Thursday, November 13, 2014

Reflections on my synthesis paper

My synthesis paper was rather successful. I did an effective job of synthesizing sources, though, as always, my diction was not appropriate for the audience in consideration. I did not bother to change my design plan to reflect this, because it would have been entirely ex post facto, and not to mention, arbitrary. College freshman were the only audience that thought I was worth addressing in this discussion. At least, that was the easiest route to take.

I must also admit that this was my least favorite assignment so far. I was rather bored writing it, and the reader may or may notice this.

In regards to the conclusion, I'm not sure it represents what I truly think about the topic. I ended on an optimistic note, but Huws' analysis disturbed me profoundly. I'm an introverted type, and I can't stand the bourgeois obsession with efficiency that characterizes our age.  I think about Joseph Campbell sitting in a log cabin, in complete seclusion, reading for 9 hours a day, and am filled with envy.

Unfortunately, I don't think I properly addressed the complexity of Huws' and Sennett's arguments in my response to them.

In addition, I find my third main point was the weakest (though typically it should be strongest), as it was something that I had already alluded to at different points of the paper. I'm not sure if this is simply a matter of overlapping topics, or if I was being redundant.

Parts of this reflection would be superfluous if I had one of my former English teachers review my paper and give me comments. The problem is, is that I hate asking favors from them, because I know they are all very busy people. I'd also have to have a working draft complete much sooner in order to give them enough time to do so.

One thing I realized after writing this paper, is how much I appreciate being able to choose the topic of my essays. In this aspect, college is far superior to high school.


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