(Belong to group with Roshelle Munoz, posted earlier)
During the semester, one aspect of the course that has definitely helped me was learning and then working on the paragraph structure. The analysis of a work (in spite of Roshelle’s comment on her own post addressed to me – I’m not exactly sure what the basis for her assertion was) has always been something I’ve been able to do, however the ability to refine that analysis into a paragraph that flowed naturally had long eluded me. Further, reading and then writing about Life of a Sensuous Woman allowed me to consider the ubiquity of the social injustices experienced by women of that time, and how those injustices helped shape the “floating world” of Kyoto. Without having read that work, in addition to not being able to refine my thoughts into a more structured paragraph, I feel I would not be able to do a critical analysis of a work nearly as well, nor would I possess the ability to use a work in order to sympathize with a group of people.
The key to having a smooth flowing paragraph structure is using proper transitional words. You want to jump from intro, evidence, to analysis in a way that doesn’t throw off the reader or confuse them. This creates a coherent argument that anyone could easily comprehend. You could google some good transitional words and practice with them on your next essay. Trust me this will greatly improve the fluidity of your writing overall.