I find myself stuck many times while trying to write a paper. Sometimes I have plenty of ideas but just can’t get them out on the paper the way  want them to. Other times I can’t get any ideas about what to write at all.  Because I can run into so many obstacles while writing, I often have to remind myself to not get discouraged and to continue writing. I think of my writing process as a track/hurdle race in a way. If I trip and fall, I have to get up and keep going, because the race is not over yet. Just because I run into some troubles writing, that does not mean that I have to give up altogether. Hurdles are not impassable or immovable. There is always a way to get around them, and this reminds myself that perseverance is key to good writing. The first words and ideas that I write down wont always be great, but continuing on in the process of writing will make it much better.

I really like the way that Peggy McIntosh explained white privilege.  The idea that white privilege is an unearned backpack of resources that you can use whenever you want (if you are white) is a very different way of thinking about it. However, I feel like thinking of it that way can also clear things up for people who might not completely understand it yet. I also agree with Peggy in that in order to change these social systems, you must acknowledge that these social systems exist in the first place. People find it difficult to find these systems because they are taught that they do not exist. I really enjoyed reading the article and I found The Race Card Project to be a very interesting way to talk about race, as it is a very taboo subject in this country.

I don’t really drink at all in the first place, as it is against my religion to do so. I planned to hang out with some of my friends and just relax. This holiday will definitely impact the community in a negative way in my opinion. There will be a lot of drunk people stumbling around being rowdy, and precautions need to be made so that nobody gets hurt is in danger of getting sick. Precautions also need to be taken so that innocent people stay safe. The community will also be dirtier, as I can imagine there would be bottles and cans everywhere along with other things. I know a few friends of mine plan on drinking, and we would just make sure that we have a system set so that nobody does or gets involved in anything that they might regret and that everyone stays safe.

After much thought, I was finally able to choose an exigent choose a research topic that was relatable to me.  The portrayal of immigrants is important to me because I come form an immigrant family. I often find myself getting upset at the type of information that these biased news sources put out.  I agree with Gerard that there is a great joy in discovering new information that you can relate to or are interested in. It is a completely different experience when you research something that you care about and can relate to than if you don’t. I had a personal connection to this topic so while I was researching,  I found myself feeling like a detective almost, as I wanted to know how immigrants were portrayed at different time periods and if this portrayal improved, stayed the same or got worse.  I do find writing harder most of the time compared to doing the research, but it is definitely easier to write about something that you can relate to on a personal level and care about.

Hey, I know you haven’t had any college experience yet (although you do go to a college prep high-school, which is close enough) but I can’t stress enough how important it is to pick great topics for your papers.  I have to find a topic to write about right now for one of my papers and I’m having a bit of trouble.  I want to find a topic that I have passion for and have strong feelings towards, because I find that much easier to write about.  Otherwise, if I pick a topic that I don’t care about, I find myself getting bored very easily. Not only that, but I also don’t write as well as I can if I write about a topic that I do not personally care about. Finding a topic to write about can be troublesome, but I promise you finding a topic that you are passionate about is worth the struggle.

I believe that I had good word choice and solid arguments in my Critical Response along with some very good word choice.  However, some of the phrases and statement that I used to back up my arguments were not very clear and can cause some confusion.  I believe that I had good evidence to support my ideas throughout the paper. I need to work on my wording for some of my arguments as it can come out unclear. To help myself with my errors, I can go to Professor Mary if necessary and I can also use resources on the internet such as the Purdue Owl. What I have done to help myself word my sentences better is look at my sentences and figure out how I can improve the sentence by using different words and also by using various online resources. I can get a better grade next time by introducing my sources  more properly, making sure I put the word count on the front page and to be a bit more clear and concise in my writing.