The Final Post

Looking back on this semester, I feel that my writing skills have definitely improved. If anything, I now know the proper way to cite practically anything. :-) Besides which, I've learned how to write a lit review (I never even knew those existed before this class) and how to create a good thesis. I've always had problems with theses- generally I don't formulate one until after I've written a few pages of my paper. But, this semester, I've been trying to formulate a specific argument from the very start of my paper.

Besides improving my thesis writing skills, I also learned the proper placement of a concession paper, and how to introduce a quote. An interesting thing Ihad never known before this class, is that topic paragraphs should be roughly the same length in order to show the reader that all topics are of equal importance. I think this point helped to improve the structure of my papers.

Lastly, I really enjoyed some of the readings for this class. My favorite reading, by far, was on Sylvia Plath. I really connected to her writing and her story. I was not a fan of the second essay. I had a lot of trouble writing it because I could not connect to the topic. I actually enjoyed researching and writing my final paper. I have a genuine interest in the Fitzgeralds, and found researching their life fascinating.

The Symposium...

I thought our symposium went really well last Saturday. I was a little nervous when I heard that the technology wasn't working, because I had n0t brought a written outline of what I wanted to say. However, I know so much about my topic that I was able to talk about it easily for a few minutes. Kind of on a side note: for some reason I was really nervous to present, even though I knew pretty much everyone in the room. I thought the e-poster presentations in class were a lot easier. I was a lot more confident in what I was saying, and I didn't have an outline for that presentation either. Anyway, more about the symposium presentation...hm what to say? My picture was really nerdy, and I kind of cringed when it came up. :-)

I thought the power powerpoint as a whole went well. However, I felt that the audience was not as engaged in it as they could have been. Christin mentioned in class that she thought that a question answer period after each presenation would have given the audience a chance to respond more. I definitely agree. A question answer period would have given us a chance to expand on our topic more, and have more time to devote to our topic. this may have taken up more time, I think it would have made our presentation more successful in the long run.

Oh, Stephanie Klein...

I have to say that I am not a fan of this book so far. I am especially not a fan of Klein's writing style- it seems like she tries too hard to be witty, and I find myself rolling my eyes...at a book. I especially loved the part in chapter two when she oh so wittily uses the phrase "Something old, something new, something borrowed something blue," while describing attending her cousin's wedding "stag." I also do not appreciate her odd love for her dog, and her need to announce it to the the world for three pages at a time. Or the description of the bikini wax. I mean, really.

One of my biggest annoyances is how she judges men by how much money they spend on her because she is "worth" it. She seems to equate the amount of money a man spend on her with the man's character. This disturbed me...if this is straight up what Klein is like, than she is shallow and dumb.

I also do not care about her divorce. A lot of people get divorced, and you aren't saying anything particularly new or enlightening about the matter. Get over it.

I feel like maybe I am being a little overly critical. I have to say, I don't find the book boring to read. Even if she seems to be trying to hard, Klein can definitely entertain you.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

I really responded to the excerpt from Gifts of Passage. For one thing, it was easy to read and understand since the author had submitted her work in the New Yorker before publishing her book. The excerpts were meant to be read independent of each other. I especially liked the story about her going to school in India; I can relate to her confusion about her name. I really enjoyed the discussion in class about the power of a name. It is a curious thing the meanings we place on words, considering how carelessly we use words on a daily basis. However, the power of one's own name, and how they form their identity through a name amazes me. People get so upset when someone misspells their name or mispronounces it. Before reading this story, I had never pondered the influence one simple word can have on someone's life.

I have a similar story to the one Santha explains about the changing of her name to Cynthia. When I was in second grade, my dad told me that our last name was not "Sakon" but "Sakonchick," and that he had changed our last name. I was amazed. I had lived seven years without knowing my real last name! I was so excited. I had two last names. It was something to add to my two first names. I would sign my name Teresa Tracy Rose Sakon Sakonchick. I remember going to school and telling a boy in my class about my "new" last name. He laughed and said Sakonchick? Like Sakonchicken? And then imitated a chicken. A few kids were watching and laughed. I was distraught. I never told anyone my real last name for years to come. Sakonchicken?! It sounded awful.

My names have always confused me. Especially my first name. My legal name is Teresa. It is on my bith certificate, I registered for college with that name. Every single year when I start classes, I have to tell all my teachers to refer to me as Tracy rather than Teresa. Some never bother with the distinction. It's like I have two identities- almost like Santha's alternate identity with the name Cynthia. I don't relate to the name Teresa at all. I think of it as an "older" person's name, and images of Mother Teresa always come to my mind. I feel like if I wrote a book or something, I would use "Teresa Sakon" as a pseudonym. Except it's not a pseudonym, it's my real name! Whenever I imagine myself in the future- as a thirty year old with the perfect job, husband, life...that person is Teresa. The awkward 18 year old is Tracy. I actually rather like the distinction.

" I want to love first and live incidentally." Zelda Fitzgerald

I am thinking of researching Zelda Fitzgerald for our paper. I read her biography a few years ago, and thought her life was very interestin.g. She was the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald; their life is described as "beautiful and damned." (There is a musical about them called "The Beautiful and Damned.") She met F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1918, but refused to marry him until he became successful. She was officially engaged to him one week after the release of his first novel, This Side of Paradise. She was by all means a modern woman- she was a postergirl for the flappers, and wrote about her lifestyle in women's magazines. Her life with F. Scott resembled Paris Hilton's- they partied continously, and were both heavy drinkers. Friends of theirs included: Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Cole Porter.

Although Zelda never wrote an autobiography, she wrote a novel, 11 short stories, and 12 articles. Her novel is entitled "Save me the Waltz." The novel is based on a relationship Zelda had with a French aviator named Edouard Jozan while F.Scott and her were in France. Although it is unclear if they had an affair, F. Scott was quite upset by the relationship. He also wrote about their relationship in The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night, which both have strong themes of betrayal. I think it would be interesting to compare how F. Scott portrayed her in his work (Daisy from The Great Gatsby is loosely based on Zelda) to how Zelda portrays herself in her own work. Furthermore, Zelda was a painter, so it may be interesting to examine her art to reveal more about her self expression.

When Zelda was 28, she decided she wanted to become a professional ballerina. She danced 10 hours a day, 7 days a week. She eventually danced herself to exhaustion, and was admitted into a mental health clinic in 1930. She spent the rest of her life in and out of mental hospitals, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. F. Scott wrote about her breakdown and his descent into alcoholism in Tender is the Night. The last time F. Scott saw Zelda, he took her on a trip outside the hospital, and proceeded to get drunk and start a bar fight. F. Scott died in 1940 of a heart attack, and Zelda died 7 years later, when a fire broke out on the floor of the hospital she was staying in.

I think Zelda is a fascinating woman- she was independent, modern, and ruthless. She never equaled the artistic success of F. Scott, but was an artist in her own right.

*Information taken from zeldafitzgerald. com, and what I remember from reading her biography.

My Autobiography

My name is Teresa (Tracy) Rose Sakon. I was named after my grandmother who is one of the most admirable people I know.

My family is like any family- seemingly normal from the outside, and incredibly annoying otherwise. My father is a lovable hypochondriac who watches the science fiction channel. He is very protective and has a “no one is allowed to mess with my daughter accept me” parenting philosophy. My mother is very practical, loving, and focused. The last time I saw her cry was when her computer crashed. She is very easy to talk to about anything. My brother and I are five years and some odd months apart in age, because my mother assumed the age gap would prevent us from fighting too much. She was very wrong in her assumption. However, we get along better now that we are older. And there is my dog, Vera, who I swear is the most loved member of my family, probably because she never says anything.

Ever since I was three years old, I have lived in the same house in Avon, Connecticut, a truly uneventful small suburban town. It was actually named the third safest town in the nation. My high school was intense-a constant focus on APS, SATS, and college admissions. I am not very good under pressure, and so I never performed as well as I could have, to the dismay of my parents. However, I have always noticed that things seem to work out for me in the end.

I guess where I am right now is kind of at a crossroads. I have left my small town to attend college in Washington, DC. It has been the first time I have had to truly rely on myself, which has not been as bad as I thought it would be. I am really anxious to see the world. I am not the type of person who plans everything out: I have many things I want to accomplish and places I want to see, but the when and why doesn’t particularly interest me. I want to own my own restaurant or boutique, teach English, travel and work abroad, join the Peace Corps, and publish my own book. I don’t think accomplishing these things is as important to me as dreaming that I will.

That is the autobiography I wrote for our assignment, I think I should add "Leisure technologist" to my list of things to accomplish. :-)

This is the blog I am going to track for the semester: http://blog.gwhatchet.com/index.php?cat=5. It is the blog of the sex columnist for The Hatchet. I thought it might be interesting, since it is written by a GW student.