Thanksgiving Day

“Thanksgiving Day” is one of the most significant holidays in U.S. From Wednesday to Sunday, most students went to home for thanksgiving. They meet their family they have not met in a long time. From Tuesday night, student began to leave school for home. However, I could not go to home to see my family. I envied American students. I just visited my friend’s house. Whenever it is holiday when all family is gathered, I miss my country, family and home. Usually I do not become homesick but the holidays make me miss home.

Citation

In last week, we spent most time to edit my projects and classmates’ projects. In the process, we learned how to cite the resources. It was not easy to cite resources because there were many forms. I used to use the “EndNote”. I think it is very simple to use it and I don’t need to think many things because what I have to do is only putting contents on the blanks. Then the “EndNote” forms the citation automatically. But I have to know what the indispensable to complete the citation is. Even though the “EndNote” is very helpful to cite resources, we don’t have to be completely dependent upon it.

There is a Whole Wolrd to Explore

I want to give this paper grade 4.
Pamela Gardner’s writing is organized well. Most paragraphs are arranged in adequate order. In the first paragraph, I could know exactly what the thesis statement is. He mentioned what he wants to notice well in the first paragraph.

However, after mentioning the thesis statement, I think the essay did not need the second paragraph. Of course it is good to know how he goes to Brazil but it is not related to the topic. In addition, the flow between the second and third paragraph is not natural.

When he mentioned Brazilian’s struggling to regain their land, I could understand why this part is mentioned. But it was too long compared to the next paragraph that is mentioning important things that he learned. The history made me think I was reading other papers.

Despite a few errors, the writing has many ideas that support his thesis. Whole flow and rhythm was adequate and some photos were used effectively.

Project 4

Last week we had a class only on Monday. During the week, we prepared the project 4. Based on timed writing, we revised it and added more information. For me, individual conference was helpful. At first, it was hard to understand what I have to write about. Because the writing was not persuading writing, deciding thesis and organizing the writing was difficult. Even though the conference was helpful, I am not satisfied with my writing yet. The writing does not have consistent flow. I think I need more time to modify the writing.

Antonio Gaudi

My third project is about my major, especially Antonio Gaudi. He is one of the most famous and influence architect in the world. I think everyone has been heard his name before, however not his buildings. Even though students in class heard his buildings or saw the buildings, they may not know those are built by Gaudi. So I posted some pictures.
The first one is “Casa Mila” built during the years 1906–1910, being considered officially completed in 1912.
The second one is “Sagrada Familia” that is the most famous building of Gaudi’s buildings. Since 1882 it has been under construction.

Culture Shock

Last Wednesday, my group had presentation about “A Long Way Gone.” We read the last three chapters and talked about it. Even though we had not had much time to find resources and discuss each our member, we had found good video related to the main idea of the three chapters. In presentation, we showed the video and gave a question for writing. The question was about culture shock that people had experienced. I could know very variety experiences. Some people’s experiences were fun. It was interesting that people had culture shock in America not only me because I am from other country but also other classmates even though they are American.

Sierra Leone

Last Monday, we had guest speaker who had been to Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is the country that is background of the book “A Long Way Gone.” It was interesting that there is someone who went the country because I had never heard the name of the country before reading this book. I heard interesting stories from him. Especially, the most interesting story for me was the way they went to the country. I had known that the less people want to go somewhere, the less ways there are. He had had so much time to go there and difficulties. I think the difficulties he had are similar to that of Ishmael when he had came to New York to participate in the conference.

Writing Center

Last Monday, we visited the Writing Center located on second floor of Robert Bell building. Even though I had known the Writing Center before, I have never used it. We can be helped from it when we write essay and do assignments. Whole process of writing can be checked by writing assistants and we can discuss the ideas of assignment. I think it will be very helpful for me because I am not good at writing.
To use the writing center, we need to reserve it through writing center web site. When we saw the schedules that already were reserved, there were few spaces to reserve in last week. It was impossible to use writing center for our project 2 unfortunately.

What I notice about Beah's writing

Because “A Long Way Gone” is autobiography, it is easy writing. We can read the book easily without much knowledge and experiences. Even though English is my second language, I could read the book without many problems. I think one of the reasons I could read it easily is that the author of the book, Ishmael Beah, is not from the country that speaks English. Because English is not first language to him like me, he can write book easily to read for foreigners with easy expressions and words. It does not mean the book has only simple expression. He describes well the situation that he was in with vivid expressions.
Through reading the book, I felt pain and sadness along the boy whenever he felt pain and sadness. His writing made me feel I was the boy. It is so vivid and detail. Author’s capacity of writing that makes people being addicted his writing was great.

Bracken Library

The visiting the Bracken Library on 2nd October was my second library tour. During the summer semester, my IEI(Intensive English Institute) class visited the Bracken Library. At that time, I learned how to use the “CardCat” and searching programs. Especially we concentrated on how to find books and journals that I want. However on last Friday, we learned how we can get ideas using keywords through the Academic Search Premier. Through the class I checked what I know already and what I forgot.
I think there were many ways to find materials along to the way we were taught. I felt that I needed to find the ways that I’ve forgotten.

Grading continuum

In writing, I have problems to express what I want to write exactly. However, I think the organization of sentences and paragraph is not bad. Because it is not related to the fact that English is the second language for me. In Korean essay, the organization is applied as same way. In addition, I practiced writing for TOEFL exam. It was helpful to write essay. I can maintain my theme consistently through my essay. My problems are several things below.
Because vocabularies and capacity to express my thoughts that are used in writing are insufficient, there are some misconceptions in essay. Therefore the readers have difficulties to understand what I am talking about.
Also, I cannot use honeyed words like American. My simple sentences and essay result from my simple words and expression. It leads the shortage of the essay’s quantity. It is very difficult to increase the quantity of essay.
In researching, it takes much more time to research because of the language. It takes about twice more time than American. So I cannot help being limited by the time.

Fallacies

The pervasive mass media are making people easy to express their opinions. They can post their essay on their blog and web site, and comment about others’. Even though we can get others’ ideas and opinions easily, there are problems that we have to solve. Because the opinions that we can access is not written by experts, it is easily distorted.
In the web page that deals with that “who is Barak Obama?” I could find many fallacies. The writer who maintains that Obama is a “radical Muslim” is committing many faults. He stretches the meaning of specific facts related to Obama.
That is not enough to define that Obama is Muslim with reason that his father was Muslim. In addition to misconstructions, there are many allegations and factual errors. For example, the Basuki School which Obama attended in Jakarta, Indonesia is not Muslim school. However the essay mentioned that Obama attended the Muslim school.

My goals in ENG 101

As an international student, I do not expect to be improved as much as other American students. However, I think there will be many things that can improve my English skills including writing in English 101 class.
My goals in this class are an improving my skill of composing sentences and grammar. In addition, I want to get more words. There are no objections about that it is very important to gain many words for international students. I am slow at writing because I have to translate sentences that I want to talk and compose those in my head. By writing as much as possible I want to improve writing speed too.

Art Museum

In drawing something, I think the composition of objects is important as much as the skill that can depict the object realistically. The first picture that we saw in art museum had typical composition. It had diagonal position of characters and we could find perspective in the picture. The method that puts objects along the line from each corner to center is the easiest way to express perspective. And it is helpful to express what the most important thing is in this picture.
Other way to emphasize the important thing is lightning and shadowing. The painter focused the main character by lighting up. The lighting has an effect that makes the object looks like being front and important.
Not only the picture we saw, but also other pictures in art museum have these methods in pictures.

Ishmael Beah Presentation

At the lecture, it was interesting for me. Actually it was hard to understand perfectly what he was talking about. So I might missed detail contents or important things that he wanted to let us know. However, I felt many things from his speech.
When he was young, he participated in war. He killed people and had drugs to do that. I think most people cannot have such experiences nowadays. I can feel his fear that he felt in the war a little. Because my country has been under suspension of fire for fifty years, young men in my country have to go to the army for two years. I finished the obligation. So I know the fear when I have a gun and shoot something. Even though I was not in the war it was so fear. I surprised at his age in the war. He must have been under so much stress at that time.
I think anyone who did not see the enemy who were ready to kill me cannot know the fear.