Aung 1 Selet Aung ENG 220 - Section 87 Prof. Ge Gao 17 May 2023 Reflective Essay The two readings that I particularly enjoyed in this class are "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid and "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin. In fact, I even selected “Sonny’s Blues” for my close-reading assignment during the midterm. "Girl" provided me with a refreshing experience as I discovered the hidden meanings within each word when delving into a short story. It revolves around a mother instructing her daughter on conforming to societal expectations of femininity. On the other hand, "Sonny's Blues" intimately discusses the impact of racial discrimination on individuals, offering a vivid portrayal of African American lives. It talks about Sonny's transformation before and after his imprisonment, ultimately illustrating his embrace on his own race and culture through art. Witnessing the author’s freedom in directly confronting racism within his work encouraged me to explore more literature that tackles this topic. It eliminated any hesitation I had about reading or discussing such pieces, and instead, I became more open to engaging with them. The primary reason why I liked these two readings is that I have always been intrigued by the themes of racism and feminism, and another reason being our discussions on these readings which explored the unequal standards imposed on minorities and women in society. Since both of these readings were short stories, their short length, along with the authors' minimal explanations, allowed room for diverse interpretations from my classmates. It made me Aung 2 understand that our viewpoints do not have to conform to a single standard and encouraged me to approach the future readings with an open mind, form my own opinions, and readily share them. The class discussion on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which went on for several weeks, left a lasting impact on me. We thoroughly examined each scene, ensuring a literary connection with the preceding ones. We also discussed whether Macbeth fits the criteria of a tragedy, drawing insights from Leon Golden's article, "Aristotle, Frye, and the Theory of Tragedy." Engaging with Shakespeare's language proved to be a real challenge, particularly when attempting to understand the intended meaning behind his words. With guidance from our professor, we looked into the possible intentions behind Shakespeare's choices, such as introducing Duncan through a questioning dialogue, portraying Lady Macbeth as a fiery and passionate woman, and presenting Macbeth as a loyal warrior before transforming him into a power-hungry monster through his encounter with the three witches. Each scene we discussed shed light on different perspectives, added further by the diverse viewpoints of my classmates. Participating in these Macbeth discussions helped me overcome the challenges I initially faced in understanding Shakespeare's language, as it was unfamiliar to me coming from a different literary background. Moreover, these discussions exposed me to fresh perspectives that now help my research for my final paper. I can easily connect with the arguments presented by various authors since they often align with the points we raised during our class discussions. These engaging discussions not only enhanced my comprehension of the overall story of Macbeth but also supports me with the ability to extract valid claims and arguments from each line of the play. This newfound understanding is proving valuable as I write my final research paper, which primarily focuses on the roles of women in Macbeth. Aung 3 While working on my midterm essay assignment, I gained much knowledge about the proper formation of claims or theses and the rules to follow when constructing paragraphs. We were taught that each paragraph should start with a topic sentence, and when incorporating quotes from sources, it is essential to first introduce the situation, followed by directly quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing the quote, and connect each claim in the paragraph to the overall argument we were making. This paragraph structure was used frequently in organizing my thoughts and effectively conveying them in my essay. Additionally, we received guidance on the appropriate length, content, and structure of introductions and conclusions. As we begin to work on our final research paper, we were instructed to cite at least three secondary sources and were introduced to various sources and techniques for locating relevant content and materials to enhance our papers. Furthermore, I thoroughly understood the MLA format guidelines for in-text citations and the works cited page, particularly when referencing peer-reviewed academic articles. These writing skills, such as proper paragraph structuring techniques along with MLA format and effective research strategies, will undoubtedly benefit me throughout my educational journey. As I pursue a major in Biological Sciences and proceed with my bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. studies, I will be required to write numerous scientific articles. These articles will involve proposing my main theses and arguments with well-structured paragraphs and using existing scientific facts from previously published articles by other scientists in order to make my work credible. I am confident that the skills and knowledge gained from this Eng 220 class will be essential in any future literary work or research presentations I undertake.
