Daniel Szocs

English 1121 sec402

Professor. Schmerler

08, April 2020

UNIT II — Mid-Semester — GENRE

None

 TABLE OF CONTENTS:

 Section 1: EXTENDED DIARY EXCERPT

 Section 2: REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF DIARY READING

 Section 3: REFLECTION ON UNIT II AND GRADE

 

Dear diary!

Due to this government issued “social distancing” and the rule to stay indoors, schools have shut down and many public events and even public spaces. This did not have much effect on me at first, however later on it started eating at me little by little as time went on. Many people are suffering psychologically being cramped inside with the same people in the same walls for days to pass without any knowledge of what progress there is for a solution other than precautions the government tells us that we already should know as people. My mother and brother are paranoid about anything believing whatever is being told of them without questioning it. Me however, I have found that I could mentally survive being held inside. Occupying myself with my usual habits have keeped me maintained well mentally. Those habits include playing video games or watching Youtube and Netflix. I have surprised myself because I do not normally have the attention span to start a show and finish it. 

At first I thought that when the government closed down schools it was an overreaction that everyone was happy to hear about with myself included. This feeling of relief did not last very long when I first had to transition into online learning. It seemed straightforward at first but then many complications have taken over when small things such as internet problems occur here and there. Following up by emails and notifications that were either late or useless. I felt that this semester has gone downhill since the schools and colleges have been shut down. Later on I have been able to recalibrate. When the spring semester first started I can not say that I expected a global pandemic to occur because of a person in the world that ate something to make him/herself ill. I do not see this as judging but just appreciating how unfortunate things can occur from one single deed that can do such an effect on a person’s body, and how quickly the effect can spread.

It is a shame that I can not attend school in person, I really enjoyed being in this English class because of the way it is run. Not only by the professor but also by the English district or group in the college that determines how we are to work to pass a class required of us. Professor Schmerler is a very nice professor that really did prove the rumors of all college professors to be wrong. Those rumors of college professors being portrayed as heartless people that were planted in our minds in previous grades of school when they tried to prepare us for college. Have been untrue due to professor Schmerler’s style of teaching that made me feel like writing is not such a bad thing to do or like. She has made me enjoy writing and find a creative path when I write, when before I did not have a creative path to follow or appreciate once I finish my writing. 

Up to current times living in quarantine, I am stuck doing the same thing every day that can get a little annoying and less effective in distracting me from the boredom of being trapped inside the same walls every day. However it is pleasant to be able to complete work in the comfort of your own bed. That is the one positive outcome of this pandemic, I do hope that I can come back to living a normal life outside. Go outside to school then return to my job. I know that the next time  I set foot on that campus in a new class for the next semester then I will try to make more friends and be more social than I was before. It is refreshing to be able to talk to my friends during this quarantine and have someone to talk to to distract myself from the fact that I am stuck at home refrained from my outside life. Normally diaries are not what I like to write, or in a fashion of a diary, but it is soothing to let out how you feel while being trapped inside of the apartment all day. These past weeks have been nothing but a boring loop of the same thing every day as each day keeps passing by. 

This pandemic has gotten all of us under circumstances that we all have to adapt to, some who can handle it and others who wish the global pandemic to end so our normal lives can return back to normal. However I myself do not mind staying at home, however it is unpleasant to pause a certain part of my life and wait for the opportunity to be able to unpause my normal life and go back to normal.

 

REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF DIARY READING

The Diary Of A Wimpy Kid is a classic series of a kid who wants to survive middle school and who writes about his adventures in trying to do so while writing about how he feels and sees the world. Even if it was a childish book with a low reading level, it is effective in telling the reader how the character Greg Heffley feels about his life. When writing my diary entries I did not use the same format but the same tactic of telling a story while still including my own emotion and thoughts into it. The audience of that book was clearly meant for kids in the age of attending junior highschool. It was just a story back then of kids doing what kids do in school. However now the book shows a different meaning in my eyes as I have grown up since I last read it when I was in middle school myself. I see the story as a kid who is scared of being apart of a community, only having a little first glance of what it is like to be in a community of many different people. Not only by looks but also by personality and character. I see a kid who is trying to figure out who he is and explores all bits of himself as he learns the outcomes of seeing all parts of himself. I see a kid who mentally and physically grows from not knowing who he is, into a more aware version of himself with set goals even if he is not close to completing those goals. In my eyes having goals is a good step in finding who you are mentally. The series starts off with Greg not knowing how school is going to be and to find out who he is personally. 

 

REFLECTION ON UNIT II AND GRADE

Just like unit one I enjoyed Unit two, however not as much given the fact that we have to be in quarantine for our spring semester of our english class. My struggles would be the transition to the online school and adapting to them. However the one way I have overcome this obstacle by focussing and giving an extra bit of my determination to the new switch. I did enjoy writing the diary because it gave me something to do and a way to let out anything that can have me troubled in this quarantine. I also like and appreciate how simple the online transition became. It is the reason why I have enjoyed this second unit. The grade I would give myself would be just about passing with a B, for the reason that since it took time for me to adjust to this transition. I still managed to take responsibility in my work due to the issues that had been placed in front of me from internet problems to me not feeling well for over a week. I still find my way back up and do my work. I guess the improvements I can make on my final work before the portfolio is to add more detail to what I can write. This Unit in my opinion was great and would have been even better if this pandemic didn’t cause the schools to shut down.