E-Portfolio

*LIVE ESSAY*


Rebecca Katz

Eng 102 Online

Mrs. Cline

Essay 1

18 September 2010

For Every Woman like Me


There were several poems in the Poetry of Witness that related to me in some sort but the one that mirrored me the most was Joy Harjo’s,The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window.The poem was written like a chapter out of a novel, very easy to read and left me in suspense. It wasn’t written with too much power but the soft and quiet flow was soothing for my visualization. I didn’t have to reread it because I felt like I knew the point that the poet was explaining. Harjo’s character was in that unordinary position in life that makes an excellent and abstract piece of writing. Harjo’s poem wasn’t a poem about common emotions but what she wrote was about an experience in someone’s life that is never forgotten. To me her poem meant a time in life where someone has to go through the files of their past experiences and make a decision that bases off of those moments and I personally relate to it because I once had to make a decision that impacted me.

The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window wasn’t just written for the poet. She is reaching out letting other woman know that they are NOT alone and their feelings aren’t rare. “She is all the women of the apartment building who stand watching her, watching themselves”, (Harjo 14). The woman isn’t alone when she thinks she’s insane she’s one of many. I have faced a life choice where I thought no one knew how I felt but beneath it all someone out there did. Woman and men face problems that seem like too much for a person to bear that they declare they are the first to experience it. It’s a comfort to say that there are others out there that sympathize and feel for the same problem because they went through it too. This poem almost sounds like the poet was speaking of a woman who wants to commit suicide and end it all. I have never gone as far as ending my life but I have always wondered if my problems would be better if I terminated it. I took Harjo’s poem to another level and turned the suicide theory into getting rid of responsibilities and pain.
Instances in life happen where responsibilities become too much to handle and people search for ultimatums. Giving up is the easiest way out. “She thinks she will be set free”, (Harjo 7). Opting out is being free of the problems and the pain but is it really? That’s why in the end of the poem it’s a cliffhanger whether or not the woman on the thirteenth floor window hung on to her life or let go. Every side has its reasons and every decision is based off of them half and half. It’s the person who’s in those circumstances that decides which one is best and for some it is giving up or ending their lives.
I am the woman from the thirteenth floor window who held on. I chose to go to school full time and have a full time job after I graduated high school. Before, I had the luxury of spending my dad’s money and sharing memories with all of my friends every day of every week without a sweat. I left it all behind so I can be the responsible adult I’m supposed to be. I got to a breaking point in my busy and dull life where I didn’t want to be that adult anymore. I couldn’t remember the last time I had fun or didn’t have to worry about bills. My first initial thought was to bail. I decided that all my responsibilities didn’t matter and I rather be a free spirit than be a conformist. I was hanging on that thirteenth floor window where I had to choose between two very important factors in my life, freedom vs. responsibility. “She thinks she remembers listening to her own life break lose, as she falls from the 13th floor window on the east side of Chicago, or as she climbs back up to claim herself again”, ( Harjo 63-66). Both sides have great points and making the decision declares what the future entails. Friends and family will be left to sorrow and disappointed or they can be proud. I had to face being a shame to myself and my family or be happy because I had nothing holding me back. I held on to my window because if letting myself go meant being selfish and hurting others than it wasn’t worth it to me.


I think the woman on the thirteenth floor window held on too. Like me she will one day be free and share it with her family and the beauties of the world. I and many others out there have hung off that same window and we all had to choose between two outcomes. No one is alone and no choice is wrong, everything has a purpose.



*REFLECTION*


This semester was pretty tough, especially this English 102 class being online. It’s my first year having a full time job and being a full time student. I did notice a big drop in my performance compared to my other years in college. English is one of my favorite subjects and I love to excel in it. I have had Mrs. Cline for every English course I needed to take at Yavapai. This is my last course I needed to take and I am proud of the work I have done and I really picked up my progress.
The first thing that I got out of my English 102 course was how to manage my life and keep focus. It’s an online class and I was the one who had to force myself to go online and complete everything without reminders. It was much different than any other class I’ve taken before because it was online. I’m new to the cyber learning and it’s a lot more work than I expected. I am glad I was prepared for Mrs. Cline’s expectations because I did have her as my professor in two other classes.
I learned how to teach myself. I had to remember all the writing steps that I learned and I had to teach them to myself all over again. It was nice going back and trying to do it on my own. It was a pain to keep myself focused but I stuck with it until the end.
I feel like my analyzing of papers has excelled from my previous papers I have done. I had more time and I got to choose my learning environment which made it easier for me to keep focus and have the analytic mind I always wanted. The positive side of the class being online was I got to start early on assignments so by due date I was prepared and had plenty of time for prewriting and rough drafting.
My writing has changed from being in this class all because I had to choose my style and I had to do it almost all on my own. I always had neat ways of writing styles and went by typical writing standards but because this class required more research I finally went out of the box. I enjoyed researching styles of writing and tips on the Yavapai College Library website.
Another major thing I enjoyed taking out of my English 102 course online was getting better at citing my sources. All of my sources came from required text or online and because I used them often I had to teach myself how to get better at citing. I have never been good at citing my resources but the class really pushed me and motivated me to get better.
I learned more than I thought I would from this online course. My writing style has improved and I took more out of this class than any of my other English courses. I am proud of what I learned and even more proud that I taught myself the majority of things and I did it on my own. I’m fearless of future online courses ahead and excited to see what I can build from them as well.



*VISUAL PRESENTATION*

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* 3 Favorite Blog Posts*


Nobokov Reading Blog

The reason this is one of my most favorite blogs is because it really helped my eyes open and to be less judgemental on the things I read. I knew never to read anything with a pessimistic attitude but the Nobokov readings was a great help in leading me in the right direction. i enjoyed writing about it in a post because it let me express my thoughts on paper.


Mid Session Review Blog

This blog post really helped me in a way that I had to grade my progress. It was in the middle of the semester and I liked explaining what I had to do to improve and what I was learning. This blog post was a reality check and it put me on the motivation track that I was halfway though with the class.


The Things They Carried Blog


I really enjoyed this blog post because it was about one my my favorite novels I had to read in this class like expressing my feelings on my favorite novels, especially through blog posts because I get to include pictures and links. I loved the novel because it taught me a lot about war and coping and I also enjoyed writing several essays on it as well. This blog post was somewhat of a sneek peek of what I was going to write next.



*Work Cited*

Harjo, Joy.” The Woman Hanging From the Thirteenth Floor Window". She Had Some.
Thunder's Mouth Press. 2006. Poetry Foundation.September 18, 2010.