Mid-Term Blog

I, like many others in the class as I’ve been noticing, have never blogged before and this course was my first experience with it. I, personally, was very nervous and hesitant about it at first but have found myself growing more comfortable with it as each week goes by. I find it interesting that while I’ve noticed that I feel this when I post, I can also see it in my writing when looking back and re-reading it.

My favorite aspect and what I’ve found most helpful about blogging is being able to read what others post. The first time it helped me as far seeing an example of what a blog is and to get an idea about how it really works but then I found that it is also a really fun and interesting way to see others’ opinions. I also like how it is really pretty casual and how people are free to express their ideas and opinions in their own ways. This is one of the biggest things that I’ve learned through blogging and what is most evident when reading my past entries.

My first post about A Midsummer’s Night Dream was very cut and dry and I didn’t realize, at the time, that you can really personalize your entries. However, this is something that I’ve picked-up on and have added to my later posts. More importantly, this is what really helped me and facilitated the whole blogging process for me as a whole. Once I realized that blogging was essentially sharing your ideas and feelings about the readings, it was a lot easier for me to do.

I remember trying to write my first post and sitting in front of the blank computer screen for what seemed like hours, trying to come up with an idea. While I was eventually able to gather my thoughts and generate some sort of thesis, my lack of direction is evident when re-reading it. I feel that the idea of balance and contrast throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a decent concept but my supporting examples and writing in general was a little hard to follow. I think that I could have made a stronger argument had my thoughts been more organized.

My second blog was about Much Ado About Nothing and I feel that this post was much more successful. I felt much more comfortable and confident when I was writing it and I think that you can tell when reading it. The idea to write about the reoccurring theme of deception as a means to get what you want in the play came easily to me and I feel that I had a lot of strong, supporting examples to back it up. In addition, I was able to further this idea by adding the question of whether it be malicious deception or mere pranks used, does it really matter? And is there really a difference between the two? And I was pleased with the outcome and the responses that I received from my classmates.

My third post was about Othello and the homosocial bond between Desdemona and Emilia. Again, I was pretty pleased with the outcome of my blog and think that I came a long way from my first. I feel that I had a concrete basis for my writing and was able to supplement it with specific examples and ideas. Being a female, I found this blog personally close to heart and felt the same way when reading the play. The bond between the two leading females is touching, especially given the circumstances they are under.