THE REAL DEAL ... REFLECTIVE ESSAY

I’ve never written this much a day in my life, actually I lied I have. I’ve taken an array of English classes being that my major is English but I’ve never sat back and looked at the things I’ve written with a microscope . I’ve written over four pieces in this class never realizing that when the class started it would be self discovery for me. Discovery in the sense that although I may actually term my work as being perfect and I being perfect it actually isn’t.

In my personal essay, I debated with myself and America if beauty is as important as America makes it seem to be. In my personal essay I go into detail the views in which America holds and the role many of these views have played in my life and the lives of many others. When I was much younger I assumed that you had to be a certain size and weight to be actually termed as being “beautiful”. As I got older and older my views of beauty changed sporadically especially during my senior year of high school until now me almost being a senior in college. So that makes it fours years of change.

In my memoir essay, I relived the love, hate relationship myself and older sister have shared with one another since we were able to talk and smack each other over the head with toys. I went into detail the one thing my mother constantly said to myself and sister “ You two need to stop fighting with one another , my brother and I never fought , your going to need your sister one day and the way you talk to one another I wouldn’t be surprised if an emergency happened you two would turn the cheek .” Hearing my mother say this every time we got in to verbal or physical fights we got into not only realize how much I would need my sister in the future it also made me realize how much I would need her in now. I realize now since I am much older the verbal and physical fights we sometimes had made me realize the love I have for my sister is never changing.

With being in this class in particular I would of never thought I would be able to express myself as well as I did in my works.

Reflective

For my reflective essay I have choosen to write about my personal essay. This essay in particular showed my personal feelings towards beauty and how I actually felt about myself... In this essay I will try to actually discuss how beauty has made me feel though out the years ...

STAY TUNED FOR THE ESSAY !!!

Nature

Indya Harrison
English 3017
Nature – Draft 1



Fishing

Searching in the water with a fishing pole I realize now that while I am searching in the water I am searching for myself. Fishing is an activity of hunting for fish by hooking, trapping, or gathering. When I was much younger, I can remember my uncle taking myself, older sister and his wife fishing. He always said it was therapeutic and we would be able to release all of the built up frustration we may or may have not had.

As I cast the fishing pole back and bring it forward it goes into the water in search of a fish. A fish is a poikilothermic (cold-blooded) water-dwelling vertebrate with gills.

>>>> So far this is what I have ...

Literary Journalism – Draft 1

Literary Journalism – Draft 1

IDEAS
My first concert (John Legend featuring Robin Thicke)
My cousin Ishmael dying of AIDS
Living on Campus
My first poem I read on campus
Maryland
College
My life in fast motion

Memoir Ideas

• Happiness
• Love
• Growth
• Finding myself
• Islam
• College
• Family ( relationship w. my sister) <=== doing this one I think :-)
• Friends

Personal Essay

I know it's taken me a hot minute to put my peronal essay up here ... I'm still working on it !!! Give me some time ...

Indya Harrison
English 3017-Draft 1
“Beauty”


Paris Hilton, Nichole Ritchie, Ashley Simpson, Beyonce, Jessica Simpson and a host of well known celebrities have made it hard for average individuals who have fat in all the right places to be seen as beautiful. Having never worn a size zero and never weighted a womping negative two pounds I find it very difficult to see how the things that I have listed make any individual beautiful. If that is so America has a lot to do in order for things to satisfy the definition that is available for individuals like myself. I am what I say I am and if I wasn’t then why would I actually say I am. I have come a long way from being the young girl who thought the opinions of what others viewed her as played a crucial role in the development of my life. I am Muslim which makes me different from others I have just realized recently I cannot and will not do things that others may do. I am 5’2 sometimes wishing I was 5’3 but that is not going to happen I stopped growing when I was sixteen if I am not mistaken. I have fat in all the right places I hate terming myself as being obese or fat. I’m just plain old pleasantly plump which all men love if you were to ask me. I don’t think I’ve ever worn a size zero it’s impossible I really don’t think my hand would even be able to fit in anything made in that size. I’m in the double digits. It sounds like I’m trying to write an ad for the classifieds in the local newspaper but in all actuality I’m not. I’m just stating the obvious for you the reader. Beauty has never looked so good until I graced the world with my presence. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to fit the stereotypical norms America has set for individuals like me, individuals who are women. Why beauty is always have to be a female who has long hair that reaches their asses, be skinny, tall, lean, and light skin? Is this all society thinks of when it comes to what beauty is? I have always raised an eyebrow to all the questions I just asked. Webster’s Dictionary defines beauty as the quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality; one that is beautiful, especially a beautiful woman. A quality or feature that is most effective, gratifying, or telling. All of these definitions given are the physical necessities that go along with being what people say beauty may be. I have my own definitions of beauty. Beauty is in the way you carry yourself. The way you see yourself every time you awake in the morning and you see your face, which is a direct reflection of who you are. Beauty to me is more of an inner factor more so than an outer one. Growing up I was once deemed as perfect for some odd reason that’s what America told me I was. I was five when this all started weighing approximately twenty pounds or so if I am correct. Skinny and never having gained a single pound until I started that unfaithful year in kindergarten. It brings tears to my eyes just to think of it, I’m joking. Milk and cookies is why I am the size I am, I think. That was the best day of my life that was the day I discovered snacks literally helped you cope with life. My life wasn’t horrible but I think it affected the way I viewed myself for a while. Hoping someone would call me beautiful I found the only way to view myself as being beautiful was to eat which I enjoy that’s exactly why I have labeled myself an individual who enjoys tasting the different stylistics of food available. First grade came and went by and by then I was a chubby little thing. Picked on for my weight and the way my parents dressed me and did my hair was a boost in the way I viewed myself. I was always labeled the funny “fat girl” who at time showed emotion when she was picked on to the point of little to no control. As I grew and matured, I tried to sugar coat the way everyone saw an individual like me. A true force not to be reckoned with, as I said before I am what I say I am and if I wasn’t then why would I actually say I am. I’m twenty years old and am forever wondering if all individuals still view me in the same light. Am I still that Indya who took other individuals opinions over her own? I don’t think I am. I’m not conceited to say the least I just have certain ideas that still weigh down in my head. I question myself every once and a while and realize beauty is what I make of it. I know I will never be Paris Hilton, Nichole Ritchie, Ashley Simpson, Beyonce, Jessica Simpson skinny but I also know that with the opinions I have expressed it makes it not so difficult to understand the term beauty I make for myself. In college, I catch myself saying “No man wants a dog but a bone” and I guess this is an additional way to see myself as being beautiful this is a constant way to prove to myself. Many men especially in African American communities view women who say statements such as these in a way that they are the cream de la cream. Meaning that they are not only beautiful and enjoy tasting different types of foods but they also know what they want in life.

Blog 6 - Frey

What are an authors responsibility to readers?

• To tell the truth when it comes to situations that occured within their lives especially when the work is seen as a memoir. Unless the writer is writing a fictional story that has fictional events and things of that nature the truth should be told at all times.

What is truth ?

• The dictionary defines truth as confomility to fact or actuality which I agree with in every aspect of the sense

Additional information :

Frey lied about several things and they include :

1. reported criminal record
2. jail term
3. status as an outlaw
4. deadly train accident that killed two high school students
5. wreck of the C&O
6. stating all information in the book is considered to be a memoir
7. a false personal was created

• I think all writers should know the difference between telling the truth with they write and or adding a few white lies . Meaning all information provided within the story should be factual if you are writing information that ask for truths within your work .

• I think in some cases changing the names is alright to be done , if individuals within the memoir do not want others to know they were involved with any situations that may incriminate them or cause bodily harm to themselves or other individuals that may or may not be involved in the situation at hand .

• I think when it comes to times, dates, places and things of that nature all information should be true .Especially if smoking gun gets hold of it lol ....