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Ethan Song
#77538063

CHAPTER 1 - Introduction
Hello, my name is Ethan Song. I am a third-year international student in UC Irvine.
Before writing 39B, I took academic English 20 series. In AE 20, we are focusing on learning
grammar and structure. Overcoming these foundations of language became my primary mission i
n those days. However, in this quarter, we are focusing on studying genre and rhetorical choice.
This is actually a big step for me. I believe that I will step up for myself and also achieve a good
result in writing 39B. However, it does not happen by itself, it needs an intense desire and
commitment to achieve consistent top quality work at every level, in everything I do.
Generally speaking, in order to set my feet on to this big step, I attended every class on
time and turn in all of the assignments on time. I still remember when I first began writing 39B, I
had no self-confidence about taking 39B because I did not achieve an ideal result in 39A. My
thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn't know where to turn for
help. In fact, as an international student, the language barrier is actually a big issue for me. I still
remember when I wrote my previous assignment, including Reznor/ Cash Response, My Own
Monstrosity, etc. I always wrote twice in two different languages, Chinese and English. I first
used Chinese to wrote my essay in detailed and then translate to English manually. After that, I
brought the essays to writing center in order to ask for assistance about grammar and structure. It
is true that this method came into effect because I can write good an essay by using this.
However, it is low efficiency. I usually spent nearly a day to finish a 400 to 500 words discussion
assignment. Also, another problem is that it lacked the connection between sentences during the

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process of translating. Thanks to 39B, the dividing of groups help me learn from others. When
we worked in the group, my group-mate always made outlines before our group projects. I
gained enlightenment from them and I found that making outlines before writing not only gave
me more time to organize my essays but also made my essay more structural. After that, I wrote
outlines in every assignment and even in our RIP Project. For my editing part, I prepared outlines

in detailed and edited based on the outline. This helped me to improve not only my planning
skills but also my time management skills.

In chapter 2, I am going to introduce my struggle based on my academic writing assignm

ents, especially RA paper and RIP project, including my process of breakthrough experience.
Like I just said, writing 39B is a big step for me but I had struggled for myself target, and in

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unceasingly, breaking myself, perfecting myself. In order to make a great improvement, I decide
to go to office hours. Unfortunately, because of the conflict of time between office hours and my
classes, I decided to go to some additional office hours and writing center as many as I could. In
this section, I will highlight how I overcome obstacles to make a great improvement in my
academic English writing. I will compare between my drafts and final projects to reveal and
show how a great progress I made. In addition, about success, my final portfolio is not the one
which is perfect but it is the one that best of mine and I make it less imperfect. Simultaneously, it
is the process from self-doubt to self-confidence in my writing.

In chapter 3, I am going to integrate all of my improvements together from different

aspects and give readers a clear idea about my improvement. You will see my transition from this
section, not only effects in this class but also effects my daily habit in a positive way. In addition,
I acquired much help from different people, such as Greg, Sam Chen who is a tutor in writing
center, and my group-mate. I will introduce how they inspired me to a better writer.

CHAPTER 2 - From Struggles to Successes (Through-line)

During step on this big step, difficulties and challenges happened but accomplishments happen
ed correspondingly from different aspects. In the following essay, I will point out my these

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challenges and how I overcame by presenting my Process Work, The Rhetorical Analysis

Essay, and The Rhetoric-in-Practice Project.

* Process Work
Throughout this quarter, I can roughly separate our overall works in three categories:
Presentation, In-depth Rhetorical Analysis, Rhetoric Practices.
1. Presentation
This is actually a really big challenge for me. Because of my shyness, I never did any
presentations before this class. I was always so nervous that I often forget what I was talking
about in front of classes. But worse, as an international student, this kind of tension makes me
more difficult to show myself in front of my classmates.

In this whole quarter, we had two

formal presentations: Monster As Genres and Tropes. And there is actually a great improvement
between these two presentations.
Monster As Genres
Monster As Genres Presentation is the very first presentation that we did in class and it was also
my first presentation in my whole life. Before this presentation, I did plenty of preparations. My
group and I first divide the work into four parts and my part is expectations in movies and how
director manipulate audiences expectation. I not only prepared powerpoint for my slides but
also wrote an entire page word-by-word that I want to present in class.

But, I did not make this presentation as my expectation. Tension make me even continuous
reading my words in my note. Although, I still finish my part but it is a really terrible experience
for my first presentation ever.

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Tropes
Before that terrible experience, I gradually realized my problems: lacking of simulation of
presentation and too much notes. It is true that I actually search so many information about my
topic to prepare my presentation but I cannot apply and show my ideas by my words. Also,
overmuch words cannot help my presentation better but made me in disorder when I presented in
front of the people. Afterward, during the preparation of Tropes presentation, I summed my
material to keywords by highlighting them in a clear order. After that, I imitated real
presentations many times to make sure that I could overcome language and tension issues in the
real presentation.
It was worked! When I did the presentation, the note cards, and imitation helped me to
successfully overcome my worries. I smoothly came many clear ideas during the presentation.

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And I not only present the information that I prepared but also can present the information that
spring to mind when I presented. Although it is just a group presentation, it was a great
improvement to me not only in the class but also in my life. By this, I had no more shyness in
presentation and even I started to expect more presentations.

2. In-depth Rhetorical Analysis

Before this class, I had no idea about what the genre is and let alone rhetorical analysis of genre.
By these analysis assignments, I gradually understand and applied in my own essay.
Reznor/ Cash Response
Reznor/ Cash Response is the assignment that we wrote in the first two weeks of the quarter. I
first analysis" these two versions as required. When I submit my short essay to Canvas, I felt I
did a really good job because I point out some great ideas by comparing this two versions. But
after the peer review, my biggest problem of writing arise: LACKING OF EXPLANATIONS.
Thanks to my partner, Marina,

Your essay was full of great ideas that I hadn't realized myself. Your response contained
many strong points, yet the way they were presented in your topic sentences did not
completely convey their importance. Adding some more elaborate wording would be very
helpful in establishing a strong starting point for your paragraphs.
It is true that lacking of explanation leads my essay to not convincing. But because of my
partner, I realized the problem in time and revised it in revision. By comparing of parts of my
first and revision you can see a great improvement(all the highlights are the analysis that I
added):

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In Johnny Cashs version of Hurt, it is still about desperation but about himself, not the
world. In his version, he changed to country style and it became more peaceful and quiet.
In addition, this song was recorded shortly before his death. According to his
circumstance, the peaceful of the song enhances the feeling of sadness and desperation.
In his video, he tells audiences how time is precious by lots of his picture and memories.
Cash is lost so deep in hopeless and sadness because he knew that he will be dead shortly
and he had no time to enjoy more. He choked back a sob and perform the song in a
trembling voice which result in a deep sadness around audience.
In Johnny Cashs version of Hurt, it is still about desperation but about himself, not the world. In his
version, he changed to country style and it became more peaceful and quiet. In addition, this song was
recorded shortly before his death. According to his circumstance, the peaceful of the song enhances the
feeling of sadness and desperation. Cash implies that life is fleeting and everything from our memories or
experience is temporal. In his video, he tells audiences how time is precious by lots of his picture and
memories. Cash is lost so deep in hopeless and sadness because he knew that he will be dead shortly and
he had no time to enjoy more. He choked back a sob and perform the song in a trembling voice which
results in a deep sadness around the audience. How pathetic is that? There is no interpretation needed to
show the fact that Cash is an obvious creative artist and intensely deep-thinker because it seems like he
had seen through the life and the world. One is from a rock band, and the another one is a country singer.
In my opinion, the second video, Johnny Cashs version, touches me more in a spiritual level. As a dying
man, Johnny Cash whole heart to deduce the song. The song is peaceful and quiet. In the video, there is
not so many pictures about the society or the world but just himself and his own experiments. He is
telling the audiences directly by his song. It is relevant to me more and I seem to see my grandfather, who
is now battling cancer. From his whole life, I saw sadness and regret.

As you see, I added many analysis and explanation after my main idea. Although it is just a small
assignment, it can still show my improvement of writing in some ways.
Prewriting and Exploration
This is actually a group assignment that we worked in GoogleDoc together. But I learned three
steps method in this assignment. Before this, when I wrote essays and gave quotations in essays,
I did not follow this method which leads my essay lacking of explanation and causes my
quotations did not fit in my essay by not giving analysis. For example, this is one of the essays
that I wrote before 39B:

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Taken together, both stories illustrate what Poison perhaps best expresses in Every Rose
Has Its Thorn: Just as every night has its dawn / Just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad
song / Every rose has its thorn. However, if everything has two sides and we can access
the side that benefits us, then the payoff will be ours.
This is an essay about arguing of everything has two sides. As you see, after the quotation, I did
not give a clear explanation so that it cannot actually prove anything. The quotation, that I
presented, became just other authors thought but not mine. But in this assignment, I learned how
to applied the three steps method in writing.

According to The Nature of Horror by Noel Carroll, a famous American philosopher and distinguished
professor, , it would appear that the monster is an extraordinary character in our ordinary world, whereas
in fairy tales and the like the monster is an ordinary character in an extraordinary world. Everything is
also changing from extraordinary to ordinary. However, along with changing the world, Robert Nevilles
character changes but he not only accepts these but also decides to fight for his survival. The appearance
of the infected woman enforces to Neville see through the darkness of this world is and have not the
slightest doubt to fight. Moreover, same like Robert Neville, never give up to fight for life. Cease to
struggle and you cease to live.

By this, you can clearly see how I connect the outside source to our thesis by using three-stepmethod.

3. Rhetoric Practice
Rhetorical Practice is a great way for me to practice my writing to apply rhetorical analysis and
genre. In these assignments, I need to think more and deeply to provide enough detail because
these assignments need depictions as many as possible in order to create the horror atmosphere.
Actually, at first time, when I wrote My Own Monstrosity, I cannot meet the requirements
because it is too difficult for me to think deeply and give enough depictions of environment.
Moreover, I just wrote a rough idea that my monstrosity could be, and how it made me afraid.
But none of my words depicted in detailed. For example,

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Strong vitality is one of their characteristics. For them, survival environment is not important,
which means they can live anywhere they want.

From this, you can see that I just wrote about their rough characteristics but not actually created
the horror atmosphere. But you can see a great improvement for me from My Own Monstrosity
to The Other Place Imitation. In my The Other Place Imitation, I used words like:

I did not like to make friend with these people and even do not want to talk to them.
There is no common language between us. If I was born in the fairy tale world, I will use
Snow Whites simple, relatively easy-going character to satisfy myself: dismembering
them and cutting her to many single pieces. Why? I enjoy it.
I used details like this to not only prove I am chainsaw but also create a scary and
metamorphic atmosphere to my audiences.

* The Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The RA Essay was absolutely a great challenge for me because it was my first time to apply all
the literature techniques that I learned throughout this quarter. By comparing my final version
and my drafts, you can see my great improvement.

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In RA Essay, I wrote an essay based on Neil Gaimans story, Snow, Glass, Apples. The reason
that I wrote is because many of my friends wrote about I am Legend, and this story was almost
an unexplored topic.
Before I started to write, I searched plenty of information about my topics to understand this
story and feminism deeper. But I did not find my problem in that time: during my preparation of
writing, I did not combine together the resource that I read and make a clear outline. Therefore,
when I wrote my own essay, I was in illogical thought, and even I cannot connect my theme and
body paragraph in order. Just as my concern, my
feedback is pretty bad:

So therefore, I decided to find Professor McClure in office hour. During that conversation, you
told me that my theme is interesting but my topic sentences cannot work well to prove my topic.

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Also, because of I did not apply the three-step method in the draft, my analysis is so week. More
specially, most of my words are just introduce the story and authors horror conventions rather
than explanation of how author applies horror conventions in the story to subvert audience
expectation. For example, in my first draft:

Throughout the text, Gaiman uses flashback, a literary device that helps the audience
understand the evil nature of Snow White. The Queen uses flashback to explain her side of
the story, describing the story from way back when she met the king to their courtship and
even their marriage. She even goes ahead and recalls the horrors that have been perpetrated
by Snow White. It is significant in literary writing as it helps the audience comprehend the
source of the problem (Adams 49). Connecting to the story, these words prove that the use of
flashback helps the audience empathize with the queen and thus get on her side

This is one of the typical examples of my first draft. In this example, I actually did not follow my
theme but just wrote the ideas that suddenly came out of my mind. Therefore, it is not in a logical
follow. After this conversion, I rewrote my essay. I first set up a clear outline, including theme
statement, 5 topic sentences and short description of source that I will be used in the paragraph.
When I finished my preparation, I brought my outline to writing center and briefly introduce my
essay is about to make sure that I was in the right track. In this time, my topic sentences and
theme statement are work.

Theme statement:

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In the presented essay, I will focus on how Neil Gaiman break audiences
stereotype of feminism by applying horror conventions to subvert audiences expectations.
Topic sentences:
Gaiman goes against tradition and introduces the concept where the sexist
way of viewing females where beauty goes hand in hand with power is negated.
In order to form a powerful contrast to the Snow White, Gaiman subvert
audiences regular expectation by shaping an independent image to the queen.
Snow, Glass Apples was written at a time when the thin line separating
wickedness and good was blurred simply as a way of maintaining the moral standard of the
society during those historic times.
While undermining the necessity of female beauty, Gaiman introduces the
concept of pop psychology as it was coming up during that historical time.
Gaiman still maintains the fact that the female character is still enchained to
the power of males as evident in the traditional and historical perspectives of that time.

From these, you can see how I revise my essay totally When I read my second draft again, I felt
that I made a logical structure which clearly show how rest of my essay or body paragraphs will
be introduced. I went two times office hours before that and revise rest of my problems. For
example, I successfully revise and apply the three-step method in my essay to analysis deeper:

In order to form a powerful contrast to the Snow White, Gaiman subvert audiences regular

expectation by shaping an independent image to the queen. Considered a story teller, Gaiman

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choice the voice from the queens perspective to tell the story to audiences. In Once Upon a
Time She Kissed the Girl: A Feminist Reading of Two Fairy Tales by Neil Gaiman, Sanne
Prsson, Gaimans choice of narrator in Snow, Glass, Apples can be said to be significant
from a feminist perspective, since he has disregarded the typical male voice (Prsson 4) It is
true that Gaiman make a smart choice of using the queen as the narrator. Furthermore,
audiences have to listen to the story from the queens perspective and it leads to a
consequence: audiences will enter the queens standpoint to feel the story in the narrative of
the queens world. Therefore, the queen becomes an authoritative role in the story. By this,
Gaiman can easily go into audiences heart to control and subvert their expectation.

By separating of different colors, you can clearly see how I connect the quotation to my topic.
Also, in one of the conversations, you told me that I need to find better sources because my
sources are not that academic and could not support my words authoritatively.

Work Cited

Gaiman, Neil. Snow, Glass, Apples. DreamHaven, 1994. Print.

Sanne Prsson, Once Upon a Time She Kissed the Girl: A Feminist Reading of Two Fairy Tales
by Neil Gaiman. Centre for Languages and Literature Lund University, 2016.
Bachhilega, Christina. P3ostmodern Fairy Tales: Gender and Narrative Strategies. University of
Pennsylvania Press, 1997. Print
Baker-Sperry, Lori and Liz Grauerholz. The Pervasiveness and Persistence of the Feminine
Beauty Ideal in Children's Fairy Tales. Gender and Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2003, pp. 711-726.
Print.
Joosen, Vanessa. Critical and Creative Perspectives on Fairy Tales: An Intertextual Dialogue
between Fairy-Tale Scholarship and Postmodern Retellings. Wayne State University Press, 2011.
Print.
Slabbert, Mathilda. Inventions and Transformations: Imagining New Worlds in the Stories of
Neil Gaiman. In Susan Reddington Bobby (ed.) Fairy Tales Reimagined: Essays on New
Retellings, 2009, pp. 68-85. Jefferson: McFarland. Print.
Morgan R. Muller, Gender Myths in Neil Gaimans American Gods.

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From my first draft to the final draft, I spent a lot of time in it. Until week 10, I still went to your
office hour to talk about this paper and revised. Although this process challenge me a lot, when I
look through this process again, especially the first draft, I was proud that I paid my great effort
in it.

* The Rhetoric-in-Practice Project

(my Group-mate and I)

The RIP Project is a group project and

it actually was not as easily as I think. It was a complicated process, which not only requires a
good understand of horror rhetorical genre but also requires comprehensive ability like the script,
editing, acting and so on. In this project, we made a short horror film about 3 minutes.
Combining the understanding of horror rhetoric and comprehensive ability is not easy. Although
it is just a three-minute-film, we put in great efforts and spent lots of time in it, including
Thanksgiving holiday.
In order to create a good film, we successfully applied our tropes, darkness.

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This screen shot how we applied our tropes to the short film.

You can see more of my analysis about my RIP project in my RIP analysis essay.

CHAPTER 3 - Conclusion
Throughout this quarter of studying, writing 39B taught me a lot that I cannot acquired
from other classes. For academic English writing, I learn how to in-depth analysis of reading
passages, make outline before writing, create a distinct and logical theme and body paragraphs
By these, I can combine and build a complex but logical essay. These skills effect me not only in
writing, but also in other classes and my daily study. There are many people inspired me to a
better writer, especially Professor McClure, Sam Chen, who is one of the tutors in writing center,
and my group-mate. Overall, writing 39B is the ache and happy time that I do not want to

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encounter again. It gave me an
excellent opportunity to learn
plenty of writing skills which will
serve me through all of life's
stages.

Thanks again for teaching this

course Greg McClure!