Week Six

Goals:
My research paper goals for this week was to finish reading and finding all my sources as well as construct a final detailed outline that was due this Friday. This goal, would probably set as the second hardest goal to achieve because it meant putting all my research together and to finish my research to get the skeleton of my research paper done and only have to come up with sentences and words as well as analysis that will then turn into my research paper. As for next week, I have mid-winter break which means I do not have any assignments to complete other than relaxing with my family and thinking a bit about how I will write my research paper. So my plan is that:
Monday-Friday: Relax and enjoy spending time with my family because I deserve it and need it.
Saturday: Think a bit about the outline I sent in and go over it
Sunday: See if I receive any feedback on my detailed outline that will allow me to start writing my first couple paragraphs in my 1st chapter so that I do not have to cram for writing half of my research paper the night before that is due.
Activities:
This week I was able to accomplish my final detailed outline of my research paper which meant I had to finish reading and finding sources online for my two novels. Which meant, that I had to find out completely what I want to write about and how I will technically write my research paper which was what the outline forced me to do. I was able to finish my final detailed outline and citations, but I felt as if I did not have enough time to think through how I will outline my research paper thoroughly because other teachers were piling other major assignments on the day that our outline was due. But since you moved our outline due date one day over, I still felt as if I do not know for sure or feel 100% comfortable with my final detailed outline as it is not the perfect idea I had in mine. Fortunately, I have all of mid-winter break to decide what I want to change or tweak and I could possibly bring in a better and more updated version to Sarah that I feel a lot more confident with. But for now, I completed the all the assignments, feeling uncomfortable, but with a relief that I do not have to face that due date anymore. Now I have to look forward to writing my research paper, yikes!
Problems:
Some problems I faced this week was the fact that I had such a short amount of time to come up with the skeleton or pretty much my research paper, but without the analysis and words that connect my quotes, premises, thesis and topic sentences together. I just felt that I needed more time to read up on more articles as well as find out more about what truly are the main themes in my two novels. As I am able to figure out that violence and racism are both super prominent themes that are found in my novels. But I have been having some trouble lately with finding the third one, as I have settled for struggle for independence but I do not feel comfortable with having that as my third theme. I also felt that there still feels like it is a struggle to find clear cut articles on my author and his books but unfortunately he is not well known like the other classical American authors other students have chosen and are doing well with the research process. As for right now I can spend this mid-winter break on searching up and finding the true themes that are shown in his novels and try to mend my outline to make it sound the way I want it to sound and how it should sound, despite the lack of time we have had to get this done. Also one of the major problems I am having with this research paper is that I am unable to work well in the classroom during work time as I get distracted or I am too tired to work because I have been in other classes learning and now I just can not focus. So I tend to have to finish all my research paper assignments as home which ends up doubling up my homework load. I am trying to figure out how to solve this problem, but I think for the following week, when we get back from break, I will try to sit somewhere alone and quietly to try and get some work done in class and see how that works out.
Reflection:
This week feels like there have been a ton of challenges I have had to face. Some such as trying to finish my whole outline in just four nights during a school week and two weekend days, but unfortunate since it was my birthday on Monday I had birthday weekend celebrations which did not allow time to work on my outline over the weekend. As I tried to come up with a perfect topic for my research paper all while trying to feel comfortable with all my themes, as I still don't feel comfortable with having surviving independently as my third theme, I feel completely scared for when it will come to write my rough draft research paper. I also am a bit upset with how little information the research process is and I am also a bit confused with how researching will help and will be incorporated with the quotes from our book. In general, I feel as if I do not fully understand what this whole paper is about. That is why, this week during mid-winter break I plan to sit in my room, well on the East Coast because my family is taking a trip there during mid-winter break, and find out what I want to write for my research paper and try to alter the parts of my outline that I am either unhappy with or want to change. I hope by doing this during the mid-winter break, I will feel more comfortable with writing my paper as well as feel exciting to start and write my paper. Even though I did complete all the assignments that lead up to writing the research paper, on time, I still want to figure out on a broader scope what this paper is about and how can I tweak it so it not only fits the narrow scope of this paper, which I get, but the broader overall scope. As I usually have trouble with writing on a broader scope compared to writing on a narrow scope and that is something I hope to work on this semester and for this paper.
For now, have a great mid-winter break while I contemplate on my ideas for this paper.
Until next time,
Zain