Meta-Post

As I read through my previous blog entries, I was able to make many observations. I have different feelings about each entry that I have made: some I am impressed by while others I feel could use revision. I was definitely reminded of the entries that I took my time writing and thoroughly completing and of the entries that were written more hastily and less thoughtfully. I can say that the approach I took with each entry was to find a theme, either a prominent theme or an underlying theme, and reflect upon it. I have also found that this approach works best when time is taken for reflective writing. My re-reading of each entry and consideration of the grades that I received for each proves this point perfectly.

In my first blog post, I took on the theme of the rise and fall of power within the characters of The Merchant of Venice. This was definitely an entry that I took my time to develop and think about. I made, what I thought and still think to be, meaningful references to the text that only added to the blog post as a whole. This was definitely a blog post that I was impressed by after re-reading it as it called to mind many lecture points that occurred in class during our reading of this play. I do not know that there is much I would change about this post, but I do think that it might be worth developing further into a paper topic and I could, perhaps, even tie in contents of my second blog post which dealt with a similar theme.

In my second blog post, I chose to write about a recurring theme that was apparent in Measure for Measure. Much like the theme I wrote about in my first blog post, this blog post also dealt with theme of power and how it is used by characters in the play. After re-reading this post directly after re-reading my first post, I saw a great paper topic developing. There are so many points that I can compare and contrast between the two which I think could be developed nicely into a great paper. I find it very interesting that my first two blog posts were so similar unintentionally. I do not know how or why this happened, but perhaps Shakespeare is to thank for the coherency.

My third blog post was a different story than my first two. After re-reading it, I had wished that there was a delete button. In comparison, this last entry was definitely lacking many elements that the first two were not. This entry was much shorter and much less thoughtfully developed than the other posts that I had made previous. I made references to the text, but these references weren't as meaningful as what I have seen in my previous posts. These references seemed to just back up a point that I was making rather than to add dimension to the post as a whole. It is quite obvious that what I chose to write about, which seems to be a theme about karma, may not have been the best option. Perhaps if I chose something different to write about this third blog entry would have been better.

Another observation that I was able to make after re-reading through all of my posts was that the comments that were left for each align with my thoughts about the actual post. The first two blog entries have thoughtful and meaningful comments attached to them while the last really does not. I don't think that it is a coincidence that the blog entries that I thought were well developed were much easier to respond to.

I really do value the weekly blogging assignment as it gives me a chance to see what others think before class. I have also noticed that others will bring up something that I have written in a blog entry during class. Obviously, this may just be a coincidence, but I will say that I find that during class I find myself wanting to share something that I have read in someone else's blog. For this reason, the blogging assignment really can add to the value of the readings.

I also really value this blogging assignment because I can carry it with me for the rest of the blogging assignments for the remainder of the semester. I now know what works and what doesn't for my writing and that will definitely help me in my future posts!