The link to my best blog post is:
http://alanasreading.blogspot.com/2015/04/finding-beauty-one-thousand-gifts.html
The blog post I chose best exemplifies my ability to cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support text analysis. In this post, I talked about seeking the beauty that surrounds you. The textual evidence I used helped me explain my feelings about what the author is saying in the book.
"Ann Voskamp goes on to say, 'Why? To say that I've had reason to bow low? To say that I've seen beauty? To say that I've been arrested by wonder? Isn't it here? Can't I find it here?' (Voskamp 30). This part of the quote had me questioning my own thoughts about Ohio. As much as I would rather be on a beach in Florida or climbing a mountain in North Carolina, there is beauty right here in Ohio. I just need to open my eyes to see it. Once I do, I think I will be a lot more thankful and happy for what all I am surrounded by."
This above section of my blog includes a quote from the story. I cited this textual evidence correctly in MLA format by using parenthesis and punctuation in the correct places, as well as including the author's last name and the page I found the quote on. After stating Voskamp's quote, I talked about my change in perspective with the topic of seeking beauty and being thankful. The analysis of her quote allowed me to think about why she was writing this and what she really meant for readers to get out of the topic. That is the reason my view changed. Along with talking about my change in perspective, I wrote how this can apply to my life. I was able to find true meaning in what the author was saying, and that is how I could make a complete analysis about this part of my book.
These reading blogs helped me keep up with my reading throughout the year. I made sure I read enough every week, so that I would have plenty to talk about in my blog. One goal that I have for myself is to read a certain amount of pages each week. This will help me gain more knowledge and help become a better reader. Another goal that I have for myself is to read different genres. This will help me become more well-rounded with reading. I think that writing about what I read was very helpful. It makes me feel more connected to the text and in some ways, I think it helps me have a better understanding. A goal that I have for myself is to continue writing about what I read. If I do not write after each time I read, I will try to keep it consistent and write after each chapter. Some areas of improvement that I want to work towards next year for writing is my syntax. I want to make sure that I am breaking down my sentences and not making them run-on. I also want to work on my diction. I want to find more words in the books I read and use them in my writing. This can help me improve in areas of both reading and writing. Also an area of improvement that I want to work towards next year for reading is my capability and confidence in reading out loud. I will work on this by reading aloud to myself when I am reading. I will also volunteer to read more things out loud when I am with a group of people. I might struggle at first, but after having more practice, I think that it will become an easier thing for me to do. I think that these goals will help me maintain a regular schedule for reading and writing over the summer. I am excited to start achieving these goals and to see how much I improve by the end of the summer.
