Throughout this semester, journaling has been one of, if not, the most effective method of retaining and analyzing the information provided to me when reading the text in this course. When I write down what is being said in the novels and summarize the major key concepts and plot points within the story, I am able to understand more of what the author is trying to convey and synthesize the thematic components of the literature effectively. Moreover, the summary-style of journalling also furthers my interpretation of the text.
One of the most memorable journal entries I’ve written this past semester is my entry about Breadgivers by Anzia Yezierska because of the thematic concepts that I found in the novel and how I applied that to both the characters in the plot as well as how I interpreted them in the context of my own life. I particularly enjoyed analyzing what the meaning of the American Dream meant for all the characters as well as how that reflected in how I view that same dream in my life. Breadgivers is a novel that is both empathetic and relatable; the themes of sacrificing traditions and standards in order to achieve success in the real world is something that I connected to heavily because I find myself going through the same struggle all throughout my time in college and journaling about that relationship allowed me to express my thoughts on the subject as well as further analyze the ideal of the American Dream in an alternative way.
On a more general note, journaling is something that I enjoy doing, both academically as well as personally. However, I have a newfound respect for academic journaling because it not only focuses on recalling information from a novel or piece of literature, but it also incorporates the personal analysis and stream-of-consciousness style of personal journaling. In that way, writing journal entries about these novels has helped me develop my own literary analytical skills and go further in depth about what the text signifies and what message the author is trying to convey through various rhetorical strategies.
When comparing journaling and note-taking, I prefer the former because of the artistic liberty that comes both reading and writing journals. While there is some fluidity in the note-taking process in terms of connecting ideas, journaling’s free-range capabilities allow for a wider range of interpretation, which fosters discussion about more unorthodox ideas that come from each journalist. Additionally, note-taking focused more on transplanting information directly from the novel to a notebook, so a lot of the literary analysis that comes from discussion and reflection is either lost or stunned in the process of jotting down notes.
All in all, the process of journaling has been very enjoyable through this past semester and has helped me develop myself as both a writer and reader. It has sharpened my analytic skills as well as paraphrasing the text that I read into language that is coherent for me.
