Learning Objective One:
In my writing projects this semester, I tried to follow the philosophy that Sommers presents in the excerpt. Sommers describes using multiple drafts to flesh out a ‘meaning in the engagement with [their] writing’, rather than revising to simply avoid ‘lexical repetition’. A more global take on revision produces a more mature, thought-out essay. This is preferred more than the ‘local’ version of revision, only focusing on correcting word choice and grammar. During the revision process, the strategy that helped me the most was peer editing. Global revision as described in the first learning outcome, is centered around looking at your paper with a different point of view, and the most direct way to do this is to get help from a peer. This allowed me to see my paper from a different mindset, and discover what parts of my work might be confusing or awkward to the reader. In my Meal Analysis Paper, I used this technique to improve the flow of my paragraphs. The essay was well written and made grammatical sense, but I had difficulty connecting the arguments in a concise manner. From the advice gained in peer editing, I changed the format of the section drastically, but improved the flow of the essay in the process.
Learning Objective Two:
In the Meal Analysis Essay, the main focus of the paper was to integrate Raymond Carver’s ideas in ‘A Small, Good Thing’ with the ideas presented in our peers’ Favorite Meal essays. In order to do this, I analyzed the overall themes in the chosen pieces and focused on a main theme expressed in each, which was the importance of family. I first described the way family functions to give each member a sense of purpose. I included relevant quotes of the characters in the short story expressing their feeling of content with their familial roles, as well as my peer’s satisfaction with the purpose she serves in her family. My second argument was how food shared with family can contribute to your sense of well-being, and help placate you in hard times. One my peers’ essays described his feelings of uneasiness in college being reassured when he spend time sharing dinner with his family. The same sentiment of food being associated with the warmth of family was expressed in the short story after the child dies and they eat homemade cinnamon rolls with the baker. I connected these ideas by relating and comparing each sentiment, and by using specific and pertinent quotes from the sources that supported my arguments. For this essay, my goal was to fulfill the second learning objective by integrating the ideas and overall themes expressed in each story, going above simply commenting on similar details.
