Taking the English 2100 course benefited me in many ways. I learned a little bit of everything in the class for example, I learned how to use different ways of writing, I also started to have a better understanding of how to use Discord, and learned how to create AI images by specific commands. In this class, I learned about the comet, which I consider a really interesting post-apocalyptic and racial story. This class helped me learn more about different writing styles and made me realize that I’m not alone and that Google is in fact making us a little stupid. In class, I learned how to actively annotate to better understand a paper. I appreciated how helpful and patient the professor was. In this class I learned to receive constructive criticism and to have a better use of transition words. I enjoyed this class and will be putting into practice the skills I learned in the future.
Author: maylin
Analysis Reflection Mind Map
I particularly created my mind map showcasing different subjects that I would be interested in. That I would consider fun for my essay. I used Canva to put it together and like the collage from our last assignment, this was fun working on. I like putting this together because of the liberty I have to choose the format I want to use and the subjects I would want to research.
Using this mind map I separated each subject I would write about, and under it, I added some information as to where the course of my writing will go. I picked subjects that I feel that are gripping for the audience, and that would keep me interested all the way to finishing my essay. All the subject I am debating between are linked to social media and I wanted to do it this way since I believe that we are all attached to it somehow.
using this mind map helped me to put all of my ideas into the sheet so that I don’t forget any and that I can do deep research about each, and come to my conclusion. I am the kind of person who forgets most things if I don’t have them written down so this was a really helpful activity.
Collage Activity
I believe that collages are better than traditional writing. The collage method works best for me because I am a visual learner. Going back to one of our old class readings I said that I agree with the following statement “It’s Google making us stupid”. Due to our access to Google, social media, and the internet, I believe that most of us have become visual learners since we are also exposed to photos and videos 24/7 through our devices. I love the creative liberty we had doing the collages, and the difference it was from reading long writings and getting lost in all the repetitive words and some unknown vocabulary, pushing me to read paragraphs twice or three times. Creating my collage I changed my idea 5 different times because I kept finding different things I wanted to use. I wrote with a clean feminine concept and used different words that I’m shooting to become in 2024 with different fonts, almost like a visual board Idea. I understand that the only thing I did not like about this assignment is I wish we were able to do more of this and I was able to create all of my ideas, even a slide show presentation assignment would be really interesting.
The Comet: Close-Reading Analysis
“The Comet” is an afro futuristic, sci-fi story by Du Bois. A short story written in 1920 aimed to expand on what the color line meant. It was a post-apocalyptic story and allegory to bring up a powerful critique of racism in society, particularly within New York City. He wrote about a cosmic event and created a world where society was destabilized to be able to explore issues of race and power of stability on a blank canvas. Du Bois highlights the civilization and the resilience of some injustices, pre and post-comet systems. By portraying a post-apocalyptic scene and the city in ruins, Du Bois highlights the damaging effect of racism on society and the persevering through battle for endurance in a hostile environment. He employs symbols to critique racism. The protagonists Jim a black man and Julia a white woman are the first known survivors of cosmic devastation in the story. Their alliance symbolizes the potential of cooperation across racial lines. However, after finding out they were not the only survivors, their relationship/journey is fraught with challenges and dangers reflecting the influence of racism on societal dynamics. Through the main character’s interactions, Du Bois exposes the hypocrisy of racial prejudice and the nature of racial divisions ultimately advocating for racial unity, awareness, and understanding. “The Comet” serves as a cautionary tale and call to action kind off, challenging readers to confront racism and envision a fair future. lastly “The Comet” by W.E.B. Du Bois utilizes genre convection such as post-apocalyptic storytelling, and symbol a narrative that critiques deep racism in society. Through the investigation of subjects like endurance, fortitude, and fundamental foul play, Du Bois welcomes readers to consider the getting-through effect of racism and envision elective ways towards social change.
After reading the text I believe that often when privileged people seem to be in trouble or striped away from their privileges or social groups they are likely to change. I also believe that anyone would act the same way Julia did just in a sense of survival. In general, the story was really interesting to read and it was engaging to learn about Afrofutism since it is a term I hadn’t heard before.
A victim of modern society’s internet
In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” by Nicholas Carr he states that the extensive use of Google and the internet is leading to a decline in the attention spans and capacity for deep thinking among individuals in Western society. According to Carr, constant exposure to different digital tools impacts our abilities. Particularly our engagement and attention span with long written content. additionally, he mentions that easy access to online information may contribute to our short attention span and our preference for surface-level information rather than extensive writing. ultimately affecting how we process and comprehend information in the modern era.
I consider myself 100% a victim of Google and the internet. I cannot stand reading lengthy written content, and I don’t remember the last time I read an entire article in just one sitting. I catch myself looking for websites that read the content to me and I take my headphones and prefer to listen while I do something else. My attention span has reached an all-time low and I am not sure how to fix it. Because my first language was not English, I’ve always found reading difficult and I have always said that if a written piece was in Spanish, I would be able to understand and pay way more attention, but now it does not depend on the language and I realize sometimes while reading, I don’t remember what I read just 5 minutes ago.
Most people cannot gather information as they used to anymore due to how easy we have access to look up any question online, this also goes hand in hand with human nature and it is that we seek convenience. but I know for other people who have always liked to read now it’s become in some way harder and as Nicholas Carr mentions “deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle”.
