DP 1
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I really enjoyed reading Recitatif because I found the piece very interesting. I was immediately drawn into the reading from the very beginning of the story when Twyla said her mother wouldn't stop dancing. It did not take me long to figure out that Twyla's mother was a stripper and I believe that Roberta's mother might have had cancer or some other illness. After Roberta left the home, I knew that Twyla and her would eventually meet back up in the future. Even though, this piece was confusing to me at times I still felt like I understood the main conflict that was occurring. I felt like there were a lot of Racial issues during this time, which made Roberta's and Twyla's friendship unsteady. The most confusing part of the whole story to me was the character Maggie and her significance. I found it odd that Twyla and Roberta had different versions of what happened to Maggie and what her race was. The ending of the piece to me was my favorite part because it left me wanting more.
Reflection
I chose to use this discussion post because I really enjoyed reading Recitatif. I found the story very interesting and easy to read. Although, looking back at my very first Discussion Post it is clear to me that I have grown as a writer. In this post I spent more time explaining the story than actually analyzing it. I was confused with how to write discussion post's when I wrote this one. I could have spent more time analyzing the pieces that I brought up and then branching off of that to conclude to an idea or thought that I had. Even looking back at it and reading my post I can see the parts where I could have added more analyzing. Such as when I say there were racial issues, what kind of racial issues? How did I figure out Twyla's mom was a stripper? Or why was the character Maggie so confusing to me? I can see where I could have progressed in this post and done more of a critical reflection instead of just listing out what happened in the story and stating the obvious.
DP 4
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After reading this chapter in the book, I learned that "facts" are not always true, but they are an agreement of an opinion. I also learned that facts and claims are basically the same and I need to get in the habit of searching for them. I really liked how Kantz discussed how difficult research papers are in a sense that the citations can be challenging and overall researching is time-consuming. Personally, I have never favored research papers because I find them difficult and boring, so I could relate to this part of the chapter. When researching for these types of papers, I also think every source I go to is true. This is an extremely bad habit, however after reading this chapter, I am now going to keep an open mind that some sources might only be claims and opinions of their own. Overall, I have always struggled with writing essays with strict formats, so I enjoyed reading this section of the book and learned a few ways to find credible sources.
Reflection
When looking back at this discussion post I noticed that I did a bit more analytical writing than I did in my first discussion post. I related the reading to my own knowledge and compared the reading to my work in everyday life. I made it clear that I have always struggled with researching credible sources and how this reading was really helpful for me. I can tell I learned more from reading this chapter than the Recitatif story because I can use his advice towards the rest of my writing career. There was still some room for improvement when it came to analyzing who the audience was, and analyzing things such as the tone. Although, I definitely did a better job with this post than my first one.