Vanessa+H


 * __ Task 1 __**

1. Lisa's brown dog is running through the park. 2. Marty's red car drove through the neighbors' yards and into the Smiths' dog, making their little kid cry. 3. When Eric's cat ran into the Johnsons' and Fredricks'yard, eating the dog food there, their kids' faces held shock because Fran's dog ate the cat when it stopped running.

__**Task 2**__

1. Based on the feedback given on my essays it can be concluded that my strengths for narrative essays are clear and focused ideas, an expressive and sincere voice, relevant and interesting word choices, and good conventions. When it comes to both expository and persuasive writing my strengths are even. Based on the marks I was given, I can summarize that my strengths are equally matched in each category due to the observation that I was given straight fours for both essays. The greater of the strengths would be in conventions and voice because there was less marks against those categories in the essays. Specifically my strengths lie in introductions and conclusion paragraphs verses the body paragraphs. 2. My weaknesses as a writer in narrative essays are having unclear and defined organization and an inconsistent flow when it comes to sentence fluency. The two often go together when the organization goes out of order and the sentence fluency follows when trying to fix the awkward organization. When it comes to expository and persuasive essays my weaknesses are pretty clear based on the corrections. My word choice is poor and repetitive, there is often confusion when it comes to flowing into the other sentences and connecting ideas. Another weakness is the vagueness when describing objects, events, or people and starting sentences with the same words. It is seen from the feedback that a weakness is how I rush through descriptions and ideas that are relevant and important to the prompt and main thesis. 3. Goals for exceeding Writing AIMS is to improve my vocabulary and find alternate words to improve my word choice. Another goal is to focus on connecting ideas better with a consistent flow and to explain and be less vague when it comes to important ideas and explanations.


 * __ Task 3 __**

1. Imagery is words and phrases that describe the definite experience of the five senses, usually sight. 1a. The words of imagery used in the poem //I, Too// by Langston Hughes are "Nobody’ll dare Say to me, 'Eat in the kitchen,'" and "They’ll see how beautiful I am" (Hughes). 1b. When Hughes says "Nobody’ll dare Say to me, 'Eat in the kitchen,'" (Hughes) you can almost feel how much he despises the command to eat in the kitchen. By using imagery it feels as if you are there to hear the commanders saying 'Eat in the kitchen' and you feel hate for the same saying. You understand the characters frustration with always hearing that command and it sends a sense of sympathy through you for that shunned character. At the same time a sense of power is also felt because the character is so certain that nobody will ever issue that order to him ever again. Hughes is using the sense of hearing (from the characters point of view) by showing what the character hears that upsets him so much. He is also using sight when he says "They’ll see how beautiful I am" (Hughes). He is using sight by explaining what the character wants his 'owners' or bosses to see when they look at him. His desperation to be seen as a beautiful person worthy enogh to eat at the table is felt through his desperation shown in that simple sentence. He wants to be seen and by reading that line in the poem you can almost understand and see how beautiful the character could be.

2. Metaphor is a specific form of comparison that makes two unlikely objects seem equal, and is often an abstraction or definite image. 2a. The most important metaphor in the poem //I, Too// by Langston Hughes is "I am the darker brother" (Hughes). 2b. The metaphor best display's the poem's overall meaning of equality by showing how desperately the character is seeking equality. The poem begins by Hughes explaining that the character sings (in a way he pleas and cries out) then he goes on to write that the character (possibly himself) is the darker brother. The character is the weaker and most ignored brother of the family and because of this fact he is sent to the kitchen to eat whenever company is over as if the family is ashamed of him. A son or bother is not usually compared to being darker then the other, but in this poem the character describes himself as this. Most likely due to the fact that the light is better then the dark and if he is the dark then his brother is the light. These are two unequal things and because of this the character is looking to fix that problem. He is fighting and growing strong enough to be as light and great as his brother is so that finally he can be worthy enough to eat at the table. All the character is searching for is equality and he is certain that he will succeed enough to be as beautiful and cherished as his other brother.

3. A Symbol is something that has significance beyond what it would have on its own. 3a. The major symbol in this poem is the kitchen. 3b. Langston Hughes uses the symbol of the kitchen to display how the family is ashamed of the main character. The kitchen in a way is a jail that the family confines the character to whenever there is company over. The main character hates the kitchen because its a symbol of how ashamed the family is of letting company see their 'darker' son. They only want the company to see their lighter son and to make sure that the darker son is left in his own personal prison to eat on his own. However the kitchen is also a symbol of his fortress and where he grows stronger every night so that the family will finally see his beauty and allow company to see it as well. Like in the courtyard of a prison the inmate grows stronger each day and when he returns home he will be welcomed or he may be feared. The character's hope is that the family will no longer be ashamed of him and will never again banish him to the kitchen (his personal prison).