Siegel family.

One of the ideas the film maker highlights throughout the film is how the wealthy is extremely reliable on their wealth and shows the negative results this can have. Due to the family losing all their money, they must cut back or at least their version of cutting back. Many of the house staff is let go, and then viewers are shown just how well the family lives without the help. In a scene mentioned before, the film shows the family’s dead animals. The fish are dead and so is their pet lizard. It does not cost much to feed and take care of these animals, yet they die nonetheless. You can also see dog droppings throughout the house, which is a mess and cluttered with junk. I think this scene shows how this family was once on the very top, but are now struggling. 

Second essay

I have now completed my second essay in my writing class. This is good news, very good news. For one, that means I have only one more essay to write, which is a big relief. Secondly, that means the semester is coming to an end and we can all stop pulling our hair out. The second essay was focused on The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. In my essay I specifically focused on self-sufficiency and how the Walls family upheld this life style, and the emotional and psychological trauma the children have as a result. In comparison with my last essay, this one is certainly much better in my opinion. My last essay was honestly rushed and I did not have such a great argument, but for this second essay I believe I do. Overall, I feel my second essay has more supportive information to back up my claim and is organized. While writing this essay, I took my time more and actually focused. Thus, not only was I less stressed, but I was also satisfied in my writing, which is something I truly love. This paper indeed allowed more flexibility in what I want to focus on, so I credit that to me being more focused. This will be the second time I have read the memoir The Glass Castle, and after reading it a second time, I knew right away what I wanted my focus to be. Self-sufficiency is a key factor in the novel, obviously so since the Walls lived by this idea, and so I knew right away this would be my focus. After finding passages, quotes, and articles on self-sufficiency and psychological and emotional trauma, I began to write.  Thus, paper two was completed and I am one step closer to finishing this semester.

The Glass Castle and Family

The “perfect family” has been seen on television since it was first introduced. These families showcase beautiful mothers who fulfill their wifely duties, hard-working fathers who are the head of the family, and beautiful children who learn life lessons from their parents. There is always a happy ending and the strength of family exceeds all.  Such formal styled family shows are: Full House, Boy Meets World, and The Brady Brunch etc. However, in modern shows, I have seen more realistic showing of families. These families are not exactly conventional and break boundaries. These families represent to me the diversity, and a realistic view, of families today. In these shows, not everything ends happily; controversial issues can be brought up, and the imperfections of the families allow viewers to form connects. These shows include: Modern Family, Malcolm in the Middle, and The Middle. It can be argued that these shows do have some similarities to conventional families in shows, but it is undeniable the differences that it has as well.  
            In The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, the Walls are an unconventional family. The parents allow their children to run free, care for themselves, and even cook at a young age. The family is rather dysfunctional and a safe environment is not provided. The father is an alcoholic, the mother is narcissistic, and the children are placed in various situations where they are starving or unsafe.  The Walls family is entirely different from any family on a television. The hardships they face are not address on television ever. The Walls lifestyle is bizarre, unstable, and astonishing. I personally cannot relate to Walls family, and I also can not relate to the "perfect families" portrayed on shows; however, I can relate to the more modern portrayal of families. To me, these families showcase imperfections that I feel most families can  relate to. 

Writng Experience

I have always enjoyed writing; I realize this is a vague statement being that there are many forms of writing. Writing fictional short stories to writing an argumentative essay is what I enjoy. I value the freedom of writing and being the decider of what I compose. I realize of course classes require essays which have guidelines on  particular subjects. Sometimes it is interesting and I do not mind, other times it is tedious and seems rather pointless, except for receiving a grade of course.

             To step away from running off on a tangent, this blog is dedicated to expressing my thoughts on the first writing assignment of my College Writing course. When I was first assigned this paper, I knew right away I should form an outline.  I started off by reading the assigned articles over, which my essay was to be base off being that no outside resources were allowed. After re-reading the articles and jotting down the gist and interesting quotes, I started thinking about my thesis and what I was trying to achieve with this essay. When I usually write an essay for a class, I try to produce my best work, especially if it is the first paper. Being that this is a writing class, one will feel more pressure to make sure their writing is up to par. However, I cannot say I am anxious or nervous about the grade I receive. I know my writing capabilities and coming from someone who does well in school, not to boast or anything, grades do not define you  Thus, any flaws that I may have, which I will, will allow me to make corrections and learn.

r worth or capability on a subject. I do appreciate feedback that will help me improve though. I mean, that is the purpose of this course. To improve.

            What gave me strength and motivation for completing this assigned paper is the feeling of accomplishment that fills a person up after completing a long, not too desirable task.  I am very use to writing, even if it is five pages long, so it was not that arduous to stay on task. Also, being an Education major, the topic of social class and its relation to education is very relevant to me. I already had a bit of background information and it is interesting reading about studies done on this topic.