Writing this paper has been more difficult then I thought. My first draft was defiantly off topic and had no focus points. After reviewing the handout on close reads I have a better understanding of what needs to be done. My biggest obstacle is still coming up with one concrete thesis. I think that my understanding of the reading ( Johnson) is good and I have a good argument connecting his discovery of ragtime music and how when tourist come to New York and find something new that catches their attention they go through the same feelings of excitement and discovery.
My biggest progress so far had been picking out a specific section of the story and also choosing two quotes and examining them. I chose the last part where he hears the music, then gets dragged out of the club, and then is laying in bed thinking about what he just saw. The close read handout has been my guide through all of this. I think I’m going to go with a Linguistic close read. In one of my quotes I am taking a few words and focusing on why he felt it was necessary to mention these exact words in the description of what he was experiencing. My paper seems to be coming around but still needs a lot of work, as usual.