Semester II Meta Post: A Time of Reflection

The blog post that I thought best reflected both my growth in blogging and my ability to connect ideas throughout the year, with both topics of discussion in American Studies, field trips/experiences, and literature we have read this quarter was the blog post Physical Barriers Defining Chicago Neighborhoods.

I was writing this blog post when I was researching and writing my Junior Theme (the topic being segregation in Chicago), so it wasn't difficult for me to thoroughly explore the idea of physical boundaries within Chicago. Not only did this post relate back to first semester and our field trip to to this exact location, Hyde Park and Englewood, but it also connected to the literature we were reading at the time, The Great Gatsby. I related this very real separation of classes in Chicago to the separation of old money from new money in East Egg and West Egg. This topic also was connected to my Junior Theme, adding another layer of relevance to the post. Overall, I think it best demonstrates my progression throughout the year to being able to connect many different ideas and layers of topics we have explored this year in American Studies.

In the post, I also experimented with different ways of visually laying out my posts. I emphasized words I found key to my argument that really summarized the idea I was trying to convey to my reader, such as "separated" or "most dangerous neighborhood." This, I believe, created more of a dynamic for my reader, which in result peaked their interest in my topic.

I also believe I have grown as a blogger this semester by discussing and analyzing a wide variety of different topics.

First semester, I mainly focused on philosophical arguments and ideas (as discussed in my first meta post). This semester, I pushed myself to root my arguments in more current, factual topics that related more directly to class than my interests. I varied my posts this semester from my third quarter post about the obsession with fame in Breaking News: Disney Star Inadvertently Teaches Children About Safe Sex at Dr. Seuss Premiere (which links to heavily discussed topic of social class in America) to my blog post about a Ted Talk proposing educational reform in the post Education: Training Kids out of Creativity.

I believe my blog is a great way to see my progression as a writer, as a thinker, and as a citizen who is constantly questioning, discussing, and analyzing American society as we see it every day.