My Blog Experience

I have to be honest: writing this blog was not easy for me, and at first I just couldn't keep up. I usually live with my head in the clouds, and some assignments I just completely forget about. Nonetheless, I was able to complete my blog with fifteen entries, including this one.
If I had to pick my favorite entry, it would be the journal reflection. You see, in that entry I got to write about who I really am. I didn't hold anything back. It was a relief finally telling the world, or at least my English group, what I believe to be my identity. The journal was my favorite part about this class precisely because I had to be honest with myself, and so the Journal reflection entry was my absolute favorite.
I kept my blog entries short (but not too short) and sweet. All except for my writing reflection. In there I got to express how I've improved as a writer. Although, I did not do all my entries at the time they were assigned, I feel like I really put my heart into them.
Another thing I liked about this blog was the videos and pictures i got to put up. They show things that I love and things I can identify myself with. To be honest, the blog was very confusing at times. We had to do fifteen entries, but near the end there weren't enough topics to write about. Nevertheless, I got my act together and I came out victorious. I successfully wrote fifteen entries, and this is my very blog! This blog, the journal, the skit, and other works have all contributed to my writing skills, and I have Professor Pittman to thank for that.

Skit Experience

For our skit project, me and the group made a skit called "Students take a Stand". It was centered around a young man that bullied a Latino boy in his school. Later in the skit, it is revealed that the bully was being physically and verbally abused in his household, and so his bullying was a consequence of his problems at home.
The skit was a good experience for me to see what my group mates had gone through in their high school life. Some of them had been bullied, and this opened my eyes to what life can be like for others. You see, I was never really bullied in my life; at least, not in a serious manner. This skit helped become closer with those who were members of my group.
It was a fun experience, we laughed a lot during the process. Hearing each other's ideas was a great team building exercise.
The first time we performed the skit was not so great. We had a member missing and so we had someone fill in for him. The second time though, was great. We had rehearsed it and it went great. We performed it at a seminar, and we also got to watch the other groups perform their skits. All in all, it wasn't easy to complete the task, but it was fun in the end.

Writing Competition Experience

My poem "In the Dark" was part of an English class assignment. The assignment consisted of taking thoughts form  my journal, composing them into a bigger idea, and then write a poem with what I had salvaged. After this, I had to turn in the poem to the General Studies department, so it could be entered into a writing competition.
I must admit I had some fun with this whole experience. I love writing poems, because I am a songwriter. Even though I didn't win, I got to explore who I really am through the poem. Some deep seated feelings are projected in that poem. It was not easy to put the poem online, since it was somewhat intimate. Nonetheless, I have learned this semester that art comes form what is real. Real feelings make real poems. For that, I am grateful to the teacher; for making me "go for the jugular" as her journal rules stated. I might just enter the competition again next year and see maybe I win. Until then, I will keep writing.

My Writing Experience

As a young boy I always thought about writing a journal. I saw all the movies in which people’s lives were told through the memoirs they had left behind. I also saw that it was a place to write down secrets you could not share with anyone. When my Advanced English class professor told us, the class, to write a journal, I thought it was simply to give us another assignment. I later found out that the journal was a way to get us to write better. Thanks to this journal, I have learned what I like to write about, and the way that I like writing it.

            In high school, I was not into the essay writing part of my English class. For my SAT, I practiced writing a bunch of essays, and I still only got a six out of twelve. The hardest part was starting the essay, and it still is, but back then it was a lot harder. My new English professor said that this was because we were being told to write about something, and that it didn’t come from the heart; most of the time it was insincere too. I struggled with developing my skills as a writer. The idea of the class journal was to write for 10 minutes a day about anything that was on my mind. This means that I was writing about the things that were floating through my head. This made writing so much easier. I wrote quickly and the writing flowed. I learned a couple of things about my writing along the way, too.

            First of all, I learned that I love writing about having a passion and following one’s dreams. When it comes to writing about what I actually want in life, my hand zooms through the page, filling it with heartfelt thoughts and experiences. Since my passion in life is music, I have had a hard time finding my place in the future. It is often hard to explain to people what I really wish to achieve. It is impractical and most of the time it is not taken seriously. So, when I write about my goals, a large part of it is actually me letting out some bottled up feelings. Writing about these things makes has also helped me in the pursuit of my dreams.

Secondly, I learned that I like to be dramatic, or maybe theatrical, with the way that I say things in my writing. I like quoting poems and proverbs. I have always loved characters that are old and wise, and speak in riddles or, as I mentioned, proverbs. I especially like integrating Biblical teachings into my writings; they apply to everything.

In addition, I like to pour my heart out in my writing. Apart from class essays, I also write songs that are meant to be played with my band. I find that when I speak of what is truly in my heart, the words take life. When something is very intimate, but I want to put it into a song, I use metaphors and figurative language so as not to reveal too much, but still get the essence of the message. Since my time in high school, I have started to take a liking to poetry. I love the figurative language and the creativeness behind it all. One of the poems that I love most is William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus”. The way he expresses himself in the poem is both incredibly powerful and beautiful:

“It matters not how straight the gate,

How charged with punishment the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.”

This, the last stanza of the poem, has captured my imagination time and time again. The authority with which he speaks, his choice of words, and the ancient proverbial style, are all things that have guided me in my writing; especially in my songwriting.  I also love Rick Riordan’s writing. He is the bestselling author of the “Percy Jackson” book series, and many more. His humorous writing is something I never get tired of. I enjoy it when a writer can insert humor in his writing, yet not lose the seriousness and heart of the work in question. This is a skill that impresses me, always.

            In conclusion, my writing has grown to new levels in this last semester. The journal obviously helped me the most. I have used these skills to keep improving my songwriting. It is not often that I use some of what I learn in a classroom for my hobbies. Usually, what I learn in classrooms is abstract and is of no real use to me, other than small talk. I have improved as a writer thanks to this class, and I have learned just what kind of writer I am. I like to write about what is real, and then give it life so as to create art. I find that I write best when I am being honest with myself. I have learned many things about being a writer, and I hope to keep learning, so as to never stop improving.

References

·         William Ernest Henley, “Invictus”, Poetry Foundation, http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/182194

·         Rick Riordan, Gray Digital Group, “Biography”, Welcome to the online world of Rick Riordan, http://www.rickriordan.com/home

·         Prof. Cynthia Pittman, “5 Essential tips for Burgeoning Writer”, Oasis Writing Link http://oasiswritinglink.blogspot.com/

Serving in Silence

What's your reaction to this story? Do you think she should have kept her secret? Explain why.

This question is referring to the movie "Serving in Silence". In which a woman named Margarethe, admits to her friends and family that she is a lesbian. I don't know how to react to this story. I have mixed feelings.
 First of all, I don't particularly enjoy the whole homosexuality topic. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate or look down upon the homosexual community, I just don't agree with homosexual ideals. I believe they should have rights; all except for the right to marry in the church.
Nonetheless, I found Margarethe's honesty to be admirable. She knew she couldn't lie to the army, and while most would have lied, she held her ground and told it like it was. As a person of faith, I don't believe she should have kept her secret as it would be a huge lie. It was very mature of her to admit this to her friends ad family, unlike her partner whom did not wish for anyone to know.
Also, I don't think the army has any right to meddle in these affairs as it is something that wouldn't affect her performance or loyalty. She even told them she didn't engage in the activities she was being accused of; she just claimed that she was a homosexual.
Before I conclude, I want to address what Margarethe said about homosexuality being a part of her identity. I don't believe this to hold up. Why? Because Margarethe had had a long marriage to a man. If being a lesbian was truly a part of her, she would have never married a man, let alone engage in sexual activities with him continually, which is proven by the fact that she had four children. Also, Margarethe had identity issues. This is proven when we see how she let the army become such an important part of who she was, almost as if she depended on the army. Her whole world falls apart when she is faced with being discharged. She put all her faith in the army, she even says: "The army takes care of their own", only to find herself being honorably discharged.
In the end, the movie is good for all of those who enjoy that topic.

In the Dark

In the Dark

Man, I'm lost in music,

I lose myself up on that stage,

It's bliss.

I'm kept up thinking of ways to be better,

I have a fire burning inside,

I have to make it.

Pieces of myself have been lost since that day,

You made me break my own rules, 

You made me care too much,

I don't know how this ends.

They said I wanted too much attention,

That really paralyzed me.

Maybe the stage is just a desperate ploy for happiness,

Maybe I'm broken,

But aren't we all?