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The thing I liked the most about journaling in this class was the variety of subject matter. We did not just read novel after novel. I gained experience in writing about film and graphic novels. I had to think a little more when writing about these because it did not come as naturally to me. Another aspect I liked of journaling instead of taking notes is that I was able to voice my opinion. Journal entries are a bit more of an in depth look at a work. They require the writer to really think and contemplate the prompt before writing.

Note taking is also useful in its own way. While reading or watching a film it cam be useful to jot down anything that comes to mind in the moment before I forget. It can be beneficial to refer back to these notes to jog my memory. I usually do take notes while reading and I find that it helps me substantially when it comes to writing the journal.

I feel that journaling has given me a bit more freedom than note taking. I was allowed to choose a specific part of the text that was most interesting to me. Note taking can be kind of limiting sometimes because I feel pressure to cover all the material. Journaling allowed me to develop one idea further than I would have otherwise. For example, when we did the reflections on the films I was able to choose one scene that I had something to say about. My lease favorite part was probably the summaries because they felt very similar to note taking. I guess they did make me read the text a lot more closely because I knew I would have to summarize it afterwards.

Each of these techniques all have their own purpose in the classroom and one could argue that they are equally useful. I definitely prefer jailing over note taking because it gives me more freedom but I also see a purpose for note taking and summarizing.

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.

 

I have mostly enjoyed the journal entries that we have been assigned over the semester. I find it an opportunity to create a preliminary analysis of the topics of discussion for class. It allows for greater preparation and promotes discussion in the classroom. The summaries are beneficial because they imprint useful information into my memory; however, some have felt overlong and tedious. Still, its positives have outweighed the trouble. The coursework and general organization of assignments has been well spaced and has given me a strong knowledge of immigration history in New York.

I try to avoid getting in the habit of sloppy writing, so despite the informality of the journal entries, I focused on varying sentence structure and using verbals. However, I believe I could have used a more diverse vocabulary in all of my posts. In general, I am very satisfied with both the quality of my posts and the tasks we have been assigned.

Generally, my journals have been short and straight to the point, which is how I usually write. I do not see any change in my writing style, and the only difference I can see between my journals and my essays is the level of formality. My journals are less formal but are still structured similarly. Most of them are two paragraphs, unless the prompt covers multiple topics. My summaries have also been concise, but rather jumbled and unorganized.

I like my writing style, but it is difficult to write extended entries. The entry I like the most is the one about the American Dream in Bread Givers. It is the most structured journal with three paragraphs for each person mentioned. Each paragraph has a topic sentence and presents evidence to support the weak thesis.

Personally, I like note taking for more factual information like dates and events. Journal prompts focus the reading on a specific aspect for a more guided reading, which is good, but can be limiting. When given the prompts, one may only focus on answering the question instead of paying attention to the bigger picture of the whole chapter or book assigned. I like that journals add a more analytical take on readings, which helps in discussion.

Writing journal entries has been a lot like the way it is described in the syllabus: sometimes it is a pain to get through, and other times it is a great way to flush out my ideas into writing after reading an essay or watching a movie. I have the hardest time on the summaries. I feel like they always take me way longer than they should. I think that I should try to take more notes about the reading as I read so I don’t have to go back and read too much of the lengthy text, but even after note taking I could do a better job of deciding what to include in the summary and what to leave out. I generally end up including way too much in my summaries and I would like to try to edit my ideas more as I read and after I read so that I only include what’s really necessary.

On the other hand, I usually enjoy the regular journal entries. They allow me to think critically and a bit more analytically than I usually would about the text that I read or the movie that I watch. However, I think that I could probably do a better job of analyzing the text or movie that I have to write about. To do this, I think that I should read over the question or questions before reading or watching so that I have an idea in mind of what to look for as I read or watch.

In comparison to note taking, journaling is a bit more fun and free. I don’t feel so pressured to discuss everything or take note of everything. And I’m usually still able to remember the overall meaning and summary of the text or movie because the journal entry requires me to think critically about important parts of the text or movie.

Journal for Mon 4/4

-Read over entries thus far and reflect on the entries themselves and on process of reading/writing journals.

• What do you like/ dislike about your own entries?
• Compare journaling to note-taking.
• Do you like the writing journal? Dislike? Why

Reading over my journal entries, I noticed some patterns and growth. I like the way I use language and vocabulary to express my meaning. In addition, I am able to toe the line between formality and informality: I answer the questions but can also go off on my own tangent asking my own questions. After journaling every week, I can see that I have gotten better at creating a “flow” when I’m writing these journals, and I can now transition more cohesively from thought to thought. One thing I dislike about my own writing is sometimes it appears stiff, and journals are supposed to be fluid and not strict in its syntax and structure.

As for the journals themselves, my favorite ones are the ones where we answer questions about a text. I loved writing about BreadGivers and The Arrival because I truly enjoy analyzing texts and finding new meanings.

Journaling is a little bit like note-taking. Both of them require the writing down of thoughts and ideas inspired by the class, or a text. However, note-taking is for recording important information that one needs to remember, as well as storing questions and thoughts to answer and reflect on at a later time. Journaling, on the other hand, is where you get to expand on those thoughts and questions. It is simply the communication of ideas about something.

I like the writing journal. It allows me space to creatively express my thoughts about the things we learn in the class. By doing the journals, we record some of the most important details and are free to explore tangents of ideas and get deeper into the texts.

 

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.

Writing a journal entry every week has been a new experience. This seminar is the first class in which I’ve written at a consistent rate, and looking back at my entries, I’ve realized certain patterns in my journals. Rereading my own writing was a bit painful, but it has allowed me to reflect on my writing process, improvement, and style. I’ve noticed that I use quotes less often and summarize instead, which has improved the overall quality and flow of my writing. My thoughts still tend to be a little scattered, though maintaining some form of structure relevant to the question posed. My journal entry paragraphs start out with a topic sentence, followed by details from the text, which is impacted by the note-taking I do while reading.

Note-taking is extremely useful to me. The act of physically writing something down helps me better understand what I am reading and how I interpret it. When assigned our readings, I usually fill up 3-4 pages full of notes, which I read over later and use to help me write my journal entry. Note-taking and journaling are very different but both aide in my understanding of whatever text I am reading. While note-taking can seemingly draw out and I find myself writing too many notes, length is not an issue when journaling. My completed journal entry is a compilation of my most important notes, and I can usually find a clear start and end point in my opinion piece or informative summary. I enjoy doing both note-taking and journaling, but journaling can be more time consuming because I am conscious that others may read it and that these entries will eventually be graded. For this reason, journaling somewhat feels like a less organic way of writing simply because I am not fully used to it, and because I am probably overthinking it a little. Like how I have developed techniques for note-taking, I know I will continue to improve on my journaling and I am excited to see how my style changes by the end of this semester.

I’ve never been much of a “free-writer” and the truth is, I’m still not. I find it difficult to let my thoughts flow and then arrange those thoughts in a smooth and concise manner. When I note all my thoughts and all the potential ways my writing can go, I find it hard to pick just one and get rid of the rest. That’s why I always try to pick a direction I want my writing to go and then to come up with the ideas afterward. It’s sort of like making the mold and then pouring the mix. I’m not sure if this process is effective and haven’t even thought about it, until now.

After reading my blogs, I see that I have different patterns for different types of writing. My prompt pieces follow a short formal essay structure. It introduces, develops and then concludes on an idea. My summary pieces are more random and are ordered according to the text being summarized. These pieces lack my voice and passive writing style. My film response pieces are sort of formal but are much more descriptive and analytical than my other pieces. They also include images from the film. All of my pieces stick to the third person (with the exception of this one). I find that these patterns help with flow and organization.

Out of all of my pieces, the summary pieces are my least favorite. Not only are they longer than the others, they allow the least freedom. Although I generally dislike writing the summary pieces, they are beneficial in helping me find information because they are a simplified and more concise version of the original text. I also didn’t really like my blog on “Bread Givers.” The reason for this is that I wanted to write about the author’s simple language and how it is sort of imagist. Maybe I should’ve chosen a different prompt so that I could’ve incorporated that thought.

My favorite pieces are my film pieces on Gangs of New York and Godfather:Part II. These pieces were descriptive and analytical. They also show my growth as a film watcher. They share my new-found knowledge about film techniques and symbolism. Looking back, maybe I could’ve let my thoughts flow more freely for pieces besides my film ones. This would’ve made my other blogs more personal, enlightening and creative.

After looking at my blogs, I realize that I could’ve gone a different direction, and I actually wish I had gone a different direction, for some pieces. Still, as I see them now, I am proud. I always feel like my blogs are terrible as soon as I submit them but for some reason, I am proud of them now. They are concise and to the point, yet deep and thought invoking. I think that my blogs developed to that level because of my note-taking.
I think of note-taking as a step toward writing about a piece. Whereas note-taking records the explicit details of a work, journaling provides a platform for analyzing and presenting the implicit meanings. Journaling is more effective at allowing you to take ideas, add your thoughts and make them your own. In other words, journaling is the big picture that you put together after gathering the little pieces using note-taking. The process of note-taking also tends to be much more tedious. In the end, note-taking, especially for longer texts, helps me successfully decide which direction to take my blogs.

When I look back at the journal entries I have done thus far, I reflect on the writing process I went through for each of them. They each required different forms, styles, and diction. One thing I kept throughout was my voice, however, between summarizing and using my opinion, it is hard to see where my voice comes to light. I like the fact that I conveyed the ideas that I wanted to get across. When I would read the prompt, I would focus in on one specific point and then elaborate. However, the downside to this is how I worded some of my sentencing. I felt not only could I have been more informal, but the choice of words I used could be misinterpreted sometimes. This may make it difficult to understand wholly what I am trying to say sometimes.

The main difference between journaling and note-taking is that journaling requires more internal thought while note-taking usually follows ideas that are voiced in class or created during the reading/watching of a piece. They both are structural and both seek to build on a topic within a writing or media work.

I enjoy creating these journal entries, however, I wish there was more of a clear understanding of how much I should write. Although I reflected mostly on my own entries, I couldn’t help but to compare them to that of others. I find that I write less content than others do. It makes me question whether or not I am doing enough or not enough at all. Otherwise, I am very pleased with the work I have put out and look forward to doing more.