Henry Burby
MHC 10201
4/4/16
I have never been any kind of reliable or structured diarist. In addition to giving future biographers something to use for voiceover montages in their documentaries, (Heh) keeping a journal in this class has showed me some benefits of journaling, which I had never really been aware of before.
For a start, it forces us to self refine and reflect on our ideas. Whenever I consume a form of media, I naturally form ideas about it. Watching the godfather two would have stimulated my thoughts, whether it was assigned or not. However, by being forced to develop those ideas, they reach a higher level. Not only are they condensed into a form which is easier to share with others, but I get a better idea of what I personally believe on the subject. Being forced to consider a small aspect of a paper, book, or film has also shown me that first, there is enough material in any section of work to write a paper about, and second, that I am actually capable of finding it. This was especially effective when I was assigned a specific topic, rather then choosing my own. Putting me in a box, and forcing me to turn out an imperfect discussion of a topic has made me grow as a writer, and a thinker.
Another element was simply procedural, again, being forced to write a short, fairly unrefined piece every week. When I first learned that I would be doing this, I was slightly intimidated by the prospect. However, early on, my workload was so light that I could afford to spend far more then the suggested time of 30 to 60 minutes per entry. I spent a large section of a day on the Gangs of New York essay. However, soon my ability to spent all the time I wanted was lost in a tide of other, more high stakes work. I never thought I would be able to turn out anything half decent in so short a time, but I am beginning to develop that skill (I hope. I suppose it is for the reader to judge…).
My favorite assignments were the film analysis papers. I have recently become very interested in film reviewers and analyzers, in various forms (The video on Shot/Reverse shot is from every frame a painting, one of my favorite Youtube channels.). however, if I had not been assigned to actually do what they do, and dig a little deeper into film techniques, I would probably never have tried to do so. Now that I have, I am considering taking a film class, or at least analyzing more in the future.
The assignments I enjoyed the least were defiantly the summaries, which I found far more challenging then I anticipated that I would. Simply reproducing a condensed version of someone else’s’ writing presented no opportunity for creativity. Trying to decide which facts and details to leave out, simply to fit into a page limit annoyed me, because I think that the details are the most important thing about history, and the most interesting. I know that a total inclusion of all details related to an event is impossible and excessive, but cutting history down to “This thing happened on this day” misses the point somewhat. That said, this feeling may have come from the fact that I am still not very skilled at summarizing. There, are no doubt, people who can leave just the right details, and allow the piece to be interesting. However, currently I need a very long time to properly process the information, and figure out how to present it, and until I am able to really increase my productivity speed, I will probably continue to dislike summarizing.
I would say that my experience with journaling in this class has been mostly positive. Whether I could do it daily is doubtful, but even weekly journaling, about assigned subjects, has helped me in many areas, and I value the experience.
