What I have learned

Dear Mrs. Cline,

   This semester of school has been very successful for me. I feel as though I have learned a lot. I have learned how to write an analysis of a book or poem rather then just summarizing it. Literary analysis is different then the kind of writing I have done in college. A lot of writing that I have done in the passed was based on a personal experience. It’s been about something I have lived, and to me that’s easier then what we have been doing in this class.

I was never interested in poetry and I feel like it was always hard for me to interpret its meaning. I realized that there is not one specific meaning to a poem, there are many and its really about how you interpret it. With that said, poetry has become more enjoyable for me to read, there is less pressure to figure out what the “real” meaning of the poem is and I can actually enjoy the poem.

Reading the play “The Sand Storm” made me very emotional. When Casavecchia and his crew were protecting a community of people in Baghdad he developed a strong bond with these people. He became emotional to towards them so when they were told they had to leave because there was something more “important” for them to be doing.. Casavecchia saw the people’s pain as they left but he immediately became numb to their pain. It was clear to me that a lot of the soldiers knew how to shut emotion off when it came to war. It was sad to read some of the things that the soldiers had to do or had done to the enemy. A lot of them felt like they should have more emotion towards it but they didn’t, some of them say they wish they could find a way to feel “human” again.

          What I would like to improve on is just my overall writing. I would like to be able to express my thoughts, through writing, in a more clear and understandable way. Sometimes I feel like I have great ideas but I cant find a way to express them so I think I can improve on that.  Over all I really enjoy this class and appreciate what I have learned. I am excited to see what you have in store for the class in the second half of the semester.