Monthly Archives: May 2020

This week you have a couple of items on your to-do list for English 2150:

1. Analytical Research Paper As you know, I have extended the due date for this assignment until Wednesday, May 6th.  When you upload your essay to turnitin.com, you should see an assignment that is labelled “Analytical Research Paper – Revision Assignment.” This is where you will be uploading your final version of your paper.  Let me know if you encounter any difficulties with this.
2. Dear Reader Letter  Compose a “Dear Reader” letter to accompany your analytical research paper.  Please take 30 minutes to write a letter reflecting on the experience of writing your analytical research paper.  These letters can be emailed to me as attachments ([email protected]) and are due no later than Friday, May 8th.  You may want to address the following questions:

— What question was I hoping to answer in this paper?

–Where does my personal interest in this topic come from?

–Which parts of this process went most smoothly for me? Why?

–Which parts of this process were a struggle for me? Why?

–What’s the most important thing I learned about my topic?

–What’s the most important thing I learned about myself while writing this paper?

–What am I most proud of about this paper?

–What do I wish I had been able to do better? What would I do differently next time?

–What else would I like my reader to know?

3. Creative Re-Mix.   As you know, you are moving directly from the Analytical Research Paper into your Creative Re-Mix.  The Creative Re-Mix is an opportunity to extend your coronavirus-related research in a different, more personal direction.  Your work can take almost any form provided that it is related in some way to your subject (even if the connection is not super-direct!), it reflects creative work on your part, and it can be shared with the class on our blog and/or on our Zoom call.  Please post a description of what you are planning to do for the Creative Re-Mix to our class blog no later than Wednesday, May 6th.  Do this even if you and I have already discussed your plans in conferences.

“A Beautiful Day At A Terrible Time”

I took this photo earlier today and I decided to take this photo because today was beautiful today. I mean it was nearly 80 degrees outside! The reason for this photo is because usually on a nice day like this, this photo shows a few things that make this picture stand out in a way. Because of the pandemic we are in, it’s sad that the only thing I could do is go about in front of my building for fresh air. This is because I still feel unsafe to go outside no matter how nice the weather is. My fire escape in the picture is usually where I sit out on days like this to enjoy fresh air and the view. Also, it’s hard to see but if you can’t tell I live right next to a cemetery. Recently there has been a lot of work going on in that cemetery and that is a little conserving. I just feel like no matter how nice it is everyone should still stay home. It’s always nice to at least go for a walk, but it is still a risk. This virus spreads easily and I believe we could be in danger because of a day like this. While I was taking the photo people were playing music all day today, so it was easy to tell that there were a lot of people around the neighborhood. I just feel like today was a test for New Yorkers and we failed. 

I took this picture two days ago. I was on my way to do something and saw this around my neighborhood. If you look closely you can see Jews gathered together not sure the reasons but they are not wearing masks. Makes me feel annoyed because people are not social distancing and are not facing same consequences for it like others are. A lot of us are actually staying home hoping to be able to go back outside. No offense, but I don’t understand why this is still allowed and NYPD is not enforcing anything. Looks like the rules don’t apply to everyone:/.

“A time before sunrise”

I took this picture when I woke up to pray at 5 in the morning. It was so beautiful that I immediately rushed up and took the photo. It was like a reminder that all the bad things can be happening but we are still given another day to live. But I also felt like this was a peaceful moment before the chaos started up again. The Mood of the photo is peaceful and soothing. It is also just aesthetically pleasing to see. What you can’t see in this photo is probably the dead street of Brooklyn. Something so amazing is happening up above. However when you look down to reality it just is not as pretty. This photo conveys that I am learning to be grateful and really appreciate the life I was given. I think we all complain and want more than we need, we forget that even waking up to see another sunrise is a blessing itself.

Hi Everyone,

I am reaching out to you to let you know that I have decided to give you a little extra time to complete your Analytical Research Papers.  They are now due by Wednesday, May 6th.  This extra time should allow you not only to complete your research and writing, but to work on smoothing out and correcting any surface level errors in your writing and to create a Works Cited page that conforms to the MLA guidelines.  If it’s better for you to submit the paper on Monday, you should, of course, stick to that plan!

Instead of our regular class on Monday at 10 am, I will be holding drop-in office hours, so please stop by if you would like the chance to ask me questions or to get more feedback on your drafts.

Do not forget that your Creative Re-Mix Projects will be presented on May 13th at our last class.  If you haven’t yet figured out what you are going to do, that’s also something we could brainstorm during Monday’s office hours.

I hope you are all well and enjoying this beautiful weekend.

Take care,

Professor Sylvor

Feelings about quarantine

This is a photo taken from the window of my apartment. I chose this photo because it represents my thinking of the last six weeks. When I look down through that window, I see that I am living very far from other people, I’m just here in my apartment apart from others during this time. It was taken during the night, showing the loneliness that we are all living. In this image you can’t see people walking on the streets because during this time most of us are in our homes.

What are you doing during quarantine?

This is a photo taken by me recently. This photo describes what I have been up to during the last six weeks. In the photo, there is a textbook, my laptop, and a notebook. I chose this photo because that is all I’ve done in the last six weeks. I feel this is my new life. I spend most of my time doing homework or on my computer and it is like I just do homework the whole day. I know not everyone has the same experience but I think most college students are feeling the same. We listen to the lectures and have to stay seated and do homework right after. It’s like the day goes by fast and we just do homework.