Writing has never been too difficult for me, words flowing easily from pen to paper. The majority of my writing has stemmed from schoolwork and rarely a product for my own desire. When preparing for these assignments, I make sure I have read what is necessary to make the project comprehensible. This entails reading a specific chapter in a text, going over prior notes, or scanning the rubric for the task. Before I begin writing, I need to know the question begin asked or the purpose of the assignment. Additionally, I need to know the stance I will take throughout the piece or the point I am trying to make. Although I should write an outline for every assignment I am given, I only do so with bigger papers.

While writing, I constantly notice how I don’t just write out my thoughts regardless of how bad it is. I write a few sentences, pause to mull over the words, and then make edits to the words in question. I would rather just free write and then proceed to read over my work, but I can’t seem to drop this habit. Because of certain expectations given, like a word count or page maximum/minimum, I often add information that does not advance my point. My writing process, sadly, hasn’t changed much over the semester. Though I’d benefit from utilizing the methods learned in class to improve my writing, I probably will not incorporate them into my routine. Not because they aren’t useful, but instead because if an approach does not have a large impact on my writing, I tend to forget it or abandon use for it.

I chose to evaluate Ramandeep Kaur’s essay “Transracial Adoption: Controversies and Effects.” The essay did not have any grammatical errors that I picked on, therefore it gets five points. The author also used well-rounded and well-constructed sentences, so I give them the full ten points for style. I enjoyed their research question since it was fresh and unique, thus they get all ten points for the section. Kaur organized their paragraphs in well-divided thoughts with smooth transitions, each thought flowing into the next. They also incorporated at least 5 scholarly sources, though I believe they could connect these pieces thematically a bit more. So, I give them 20 points for organization and 23 points for development. The author thoughtfully compares and makes connections between sources. Kaur also effectively summarizes their sources while noting limitations of the research, so I give all 30 points for content. In total Kaur received 97 points from me.

I decided to evaluate the essay “When Words do More Than Hurt,” giving it a grade of 96%. The author organized their observations of an interesting hashtag with no grammatical errors. They also developed their community with a thick description and painting a vivid picture of the culture. I took off points because I think the author could have inserted their point of view a bit more throughout the piece. However, the writer did add other comments and news to mold the culture into a well-rounded picture. Overall, this essay did a good job of informing readers of the behaviors of the community they studied.

The article, “Our Incel Problem,” by Zack Beauchamp investigates the incel community. 90% of the people who tend to be part of the culture are men under the age of 30 – this information from an informal poll. They are also likely to reside in countries in Europe or North America, with half identifying as White and the others classifying as Asian, Black, and Latino. All have suffered from some form of rejection by society leading them to agree with the core concepts of the culture. The insiders conclude that they are too physically unattractive to receive love from the opposite gender. Incels also believe that women will inevitably choose an attractive partner. The members also exhibit a great deal of anger towards women and the circumstances they’re in.

By informing the reader of these trends, we can get a sense of how the community has come to be at its current state. These patterns tell us that these men are lacking in support or advice outside of these groups. They seek comfort online from those who can understand their situation, gaining guidance from men whose attitude have already been set. Beauchamp takes his research on the incel community and relates it to a much bigger problem. The mindset of incels now is very much rooted in misogynistic ideologies. Beauchamp believes that incels are just a reflection of the dominant principles that are present in Western society. His analysis within a wide context forces the reader to think about the situation at hand: how incels empower the contemporary obstacles women face on a day to day basis.

I choose this particular online community because I am a part of it. I have on occasion thought that certain behaviors could be considered weird to outsiders, so I thought becoming an outsider for a moment would be interesting. I have also criticized aspects of the community so to be able to formally analyze it will be fun, I think. My gender would make me notice any misogyny that those in the community may display. I would also not be able to relate or understand what the other genders may be experiencing. I believe my age will allow me to see how other ages are treated versus those around my age. Although people don’t often discuss class outright, my class would make me empathize with those at or below my level and not with those above me. My educational level will affect how I interpret information that is spread in the community. I don’t believe my nationality would have any effect on my field research because it is never really touched upon by the community. My race would not allow me to know what other races in the community may be facing. The fact that I have been a part of the community for a few years will be carried into my research. I will have personal biases on certain topics because I have been in the community. However, I don’t see my life experience having such a large affect. Other than shaping me into the person I am today, I don’t believe my life history being very present in my observations.

In Elise Wu’s essay “Out Patients,” she investigates the online community surrounding the medical condition called factitious disorder (FD). Wu creates a verbal portrait of this community by throwing the audience into an ER as she begins to describe her own experience. She also depicts the forum and group message board she visited during the study, giving behaviors that the posters tend to have in common when voicing their thoughts. Yet she distinguishes the two sites by explaining how their behaviors differ. Additionally, Wu lets the audience in on insider language – “coming out” referring to disclosing to those close to you of the medical condition.

Wu utilizes several different sources throughout the study. She uses herself as a source, having had FD herself, to insert her narrative and thoughts into her writing. She also employs medical facts to contextualize the subject of her study – especially after illustrating her memory at the beginning of the essay. Wu wields the observations she made on both the forum and group message board to show the perspectives of those with FD and those effected by FD.  Wu was able to triangulate her data by effortlessly switch perspectives. This enabled the reader to get a well-rounded view of the online community of FD. In her essay, Wu made the choice to incorporate footnotes which made the text flow easily. The footnotes helped give context to some things that the audience may not already know. Wu does a great job of portraying the online community she chose.

I decided to observe my neighborhood park, which looks unrecognizable from the memories of my childhood after undergoing renovations. Due to my schedule, I was only able to visit in the evening – specifically around 6:30 PM. I walked into what I had expected: a nearly empty park. There were around ten people, though none in the section meant for toddlers. A small group of kids, perhaps around ten years old, playing on the slide while two little kids on scooters circled the vicinity. I sat down on a bench, the majority of which were empty, a lone woman seated a few benches down. The occasional scream and laughs of children could be heard, but it was otherwise quiet. The cars passing on a moderately used avenue underneath the elevated train – passing less frequently since the rush hour was over – becoming background noise.

The people who current the park are immigrants, mainly Latinx and Central Asian of the area, as well as Hasidic Jews – though they were absent during my visit due to Purim. The adults there kept to themselves, either looking at their child or their phones. Though I wasn’t present when more residents are in the area, I remember from my childhood, things being similar. The children have no quarrels talking to a random child for entertainment, yet, unless they are already acquainted, guardians do not engage in conversation. However, this could stem from language barriers.

As time passed, people slowly trickled out, except for a mother and daughter that walked in. The duo gave me the impression that the mother was making the sacrifice of going to the park with her daughter after a long day’s work. Reminding me of my mother, who tells us of the countless times she treaded out to please my sister and me. A common theme among all the adults who wouldn’t be there other than for their children.

I had already set my mind in leaving once the sunset. I assumed no one would be there once daylight was gone, however, there were still a few stragglers left. Besides, parks at night tend to have a negative connotation, usually being associated with delinquency. Along with insufficient lighting casting shadows and leaving some areas dark, it made the place scary with spare life. I left feeling a bit calmer just from sitting outside listening to the noise around though I felt stupid sitting in a park alone with no child to begin with.

In Jessica Pressler’s article, “The Hustlers at Scores,” she interviews multiple people regarding the case of drugging and robbing of men by former strippers that had occurred in the early 2010s. Throughout the essay, Pressler portrays culture information from the stripper subculture: Age ranges in the 30s, are considered ancient in the field. Dancers work in groups as it yields a grander payoff. Customers, mainly men, handle money without much concern. Workers in the subculture are looked down upon, only adding to their own dissatisfaction with their situation. Dancers are also expected to pay the establishments that employ them for allowing them the opportunity of dancing. All these events are standard for every day of a stripper.

Pressler also provides background information that further allows the audience to understand the stripper subculture. She enlightens the reader on how there was a change in perspective, – during the specific years relevant to the story – sex work being sexually liberating rather than degrading. As well as letting the viewer know who the dancers were catering to. Providing crucial information, such as the market collapse affecting those who are vital to the subculture, gives the audience further access to comprehending why these women acted a certain way.

Pressler creates vivid pictures of those being interviewed and their background, enabling the reader to imagine the story. By giving sketches, for example, of Rosie’s physic, her surroundings, and attire, we can get a more well-rounded picture of who Rosie is and how she carries herself. The descriptions also trigger us, the audience, to feel for them or try and relate to them. When illustrating these, as a reader it leaves you questioning whether what she did was okay. Seeing her surrounded by luxury items, seeing how (relatively) well she is doing, leaves room for justification of her actions. As Pressler refers to the entire event, it is reflective of the same themes held in Robin Hood.

In his essay “A Report from Occupied Territory,” James Baldwin examines the violence and discrimination Black folk faced in Harlem during the 1960s. He identifies various shared experiences and/or views among Harlem residents: They are taught the habit of inferiority from the segregation of schools. Black people are expected to respect the laws even though said laws are inherently anti-black. Being loathed for the color of their skin while being ripped away from the safety their homes offered. Exposed to false accusations and subjected to violent beatings. Harlem locals acknowledge that their current conditions are because the government consented to the destruction of the neighborhood. Baldwin recognizes that these circumstances – which could be considered as a culture/subculture – are not bound to Harlem, but rather to any city heavily populated with Black people.

If a fieldworker were to research the culture described, they would ask a multitude of questions. What conditions do Harlem residents live in? How do they interact amongst themselves versus outsiders? How do police officers treat Black suspects versus White suspects? What do they deem as moral/right? How do they approach achieving goals and/or dreams? A fieldworker looking into this culture would have to also have to investigate White life and culture to identify the disproportional differences Black people see themselves. The fieldworker would also have to acknowledge their cultural differences to truly resonate with the Black culture being studied. To further their findings, a fieldworker should talk to not only those in the community but also police officers. Baldwin mentioned how a real estate lobby was able to reorganize New York City, a fieldworker should talk to those lobbyists and see the thoughts and goals of their actions. When studying this particular culture, a fieldworker would have to talk with a wide range of people since many actions – inadvertently or not – affect the lives that Black people can live.