Semester Goal

My Goal for 2nd Semester


My first goal is to find new, better ways to revise my work to have stronger voice and organized thoughts that are easy to understand for the readers. To achieve this goal, I am going to be highlighting main ideas and check if I am clear about what I’m saying. Also, I want to choose one specific voice before writing and then highlight individual voice when editing, to check if my voice is what I wanted in detail. My method for this goal would be working hard on D.O.L. during class. I think D.O.L. really helps me a lot to edit writings of my own and others.
To make my writing more stylistic and rhetoric, I will use a variety of transitional devices. Until now, I felt several times that I am a little weak at connecting all of my paragraphs together as one. I tried to work on it, but it was pretty hard. This semester, I want to be satisfied at my paragraphs connected fluently with smooth transitions so that my whole writing flows like water and becomes easy to understand. My method to succeed in this goal is keeping a little journal to carry with me to write down transition words or phrases that I find in any kinds of writings I read in class and at home.
Just like the transitional devises, using conventions of punctuation in correct forms is another problem I had during my first semester. Therefore, I want to learn specifically how I can use colons, hyphens, semicolons, dashes, and others in my writing. I am going to find out how to use and understand these marks from the Internet and use them wisely to support and clear my ideas in essays and also my readers to understand well.
Most of the time when I find sources for my research, I usually use the Internet, and sometimes books as well. I knew that the wider I look at and search for, the more information I would get. However I always chose the easy way. From 2nd semester, I want to use a variety of sources to gather information for my research. For example, I want to try new, different ways to find what I need, like interviews, videos, or educational radio programs.
From six traits of writing, the one that I had most struggles with was voice. Generally, this didn’t really matter because my writings were mostly informative, objective, and it had no special tone I needed to use to gain my readers’ interests. However, I was reading a book one day and realized how voice can affect the mood of both story and the readers so much. Therefore, my goal is to read as many books as I could to discover different styles and moods of writing to get an idea of what kind of voice I can use. After I have full of knowledge about voice, I want to write to make my readers nod their heads, cry, and laugh out loud as they read along.

Definition Essay

Venus Power Is Finally On Earth: Definition Essay of Beauty

Throughout history, the goddess of beauty, Venus has been ruling over the Earth.
Beauty affects how we define ourselves; how we look and dress up is an expression of
identity. For example, if you don't look good in an audition for a company or a show, you
would obviously not be chosen. Even little kids in elementary school prefer a well-dressed
and good-looking teacher rather than an ugly teacher wearing his jogging pants everyday.
Moreover, almost every South Korean female has had plastic surgery to have sharper noses,
bigger eyes, and smaller faces. Even males have had plastic surgery to look like Orlando
Bloom or Brad Pitt. However, people have different styles and thoughts of what beauty is, so
it is hard to agree what is beautiful or not with everyone. Therefore, this essay will be
explaining about the details, classification, and the examples of beauty.
Beauty is a psychological value that can be figured out with intuition. People have
different backgrounds and experiences, so people do not have the same opinion about a
subject's beauty. For example, when a family sits in a living room and watches a movie on
TV, the children would think the actress is so beautiful, but the father might not agree that
she's beautiful at all. Because beauty depends on each one of us, we cannot easily define
what it is. The more you try to define, interpret, analyze, and assess, the farther you get from
the true meaning of beauty. It is because beauty is an object of perception, not an object of
acknowledgement. Overall, you cannot just determine the beauty of something or someone
theoretically because beauty is located where you would never reach without a deep
impression.
Beauty is briefly classified into two parts: visual and auditory. The two parts are
basically divided by the way you know beauty. For instance, when you see a picture of a
colorful plain filled with all the different colors of lilies and daisies or a painting of beautiful,
yellow sunflowers by Gogh, you would be experiencing the visual beauty. On the other hand,
when you are enjoying listening to Piano Concerto No. 3 by Mozart or Celine Dion's "My
Heart Will Go On", you would be experiencing an example of auditory beauty. However,
eyes and ears are not the only parts of your body that are able to see beauty. Our hearts can
feel the beauty as well; it's called beauty by heart. Most of the time, people prefer visual
beauty to other forms of beauty, but beauty that you feel with your heart is the most beautiful
thing to find and search for. From heart to heart, you can share the beauty of feelings and
thoughts, like love.
True beauty is beauty that lasts for eternity. A poet, John Keats, once said in his work
"Ode on a Grecian Urn", that '''Beauty is truth, truth beauty' -that is all ye know on earth, and
all ye need to know (Keats 282)". In this poem, Keats describes the beautiful urn and
expresses his admiration about how the old urn could be still so beautiful. In other words, he
is saying that true beauty always lasts forever like the Grecian Urn. To illustrate, a famous
singer, Michael Jackson did so many plastic surgeries to look more beautiful than his original
image. At first, after his numerous surgeries, he looked great and handsome. However, it
didn't last for a long time because it was only a fake beauty. Thus, beauty is not about
looking good in people's sight. It is about being natural and truthful because the essential self
remains beautiful forever.
Beauty is a subjective ideal. We might have pleasure or even conflicts over this one ideal. Also, there are a variety of kinds of beauty that are separated by how we identify it. However, beauty has one common resemblance; only the veritable and genuine beauty can be known and endured continuously. On the whole, beauty is so different than what we think. This means that beauty is not very far, but you have to reach it with your heart and soul. Pink roses and Julia Roberts are not the only beautiful beings in the world. Beauty is nature itself and an undecorated, viable and wholesome aspect. Therefore, you can see the beauty only when your heart and mind are beautiful.

Process Essay

How to Wash a Dog

Are you having a hard time washing your dog? Does your dog look detestable to you after every shower? Is washing your dog giving you stress? If you answered “yes” to any one of the three questions, I have the solution to your “affliction”. I have two female dogs whom I have given showers to every two weeks since I was seven years old. I have been facing every single problem that you are dealing with since then. Therefore, I would like to present the six precious steps that I have taught myself to wash the dogs with more ease and dignity.
Before you start with anything, check if you have all the materials you need for the shower. You need one brush, one comb, a towel, one bottle of doggy shampoo, one squeeze of doggy toothpaste and a toothbrush only for your dog’s use. It would be excellent if there’s a dryer for your dog’s hair to be moistureless at the end. If you have all these supplies, you are all set to begin the work.
What you need to do initially is to brush the teeth. Brush the teeth with about the amount of toothpaste we use and a toothbrush. You should be using doggy toothpaste, not the toothpaste for people. Doggy toothpastes can be bought at a pet store near your house. Open the mouth of your dog gently and vigorously at the same time. Hold it tight to keep it opened, and carefully brush the teeth. We humans rinse off our mouths after brushing, however, dogs don’t have to. Thus, if you are finished brushing the teeth, you are done with my first valuable step. Subsequent to brushing the teeth, brush the cheeks as well. Dogs have dried tears on their cheeks that look like boogers. It would be gross if they stay there, so you need to brush them out. Then, brush the whole body and untangle all the hair.
After you are done with brushing, you may start wetting the dog. The head part needs to be taken care of very carefully. First, grab the skull with your thumb and index finger to block the ears so that the water won’t go inside. Then, carefully pour water on the head. The face part should be wetted with your hands separately. Put a little bit of water in your hands and gently massage the face with water, preventing the water from going into the eyes, nose and ears.
When the dog is wet enough, apply the shampoo on the back as if you are pouring some ketchup on a hot dog. Then put a handful of shampoo on your hands and apply on the four legs. Lastly, the face part is very important. Put a little bit of shampoo (about dime size) on your fingertips and carefully apply on the face to avoid getting shampoo in the eyes, mouth, and nose. What happens if you are not careful? I’ll leave that to your imagination.
The fifth step is very easy. You rinse off the shampoo by doing the same thing you did when you were wetting the dog. Make sure the shampoo is rinsed off completely.
Last but not least, squeeze all the water from the dog’s hair and dry with the towel. Then, begin to dry the hair with the dryer – brush the hair as well when you are using the dryer. Drying perfectly is important because it makes the hair become much healthier and cleaner. After the hair is all dried up, complement the dog that she did very well and perhaps give her a little snack. Hug her tight to show how much you love her. Follow my directions given above during each shower for one month, and embrace the change.

Poem Portfolio

The Twinkling Stars of My Heart

Veronica Youn Kang
Ms. Roni Johnson
Writing 1
11/12/2006

Preface

My favorite poem out of all the poems I have written is ‘How to Overcome a Gloomy Day’. I wrote this poem for teenage girls like me, so I can share my true feelings and the readers can nod their heads as they read along. I did my best to write specifically in detail, so people can understand easily by having vivid and live imagery. Not just on this poem, but for all the poems in this book, I tried to make them very smooth and enjoyable to read.
My daily lives with my friends and family inspired all of my poems. For example, my sound poem, ‘Hallway Music’, is about my everyday dorm life. Also, my mom has affected me a lot about music. She is a singer, so since I was very little, I had been listening to her practicing her songs everyday. My content poem, ‘Music is My Friend’, talks about how our lives are always with music. I personally like the shape of this poem very much. It took me some time to put my poems into an eighth-note shape; however, after I finished it, I was very satisfied. In addition, meeting with Ms. Johnson after school to revise my writings helped me the most. She gave me good advices that helped me improve in my writing skills and learn new techniques. By this result, I could understand how important it is to have a professional, like Ms. Johnson, who can give me suggestions and ideas for my work.
As I was working on my five poems, I realized word choice is the most important part to work on in writing process. For instance, even though my poem has some grammatical or organizational mistakes, it may turn out very nice if I have words that are very detailed and creative. To tell the truth, I had some problems with voice and word choice in the beginning of year. Nevertheless, I learned more and more as I have been working on many essays and poems with Ms. Johnson. Now, I think I got much better than the beginning, and moreover, I value the two traits the most in my writing process.
The title of this book, The Twinkling Stars of My Heart, tells indirectly that what I wrote in the book is very beautiful and precious. The five poems mostly come from my past memories. They are all very special and personal to me; however, I used them to write my poems because in most of the writings, sharing your true, honest feelings is very important. Therefore, as the readers read through the poems, they will laugh out loud with each other and be amused.


Table of Contents

Narrative Poem: ‘At 3 o’Clock in the Afternoon’ ---------------------------------- Page 1

Peer Assessment: ‘At 3 o’Clock in the Afternoon’ --------------------------------- Page 1A

Sound Poem: ‘Hallway Music’ --------------------------------------------------------- Page 2

Peer Assessment: ‘Hallway Music’----------------------------------------------------- Page 2A

Villanelle: ‘First Snow’ ------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 3

Self-Assessment: ‘First Snow’ -------------------------------------------------------- Page 3A

Content Poem: ‘Music is Your Friend’ ------------------------------------------------ Page 4

Self-Assessment: ‘Music is Your Friend’---------------------------------------------- Page 4A

Process Poem: ‘How to Overcome a Gloomy Day’--------------------------------- Page 5

Self-Assessment: ‘How to overcome a Gloomy Day’------------------------------- Page 5A


Minji Kang
Page 1
Narrative Poem
People in my old school
5th Draft

‘At 3 o’Clock in the Afternoon’

At 3 o’clock in the afternoon,
my friends and I grab our things
and start walking down the street.
The baleful icy wind blows our crimson uniform skirts
and scratches our bare legs.
“Where should we go?” I ask,
Same as always. The yellow bench right beside
the big old pine tree clothed with white soft ice cream snow.
Laughing and chatting never seem to end.
4 o’clock, 5 o’clock time shoots like rockets.
Rubbing our hands as hard as we can
little red noses like the blossom of Indian lilacs.

At 3 o’clock in the afternoon,
my roommate and I grab our cell phones
and start calling Mr. Ted.
“What are you up to, ding-dong?” he asks,
Same as always.
Room 25.
Sitting on a little orange chair,
one hour passes by and still on page 894
everything’s so hard to get.
Students raising their hands here and there.
Teachers running across the room here and there.
Remembering my old days
under the big old pine tree shining,
bright, green emeralds in the dazzling sunlight
right at this moment.


Minji Kang
Page 2
Sound Poem
My family
4th Draft

‘Hallway Music’

At midnight
on the girls’ hallway
of the Adams Dorm

Everywhere is dark
except for the green emergency light
glowing like a monster’s mouth

Girls in their rooms
giggling and whispering
about their day

Suddenly
tip tap tip tap
footsteps of an unknown

Shhhhh……
We whisper and
there comes the silence

Soft, gentle sound of the little girls
slowly, more slowly breathing in and out,
dreaming of their romantic fairy tales…


Minji Kang
Page 3
Villanelle
My friend in New York
4th Draft

‘First Snow’

When I see the first snow through the window
With mittens and hat that my grandma made for me
I’ll scamper off and jump in the snow

As I gently take one step and another on the white, soft snow
I’ll make the finest and the prettiest footprints that will ever be
When I see the first snow through the window

First thing I’ll do, I’ll grasp a handful of snow, and blow
The snowflakes floating in the air, and as I get on my knee
I’ll scamper off and jump in the snow

Second thing I’ll do, just like I’ve been doing since three years ago,
shaking and swinging the American Angelica Tree
When I see the first snow through the window

Third thing I’ll do, make a nice handsome snowman, although
It might have a crooked nose and bony arms like reeds,
I’ll scamper off and jump in the snow

Last but not least thing I’ll do, I’ll know
for sure, to make my snow angel with my dog Sally and Jolie
When I see the first snow through the window
I’ll scamper off and jump in the snow


Minji Kang
Self-assessment
Page 3A


‘First Snow’

‘First Snow’ was the first villanelle I have ever written in my life. It generally talks about what I will do on the first day of snow. There aren’t many grammatical mistakes and the voice of this poem is pretty childish and soft. I recognized the voice of this poem by the words I used. For example, ‘scamper off’, and ‘making snow angels and snowmen’ show how I am a very playful girl, who likes to play outside with snow. The piece is honest and passionate at appropriate parts, and has many details. Also, I used powerful verbs that give the whole poem energetic and creative with vivid imagery. The poem can be summarized and supports the main story with well-chosen details and research.
However, I should have worked more on organization and ideas. Even to me, I could not figure out what my main focus is. The message makes sense a little bit, but all I understand is that I will go outside and do many things when it snows. Moreover, this poem was not very well organized. Elements within the piece are not very effectively arranged to promote understanding, and transitions are not very smooth. Some parts are vague and awkward as well.
Overall, I think my second or third villanelle will turn out much better than this one, because at that time, I would know what I should work on more. Usually, I am pretty satisfied with my writings, but with this one, I am not very satisfied. However, I understand because it was my first try on a villanelle, and I know I tried my best.


Minji Kang
Page 4
Content Poem
Mom
5th Draft


‘Music is Your Friend’




DO
Mi
S oldo
M isol…
M usic makes
Y ou dance and
L augh it can make
Y ou cry as well…..
L ittle charming kids
S inging lalalalalalala
O rioles on a palm
T ree singing their
S ongs chopchopchop
L ove love love love
E xpress your feelings
W ith your song……..
I love you so much I would
NEVER live without you!!!!!!
Headphones on your ears listening to
your favorite song. All you gotta do is just
move your heads to left and right and remember
the old days with your only love... Music is your
life. In Paris, LA, or Seoul. When you are
delightful or depressed. Every second
and every minute you
are always around
music.



Minji Kang
Self-assessment
Page 4A


‘Music is Your Friend’

The poem has the most unique shape I’ve ever seen. It has an interesting topic that attracts the readers, and I wrote with much freedom and fun. This poem has a very happy and bright mood, and the word choice was in detail and clear. There were some metaphors and similes used in the poem that helped the readers with vivid imagery.
However, I could see some problems with organization and sentence fluency. Not all the phrases were connected to each other smoothly, and some sentences and words were repetitive. Elements within the piece sometimes seemed out of place, and the pacing was unbalanced as well. The poem mostly shows enthusiasm and passionate feelings about music, but again, it sometimes seemed like I repeated certain ideas.
Overall, I did a good job on voice, word choices, and a little bit of ideas. However, I should have worked more on organizations and sentence fluency.



Minji Kang
Page 5
Process Poem
Teenage girls
5th Draft

‘How to Overcome a Gloomy Day’

Open the window and do a deep clean of your room.
Change into your favorite jeans
that is chic enough to make yourself in the mirror satisfied.
Then go out for a walk to the nearest store
When you pass by the gold gingko tree,
the one that is just above your forehead,
stop walking and reach out your hands to find the prettiest leaf.
Go into the store and grab a Hershey Bar
Pay the cashier (the most important part)
Sing out loud your favorite songs
as you walk back home
Turn on I Love Lucy
Laugh like crazy
Burrow inside your cozy bed
Open up the Hershey Bar.
Slowly appreciate the deep, warm taste of the chocolate
melting inside your mouth
Gently close your eyes
Daydream about your lovely paradise
at the castle, near the gorgeous valley, of you and your prince.
You and your prince talking about the future that will be “brighter than the sun”
Take a short nap,
open your eyes,
and realize that your gloomy day is over.



Minji Kang
Self-Assessment
Page 5A


‘How to Overcome a Gloomy Day’

‘How to Overcome a Gloomy Day’ is my favorite poem out of all the poems I have written. The message is very clear, focused, and concise. It shows in-depth understanding about the topic. I used conventions skillfully and creatively to bring out meaning and voice. This poem was very well-organized, and the pacing is just right. The organizational pattern is ideally suited to the genre, topic, and purpose. Moreover, the voice is very calm and sophisticated, and I have shared my true feelings in the poem. All the words were in detail and meaningful, and they suited my purpose of this poem. The whole poem was pretty smooth and enjoyable to read.
However, there were some awkward parts that I wouldn’t figure out if I weren’t the writer of this poem. Everything was very well-done, but if I had let others to revise my poem before publishing, I think this poem could have been much better. Except for some inabilities to understand some parts, I really was satisfied and impressed with my writing. It had encouraged me very much for my next writings.