Metacognition: Metacognition Blog

As I started writing this blog, I thought to myself, what projects or essays have I actually done so far in English? I've done a letter to Mr. Allen, I've watched TED videos, and I've made an evidence plan/thesis for a Kite Runner essay (henceforth known as KRe/p). So far, I thought, none of these really fit into the "projects or essays" category. The letter was a letter, not an essay. Watching the TED videos might have been part of the project, but the real meat of the project has yet to come. Same with the KRe/p.

Out of those three, I chose the KRe/p. This was because it seemed to be the easiest to write about, and it seemed to be the closest thing to meeting the guidelines. So while thinking about writing about the KRe/p, I thought about what I thought about while writing the KRe/p . And I realized I didn't really have that much to say about the KRe/p. While trying to come up with a thesis, I simply looked over the guiding questions Mr. Allen had on his website and chose one that struck me; the "What does writing fiction allow you to do that nonfiction can't" one. I took the stance that fiction allowed you to create situations that are improbable in order to give your story more meaning. Specifically, I had Amir's meeting with Assef in the stadium in mind. Mr. Allen helped me sharpen the thesis into "The contrived plot of The Kite Runner undermines its memoir structure." So for the evidence plan, I thought back through the class discussions and through my own reading to find instances of the contrived plot of The Kite Runner undermining its memoir structure. I remembered, I found page numbers, and I wrote.

At this point, I realized there wasn't a whole lot to write about. But I realized that I had thought alot about how to write this Metacognition Blog. So I wrote about this instead. While writing this, I realized that I can comprehend my own thinking. I know. That's amazing. But I realized that my thinking is pretty linear and, at least, I can go back and follow what my thought process was. Although there may not be all that much to follow at times.

Best of Week: Artful Sentences

Our discussions of Artful Sentences have been interesting. I've found their applications to Kite Runner and other literary works to be numerous, which gives me new insight as to how well written works are written. I think the most important part of using Artful Sentences for us as students is to use what Artful Sentences teaches us in conjunction with something Mr. Allen has told us to do; to use our own voices, instead of the generic student voice. I've realized that by doing this, you can make your writing more interesting. More colorful. This is how many writers make their own writing more interesting.
Reflecting on this idea, I've come to realize that almost every (interesting) book I've read has used this. It's possible that they were interesting because they used short sentences. I've never really thought that I had a predisposition to believe that the craft of a story should be written in any certain way, but now I think that it's probable that short sentences, variation of sentence length, and using your own voice in your writing can lead to much, much more effective and interesting writing.
And although I've said all this, I really don't think I'll get around to using this tool too soon. I'm already too used to the way I write. Maybe eventually I'll be able to wear away my old habits and, in their place, write in a style more like the style I've written about above.

Carry it forward: The Kite Runner

Regret. Amir has done many things in his life that he regrets and is trying to bury. He has taunted Hassan, watched Hassan get raped, lied, and been jealous of Hassan due to trivial matters more times than he can count. Now he meets Soraya, who has been through some painful situations herself, but who handles her regret in a better way. Instead of burrying her past, she digs it up, helping relieve herself of her regret. Amir sees that Soraya is a much better person than he is. He regrets his past even more.

Regret is powerful. Having regret can make one a better person, but having too much regret can consume a person. The ideal would be to be able do always act in a way you won't regret, and to be able to regret and atone if you must.

I want to learn from Amir's mistakes, and Soraya's successes. In my future, I hope to act in such a manner that I will not have to regret what I do. I will want to take every available opportunity and be a person who acts in a virtuous manner so that I will not regret what I do. And, if I do do something I will regret, I want to be like Soraya and find a way to redeem myself, to come to terms with my actions, before my past consumes me.