Blog Post Number 3: Group Skills

When working in groups, I tend to be more quiet than others. I have always been much more of a listener than a talker. Though I do contribute, I sometimes find it hard to do so-- especially when I do not know my group very well. I enjoy listening to others ideas and the only time when I'll promptly dispute or disagree with them is when I find that something doesn't match up or make sense. Esther, from the bible, stood up for what she believed in. She was quiet, more of an observer, but when she heard of the plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia, she stood against it; however, instead of simply accusing Haman of his plot, she was patient and after silently waiting and remaining silent, she spoke to the king. This lead to the salvation of the Jews. Like Esther, I tend to be quiet and patient most of the time. I am attentive to situations but I do not speak against others unless it is necessary to. I am more of an information seeker than an information giver when things in a group are going well but when something comes up that I do not agree with I could definitely be considered a diagnostician. I am more of an observer, a listener. I also do not initiate assignments, I normally add on to them once the idea or decision is there. Whether this be a skill or not, it has helped me in past group assignments.

As someone who is definitely more creative than analytic, my skill set lies in expression. I believe myself to be a creative thinker, specifically with poetic and lyrical pieces. Euterpe is the music of lyrical poetry in Greek Mythology. She is not as focused on fact as her sisters Clio and Polyhymnia. As a muse, she is not the one who simply states facts or tells people what to do. She may try to lead others a certain way but she stays true to herself and her beliefs. I do not necessarily state the facts or state what I or others should do when in a group setting. I help encourage and push my group in the right direction with different comments both about my personal beliefs on a topic and about comments that they have previously made. I am a follower unless forced to act differently. Lyric poetry is about expression, not dictation. Also, Euterpe is the daughter of Mnemosyne, the Titan Goddess of memory and the inventor of language and words. When working with others, I focus on what we are doing at all times. I try my best to keep track of every comment and make sure that everyone is included. I try my best to be a good supporter and feeling expresser when working with others. I attempt to support others opinions and statements while still expressing my own. As a rather shy individual, it is easier for me to notice when others do not feel as part of the group than it would be for someone louder and more extroverted.

I am a rather quiet individual and tend to be in deep thought most of the time, reading into things within not only the classroom but within life; however, when I am passionate or sure about a belief, I stand up for it.

Blog Post Number 2: Practice Test Reflection

Based on my practice test, I am not terrible at literary analysis; however, I do need some practice. I answered the majority of the questions correctly but did get rather confused by a few. It seemed as if some of the answers I chose were chosen simply because they were the first choice that made sense to me. This leaves out the high possibility that there may be a better answer. I tend to overlook other choices or options once I find one that makes sense to me— this has caused me to get questions wrong on numerous occasions. My score was not necessarily bad but I do need to strongly focus on my weaknesses in order to improve it.  

I am rather good at understanding Middle English due to always having a strong interest in Shakespeare. This tends to come in handy. Being rather in love with poetry it is seemingly easier for me to interpret and understand a poem better than a story, even if it does seem rather obscure. I am talented at looking at the big picture when it comes to literature. I tend to understand why an author used certain words or phrases in order to get across their point. This is one of my main strengths.

A large weakness of mine when it comes to literary analysis would be differentiating between different literary terms. This most definitely causes trouble. I also tend to overlook small details, some of which may be of importance, when reading literature. I sometimes focus so much on what is happening in a story that I overlook facts or information that were included. Overlooking these pieces of information could lead me to be perpetually discombobulated when questions in relation to them are asked. This, quite obviously, causes difficulty. Another bigger weakness of mine is second guessing. I second guess myself on numerous occasions; I feel that it is natural for people to do so. However, it has proven to be detrimental on tests.

In order to become better at test performance and literary analysis I need to take my time, reread any parts that don't make sense, and review literary terms such as paradox and metonymy. My goals for myself are to review these concepts and to practice focusing on the literature I am reading without worrying about the time limit or number of questions left. I could even create flash cards with different literary terms in order to keep track of each one separately and not confuse them. With awareness of my weaknesses and studying I believe that my literary analysis skills could most definitely improve.

Blog Post Number 1: Design Choices

When designing my blog I wished to portray my personality while still remaining professional and structured. I chose to use the title "The Writings of an Introvert" in order to describe myself- the writer- and allude to the fact that who I am will most definitely affect how and what I write. I used the font "Dancing Script" for my title in order to give off a professional persona- as cursive tends to have that affect- as well as remain lighthearted. I also picked this font because of how it looks handwritten, unlike many of the other fonts. This, I felt, went along with the theme of English literature within this blog.

I picked this specific background because the color reminded me of parchment paper and being someone who has fallen in love with many things of the past, this fit me. The colors I use are rather dull in order to not take away attention from what I am saying because I believe that the written (or typed) word is an extremely important way to express oneself and understand. I feel as if my blog describes who I am as not only a person, but as a writer.