S2 Reflection

1. Which of your pieces most helped you identify or explore and develop your God-given abilities? Discuss.

The mini essays from The Merchant of Venice and The Kite Runner have helped me to develop my God-given abilities. Although these essays were easier to write since they were shorter and less open-ended, they required me to identify the connections between themes in the text and explain the significance of it. Through these essays, I’ve been able to develop my writing skills to clearly explain my interpretations and understanding of the text. I’ve also been able to develop my analytical skills because I had to identify the deeper meanings behind the text to understand the message that the author was trying to convey. For example, when writing the Much Ado About Nothing essay, I had to analyse the relationship as well as the conflict between Claudio and Hero to explain the significance of communication. 

2. Which of your pieces best demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively? Give three reasons and explain.

The piece that is the most straightforward and easy to read is my restaurant review. I think in a lot of my other pieces I tend to get off-topic, which confuses my readers and makes it difficult to focus on the main ideas. However, since I was just describing my experience at the restaurant and of the food, it was easier for me to stay on track. Through the vivid descriptions, I was able to communicate the overall experience and my enjoyment of the food effectively. I used appropriate terms, such as “hearty” and “tender”, to enhance my writing. The review was well organised, creating a smooth flow for the reader to follow. I started off with a brief introduction of the restaurant, then talked about the food, and then finished it off with a review of the restaurant environment as well as service. Lastly, I communicated my review of the food, the service, and the environment well. I used appropriate language, such as “relaxing” and “heart-warming” to express my positive opinions on the restaurant. 

3. Which piece either demonstrates striving for excellence, or discusses striving for excellence and its importance in another area besides writing? Explain.

The piece that I tried the hardest on was my research paper. I spent a lot of time gathering information to incorporate into my paper to make it more elaborate and rich. I was trying really hard to convey the significance of the topic that I was discussing, which was racism towards Chinese people. Unlike a lot of the past essays that I’ve written, this paper was on a topic that was personal to me so I strived to bring to light some of the issues that are related to racism. To do so, I tried to strengthen my voice by expressing my thoughts clearly and being concise. Instead of making my paper sound formal, I strived to add more personality to my writing so that it would resonate with the reader. Overall, my goal was to leave an impression on the reader so that they would continue to think about this topic after reading my essay.

4. Which of your pieces explores why it is important to act as a responsible member of the global community? Explain.

Once again, I think my research paper relates to this ESLR the most because I discuss the prevalence of racism and how it plays a major role in the Covid-19 situation. As a member of the global community and the Chinese community, I am responsible for raising awareness of this social injustice. I wanted to use this world-wide crisis to demonstrate the prominence of racism towards the Chinese. Racism is often overlooked because it happens in very subtle ways, such as avoidance and isolation. Through my essay, I discussed the persisting beliefs and mindsets that racism is deeply rooted in. I believe that to fix a social injustice, we must understand its origins because that’s where the real problem usually is. My essay is an analysis of the sources of racism in relation to the covid-19 pandemic as well as the role they play in the persistence of this social injustice. 

5. How did this course help you to know, understand, and apply biblical principles? Explain, giving specific examples.

In several essays for the class, I was required to build connections between the prompt and the Christian worldview. For example, in the final essay for The Kite Runner, I explained the importance of truth from a Christian worldview. Truth is fundamental to everyone in different ways. For me, truth comes from Jesus and is important because it lays the foundation of everything I do. When I read different texts, my interpretations of it are influenced by my Christian beliefs. For example, when analysing Portia’s mercy speech in The Merchant Of Venice, I agreed with her claim that mercy is an attribute of God’s. It made it easier for me to support Portia because I have the same worldview as her. 

6. How did this course help you to think independently, creatively, and analytically? Explain.

Although all the students are given or are reading the same material, we are asked to write about our own interpretations and understanding of the readings. Most of the time, we are given a very open-ended prompt that gives us a lot of freedom to write about things that we think are significant. We have to first analyse the material to identify the main points and what supports those ideas. Then, we have to be creative to come up with ideas and tie those in with what’s in the text. The whole essay writing process is very independent even though we do peer edits. We construct an essay based on our analysis of the text and our own ideas. For example, in the last mini essay on The Kite Runner, we had to explain the meaning and significance of the title “The Kite Runner”. There are no right answers, so there can be many different interpretations. I had to analyse the book as a whole to see how the title might tie everything together. To come up with an explanation for the title while backing it up with examples from the book, I had to be analytical and creative. Another way I had to think creatively was when I used examples from my life to further support the claims in my writings. For example, in the first mini essay on The Kite Runner, I talked about how I broke someone’s bike when I was a kid.