Professor Amy Doty 

English 1010 

July 16th 2018 

Literacy Narrative 

When I was a little child, like other children, I used to write diaries. All notebooks I had at that time were devoted to writing diaries. I usually spent time after school on rewriting my whole day including fun things I did and things that made me sad. I preferred writing when I was alone and because when I was a kid I would like to do everything secretly so all my diaries were kept for myself only. The way I wrote at that moment is really simple because I basically wrote what I thought as well as the emotions I had. 

Moreover, when I started to learn some Vietnamese poems, I realized that there are some poems written in a free style with uncomplicated words but profound meaning. My poems were inspired by surrounding scenery, my family, and my schools. Besides free verse, I was interested in writing alexandrine which is prosody with a line of verse that has six iambic feet. I had a notebook with each page is a poem I wrote myself but now I do not know where it is. Before writing any poems, I usually read poetry of famous Vietnamese poets in order to study how to organize the poetry and use words as well. There are some poems that I still remember due to their significance and the fact in each sentence. During developing this hobby, I recognized that I only could write about what was familiar and true to me the most. 

When I grew up, my writing skill was improved remarkably. I had to write composition once a week about various topics. Some of my peers had difficulty in analyzing the topic in details as well as adding personal emotions and perspectives into the composition, but I did not. In this case I needed more imagination and creativity in order to complete the articles. Because of the increasing difficulty, I needed more time to focus on writing composition and no one was allowed to bother me when I wrote. 

 When the time went by, I had more opportunities to practice writing and gradually enjoy writing as my hobby. Thanks to receiving the guidance from my teacher about writing, I learned a lot of tips and effective ways to improve this skill. I chose brainstorming was one of my writing strategies. To take advantage of this strategy, I needed to write down all the ideas I had and then organize them in proper order. Moreover, updating news as well as reading more newspapers about the world, books helped me widen vocabulary and better structures. Thus, I could apply them into my writings which made them become more attractive and vivid. I prefer writing about social issues than telling a story or describing about anything. From my 

perspective, to write well, we should read more to learn new vocabularies, the good sentence forms of the writer and should spend time on practicing writing occasionally. 

The previous quarter I attended in an English class, the vital step to improve my writing skill. From the beginning of the class, I was worried about how to complete this class and get good grades because all students in the class are native, but then during my studying process, I realized that when I try my best, I will achieve the goal, and finally I succeed. 

Writing Reflection

This assignment which I write for this project is a position paper. When my instructor first told our class about writing a social issue, I started thinking about which issue I am interested in, then I figured out that I would write about one of the two main topics for climate change or gender discrimination. After considering carefully as well as searching for underlying information, I made a decision to writing about gender discrimination. However, during finding out information about this issue, I accidentally caught another topic related to gender, which is gay marriage. The reasons I ultimately choose this social issue because this topic attracts me and makes me wonder how people in America in particular, and in the world in general, think about this issue. Until now, I realize that this issue is more controversial than I think, especially in some Asian countries and the Middle East.

Because this project is about my position, so I only write what I think about this issue, use my own words, my observations as well as my personal experience. Before writing this topic, I used to read many stories related to objection to gay marriage and I also have my own arguments to defend my position of favoring same-sex marriage, so I have no difficulty in expressing my perspectives about this issue. I think the way I used is effective because I think the way I write is not only close to the readers but also realistic, making those who agree with me get more strength as well as persuading the opponents in order that they will change their perspective on the issue. There was one specific revision I have made to the project, which was from Smarthinking. This is my first time I have submitted my essay for a review to Smarthinking tutor. According to the tutor, the writing strength of my draft is that my opinion on this issue comes across very clearly. In my essay, my thesis needs to be more accurate in order to avoid the readers misunderstanding it. Moreover, the tutor recommends me to find out more information about the laws that support gay marriage as well as some arguments that some people use against gay marriage. Furthermore, there are some notes for my position essays that the tutor reminds me to consider again are about grammar and mechanics. I need to review my essay in full to catch all the unintentional verb tense shifting. Besides, to support my essay, the tutor gives me some links to information that may help me with main idea, content development. Thanks to the revision process of Smarthinking tutor, I realize where in my essay is not clear enough for the readers. I need to proofread my entire essay and follow some comments that the tutor has already marked for me. After editing wholly, I think that my essay is better and more accurate now.

In my project, to support three main reasons, I used examples, my observations from people surrounding me, and the knowledge I know. To be more specific, the third reason I would like to clarify that gay couples are also good citizens. I used an example about Ellen Lee DeGeneres who is a famous American television host, actress, and comedian. The reason why she is a typical example of my opinion is because she is not only a well-known American celebrity but also a LGBT activist. Although her career is developing, she still frankly admits that she is gay despite the consequences. As soon as Ellen recognized "I'm gay," she encountered difficulties that she knew it would happen but still acted bravely. The point I want to emphasis from this example is that no matter what gender you are, you are still a good person and all you want is a happy and peaceful life with the one you love. Moreover, to explain the second reason, I took the example from my own experience because I used to go through difficult period when coming out with my family so I understand exactly how gay people feel and what difficulty they have.  

The purpose of my project is to persuade the readers about positive aspects of gay marriage. My primary audiences are people who oppose violently gay marriage and give them a more objective view of same-sex marriage. The reason why I choose these people to be my audience is because I want that my writing can reach out to people with opposing views so that they can understand and gradually accept the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Instructor Amy Doty

English 1010

August 17, 2018

Writing Reflection 2

My task on this assignment is to write an antithesis about my concerned social issue which is gay marriage. To be able to complete this article I need to interview a person about his or her views and thoughts that contradicts me regarding the topic of same-sex marriage. At first, I was quite confused when I did not know who to choose for the interview but after careful consideration, I made a decision to choose my mother as the interviewee because I had mentioned this to her before and received her reaction strongly. Her perspective is quite harsh but because I want both my mother and me to sit down, calm down and listen to each other's thoughts in order to better understand each other's views on this matter. In the process of interviewing and listening to my mother's position, I also realized that all the reasons that my mother talked about opposing same-sex marriages were solid and realistic for her disapproval. I had to take notes of all her reasons, analyses and examples of why she opposed homosexual marriage to the draft. Then I rearranged the ideas so that they were in logical order and linked together. I think this is an effective process because I can annotate and write down my mother's comments and then take the time to edit them. My post was read and revised twice by my classmates. They evaluated my writing quite well with clear point statements and effective supporting arguments with the example. However, both of them have made very necessary and effective comments for my article. At first, they thought I should add more information for the introduction so it could be clearer, especially since the introduction about my interviewee - my mother - so the readers could catch up with my writing's opinions are from whom easier. In addition, they also said that my article needs to have more links between the three paragraphs in the body so that they are more connected and readers easily know what they will read next. Besides, after reading the comments on the previous post from my instructor, I learned the hard way to avoid repeating old mistakes. For this article, I find the element that makes this article clearer and easier to understand are the examples. For instance, to say that same-sex couples can not maintain the the race because they can not reproduce, my mother has an example of the family that has only one child, especially one son. She stated that if their child is gay they can not have grandchildren, that will lead to no heir in the family. Or as an example of undermining the value of a traditional marriage, my mother thinks that because young people today imitate and view homosexuality as a new trend, it is transforming the traditional and long-standing customs of Vietnam. For the purpose of this article, in my opinion, I would like the supporters of the gay marriage to understand why there are still so many people opposed to same-sex marriage. Thence, both sides can understand their opposite views and have solutions to resolve the conflicts.

Instructor Amy Doty

English 1010

August 31, 2018

Writing Reflection 3

This assignment which I write for this project is an argument paper in which I take a stance on a controversial issue and support that stance with reasons and evidence while incorporating and addressing opposing viewpoints to strengthen my argument. In this paper, I will take a stance on the social issue of gay marriage. After having a conversation with my mother about her opposite position, I realized that this argument paper will help me to assert my views based on my mother’s opinions. Because this paper still states my position depending on what my mother argues so I still use my own words, my observation as well as my personal experience, and follow the outline of argument paper’s handout from my instructor.

There was one specific revision I have made to the project, which was from Smarthinking. This is my second time I have submitted my essay for a review to Smarthinking tutor. According to the tutor, the writing strength of my article is that I have a strong start. In addition, the body of my paper includes many sound and logical reasons to support my unwritten claim that homosexuality is not abnormal and that homosexuals should enjoy the same rights as others. However, the tutor told me that my paper needs to be clearer about my arguments that are between parents and children or between the countries and the citizens. When I received the feedback from the tutor, I revised my paper again in order to check my thesis whether it is clear and strong enough.  

To strengthen my stance, I use effective evidences that I knew. For example, I make arguments to counter the opposing viewpoints. If the protesters claim that the gay couples are unable to giving birth, which will affect the following generation because when children are not born, human being cannot maintain the race, then I give them the solution that these days, there are some methods which help gay couples have opportunities to have children. Besides, when the protesters show their thought about the root of homosexuality, they state that homosexuality is a disease or related to mental problems, I change their minds by clarifying the fact of homosexuality which is a normal sexual orientation and it exists at the same with heterosexuality.

My audience in this paper is everyone, especially who oppose gay marriage. My objective of this argument paper is that I want to clarify my position on this social issue in order to persuade the protesters so that they can think about this issue from the both sides, which makes them understands and sympathize more with LGBT community. The primary audience who I most want to write to is my mother in particular and many older people in Vietnam in general because I hope they can gain more information about LGBT community which is a strange concept with them. 

Instructor Amy Doty

English 1010

12 September 2018

Writing Reflection 4

This assignment which I write for this project is an argument paper in which I held my position on a controversial issue and supported my position with evidence from outside sources. In this essay, I still take a stance on the social issue of gay marriage. After the third article about the argument paper holding my viewpoint of gay marriage based on my own thoughts and position, the fourth paper will be using outside sources to strengthen my position. Since my paper focuses mainly on the reasons why people should support gay marriage in Vietnam in particular and in countries that are still opposed in general, I focus on figuring out the supporting information related to my three main reasons. This article is required to have at least 3 reference articles. In the course of my search and reading of these references, I paid attention to the opposing viewpoints and perspective advocating gay marriage as well as taking my notes on the truth about why some people still object to same-sex marriage. Combining conflicting views will make my position stronger because the truths of anti-gay marriage are a lever that highlights the reasons why people should support same-sex marriage. 

To complete this article, the first step is to read each reference and then annotate them as well as taking notes. Once I've mastered the ideas I need to add to the post, I will begin to paraphrase them in my own words. To make the article more coherent, I have to use transitions to link the ideas, which will help the readers to visualize and keep up with my article. In addition, the most important part when using outside sources is to cite them correctly. In my opinion, this is an effective process for an argument paper with sources because these steps will help me understand each point of view which they support to my three main reasons and then take advantage of them effectively. My paper was reviewed by Smarthinking. Similar to previous times, Smarthinking tutor has helped me correct minor errors to help my article be more perfect. In addition, Smarthinking tutor also points out the parts that I should rethink, such as the thesis should be clearer and stronger to attract the reader. However, the strength of my article is that my three main reasons are clear and concise which makes it easier for the reader to understand the main points in the article.

I think one of the factors that I find effective in my paper is the outside sources that I search are very relevant to my point of view. For example, when I look for supporting views on the reasons why people still oppose same-sex marriage, it is because that objection may cause health implications, I have cited the facts of this influence in the real world and the misconceptions that some people have about homosexuality, which makes my position more prominent, clear, and convincing.

The purpose of this article is to convince those who are still opposed to same-sex marriage to change their minds about this issue. Using external sources will make my article more objective because it is not only my personal views but also the perspective of others. My primary audience are those who oppose gay marriage so they can have a different perspective on this social issue as well as the supporters of same-sex marriage so they may have more strength to continue to fight for their human rights.

Instructor Amy Doty

English 1010

19 September 2018

Writing Reflection 5

This is my 2nd English class at SCC. Unlike in previous classes, I learned a book about reading and writing, in this class I learned a lot more about writing. Actually one of the skills I feel most confident in English is writing. Therefore, in this class, I have the opportunity to develop their abilities in the best way. As a student, I always try to schedule time to complete the assignment on time and ask questions to the instructor when necessary. However, due to my rather shy personality and my English skills are still poor so I was not active and confident in contributing comments in class. As a reader, I still find it difficult to grasp the meaning as well as the main idea of the articles because my English vocabulary is still poor. Therefore, I had to practice in combination with strengthening my English through reading in class to be able to improve this skill. There are some readings that I do not catch up so my annotation is mostly new vocabularies. However, compared with the previous time, I also improved a bit because I learned more new words and learned from my peers about how they have annotated on each reading. Also, my reading skills are practiced when I do peer review because then I can read peers' writing as well as finding the thesis in their article to be able to grasp more easily. As a writer, I have the opportunity to show my abilities. Although writing is the skill I am most confident, but I had to use the combination of new vocabulary to make my article better. Despite having a lot of ideas but my vocabulary is still poor, this motivates me to read more in order to write better. In the 4 essays in the class, I had the most difficulty with the 4th paper because I had to read more outside sources to make my writing more convincing. Previous articles use my language to write so it will be faster and simpler.

In class, I listen to the views and opinions from the others. Since I have not been in the United States for a long time, observing and listening to friends has helped me a lot in improving my communication. Not only that, but I also learn a lesson from the instructor in the early days of class that is, there is nothing that I myself cannot do, just need to practice, everything will be better because practice makes perfect. Thus, despite having many assignments during this quarter, sometimes I feel tired and stressed but I have never thought of giving up. I still try my best to complete this class well and finally I won myself.

For this course, although I do not buy books, I do not have the opportunity to practice the annotation directly on the book as much as the other students, but because the book has a very good structure so it has helped me a lot in grasping the main idea. In addition, the book has many articles at the end of the book that correspond to examples for students to give me the opportunity to analyze and understand the lessons deeper. What I like about this course is that because I was writing about a social issue that I was really concerned, I felt very interesting. I am not only pointing out my position but are also being listened to another point of view due to the social issues that I have chosen in this course are quite sensitive in my country in particular and in Asia in general. Thus, when I can express my thoughts in this class, it makes me very happy. About time in class, as I see, the instructor has a very detailed and effective syllabus. I have taken advantage of my time in class and have sufficient time in self-study. My experience working with peers has helped me to identify the shortcomings of my writing and to help improve my writing. Assignments throughout the course are meaningful and supportive. In details, the Summary and Response assignments will help me grasp the article to be able to apply for the following ones. The essay gives me the opportunity to express my views on the social issue interesting me. Writing reflection assignments will help me review previous articles to learn by experience in order to write better in the future. The instructor helped me the most during the course. The way the instructor communicates in class is really clear and easy to understand, which makes our class 's atmosphere always comfortable.