Reflective Essay

Kimberly Hummel

English 201

Reflective Essay

 

For the Portfolio Project I chose to revise my memoir assignment and my research paper. I chose to revise the memoir assignment because I enjoyed writing the memoir assignment more than my other assignments. I felt that the memoir assignment was a paper that allowed me to express my creativity in writing. Each paragraph was very descriptive and painted a picture in the reader’s mind.  I revised this paper by turning it into a movie script. I obtained this idea from a suggestion that was given to us on the assignment sheet. When I first heard the idea to turn it into a movie script, I knew right away that this was something I wanted to do.  A movie script sounded like the most creative and original revision.

The first choice I made in the revision process of turning my memoir into a movie script was to research the format of a screenplay. I looked through many examples of screenplays, paying attention to the style of the writing, the tone and the details. I took note of how the scenes were introduced, the transitions, and how the writers described the settings.  Once I felt comfortable with the format of how to write a screenplay, I reread my memoir. As I read through my memoir I decided how I would break up the paragraphs into different scenes of the movie.

I decided that I wanted to make the movie as if it was told in the third person and my experience from the memoir would be a daydream that my character was having for the duration of the screenplay. I wanted to make the movie a daydream because by doing this I was able to add some reflection of my day into the ending scene.  After introducing the first scene, I transitioned into the daydream of my day at camp. I broke up each scene by the characters in my movie moving to different locations.  I didn’t want to loose the descriptiveness of my memoir so I incorporated the vivid details into the setting of each scene. In between dialogs I also added descriptive stage directions to make each scene as vivid as possible. Overall I feel that I improved my memoir assignment by turning it into something creative and new.

The second assignment I revised for the Portfolio Project is my research paper. I turned my research paper into a multimedia blog post. This assignment was difficult for me because I had to cut down a 2,500-word essay into only 750 words. I decided to take what I felt was the strongest part of my research paper for the multimedia blog post. This was the section of my research paper that discussed the affect of student loan debt on the housing market and the economy. I included the introduction paragraph of my research paper in order to give the reader of the blog back round information on the topic.

I searched the Internet for images that would enhance my argument and add great visualization. The first image I chose is an excellent visualization for the multimedia blog because it addresses the problem that college graduations are facing every day with their student loan debt. The second image is the graph and I feel that it gives a powerful statistic for my argument in a visual way.  Finally I chose the third image because it adds to the point of my argument that more men are moving back home with their parents because they can’t afford to take out a mortgage.

At the end of the multimedia blog I added a video from CNN.com that talks about the problems that the housing market is facing. I chose this video because it directly addresses that the housing market drop of sales is due to student loan debt. Throughout the blog post, I chose certain words to hyperlink to articles. The words that I chose to hyperlink were the key words of each paragraph.

Overall, I felt the decisions that I made in the revisions were successful in enhancing my text.  By turning my memoir paper into a move script, I was able to make the paper more creative. I wanted the movie script to look as authentic as possible and I achieved this by following the format of a real screenplay. The revision of my research paper also enhanced my text because I turned it into a creative multimedia blog post. The blog post has images and videos that give excellent visualizations to the main points of my argument.

The Daydream

THE DAYDREAM

 By

Kimberly Hummel

SCENE 1

INT. KIM’S BEDROOM –DAY

[Kim is sitting on her pink floral bed comforter daydreaming.  The room is dark and quiet. Tomorrow is her first day of college. She is staring at the wall and twirling her thumbs because she is nervous it will be challenging. She begins thinking about one of the hardest days she had ever experienced at her Summer Camp Counselor job to remind herself that she can handle something difficult.]

SCENE 2

FADE IN:

EXT.  COLEMAN COUNTRY DAY CAMP SOCCER FIELD –DAY

[Kim is pacing back and forth on the soccer field. She is holding a black referee whistle in her hand. Sweat is dripping down her face from the blazing sun.  Campers are running frantically chasing a soccer ball on the green turf field.]

KIM

(Yelling)

Fowl! That’s a fowl!

She blows her whistle loudly.

KIM (CONT’D)

The ball goes to the red team!

The game continues for twenty minuets. Charlie Rosen, a five -year boy, walks up behind Kim.

CHARLIE

I had an accident.

[Kim cringes at sound of these words and turns around to face Charlie. He smells like trash that has been left out in the sun for three days. Kim and her co-counselor exchange glances. Her co-counselor says with her facial expression that she will not take initiative.]

KIM

Oh that’s okay Charlie, let’s go get you cleaned up. 

[Kim’s breath is shallow and her heart is racing. She begins to walk Charlie to the bathroom.]

SCENE 3

INT. THE BATHROOM- DAY

[Kim and Charlie enter the bathroom. The bathroom is small and dimly lit.  A sink is dripping water quietly. There is no one else in the bathroom.]

KIM

Charlie I’m going to take off your dirty clothes so I can help you and clean you off, is that okay?

[Charlie nods in agreement. His eyes are filled with embarrassment. His white shorts are stained brown.]

KIM (CONT’D)

Don’t worry, Charlie, everything will be okay.

[Kim reaches for rubber gloves in her backpack and begins to clean him off. Feces are dripping down Charlie’s legs and into his shoes.]

CHARLIE

Uh-oh

[Suddenly Charlie vomits all over the floor. It misses Kim by a nose.  The black and white checkered floor is covered in green slime.]

KIM

Does anything hurt you Charlie?

CHARLIE

(Whimpers)

My tummy.

[Kim tries to remain clam and not panic.]

KIM

Charlie I’m going to take you to the nurse’s office now. Let’s walk over.

[They leave the bathroom and begin to make the long walk across the camp to the nurse’s office.  The sun is beating down on them and they both begin to sweat.]

SCENE 4

INT. THE NURSE’S OFFICE –DAY

[Kim and Charlie enter the nurse’s office. The office is packed with sick and injured kids sitting on red couches. Phones ringing and children talking fill the background noise. The nurse is sitting at her desk].

NURSE

Hello what seems to be the problem?

KIM

 This is Charlie Rosen, he had an accident on the soccer field and vomited in the bathroom, he also is complaining of a stomachache.

NURSE

Okay Charlie why don’t you lie down on the bed while I call your mom?

 [Kim walks Charlie over to the bed.  They sit down. Charlie is holding back tears in his eyes. Kim notices a bookshelf filled with children books in the corner of the office. She walks over and pulls out a book.]

KIM
Charlie, do you like SpongeBob SquarePants?

CHARLIE

(Smiling)

[Kim begins to read the book to Charlie. Suddenly her supervisor enters the nurse’s office.]

SUPERVISOR

Hello Kim, Hello Charlie, is everything okay?

KIM

Charlie isn’t feeling well and he had an accident on the soccer field. I cleaned him off in the bathroom and then brought him here.

SUPERVISOR

Charlie I hope you feel better soon.

[She turns and faces Kim.]

SUPERVISOR

Kim, you did a great job handling the situation, I’m proud.

[The supervisor leaves the office.  Kim continues reading the book. Mrs. Rosen enters the office.]

CHARLIE

(Smiling)

Mommy!

KIM
Hi, Mrs. Rosen.

[Mrs. Rosen picks up Charlie and hugs him]

CHARLIE

Mommy, Kim made me feel all better!

MRS. ROSEN

Kim, I appreciate you taking such good care of my son especially in situation like that.

KIM

(Smiling)

It’s all in day’s work here at camp!

[Charlie and his mother walk out of the nurse’s office.]

FADE OUT:

SCENE 5

INT. KIM’S BEDROOM –DAY

[Kim is smiling as she reflects back on her toughest day at work. She is no longer twirling her thumbs from being nervous. She gets up from her bed, walks out of the room and shuts the door behind her.]

END MOVIE

MultiMedia Blog Post -Portfolio

Student loan debt is a nation wide problem that continues to grow over the years. The current generation that is graduating from college and entering into the work force has the most student loan debt compared to past generations. There are different views on how this problem should be dealt with. Government involvement in paying off student loan debt is one solution that may be possible for this problem. There are many programs that are being created to help pay back student loans as well as ways to bail out students from all of their debt. Some people oppose this idea of the government helping out with paying off student loans and believe it is up to the students themselves to solve it.  However, if the government does not create programs to help repay student loan debt, it will only hurt the already damaged economy. Overall, the government helping out students paying off their student loan debt is the most beneficial solution that will positively affect the economy. The student loan debt crisis is soaring to new heights as two-thirds of this generation enters into the work force with on average $26,000 in debt. According to the Forbes Magazine article “How The $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students, Parents And The Economy” by Chris Denhart, student loans are the second highest national debt coming in at $1 trillion dollars. This makes up a 6% of the nation’s  $16.4 trillion debt and is right behind mortgage debt. Students attending four-year colleges are not the only ones that graduate with debt. In fact, in 2008 it was reported that students who graduated from two-year community colleges with an associate’s degree, had on average $7,000 in student loan debt.  The project on student loan debt released in 2012 states that college graduates from the year 2013 had debt amounts that were 65 percent higher than the graduates from less than a decade before in 2004.  This means that 2012 graduates had $18,750 more in debt.  The figure below is a representation of the current situation that our college graudates are facing every day. 87915733-student-loan-debt President Obama is currently working on the Income-Based Repayment plan. With this plan, student loan borrowers may qualify to have their student loan monthly payments reduced by having their interest amount lowered. After 25 years of paying back their debt, their remaining balance will be forgiven. The figure below shows a predicted outcome of Obama’s Income-Based Repayment plan on Student Loans. This outcome is based on a Federal Student Loan of $23,000.  The first scenario shows that if the government does not create any plan to help with student loans, the current interest will soar to a high $9,083. With Obama’s plan in effect, the other scenarios show the interest rate is lowered greatly and never exceeds the current interest rate. interest rates[1] If the government does not create programs that help pay back student loan debt, the economy will continue to suffer as it is now. According to Donald Trump’s most recent interview with Fox news, the U.S. is no longer a rich country. The U.S. does not have enough money in it’s economy to stand on it’s own and is therefore borrowing trillions of dollars from China. The country’s economy may soon go into a Depression from the current state of Recession according to Trump. His statements are proven to true as seen in an article published by Fox Business. China owns a record breaking $1.317 trillion in United States debt. Before the Great Recession, the U.S. housing market was producing 1.4 million households, but is currently at a stand still producing only 700,000 households every year. The reason that this number cannot increase is because underemployed college graduates have thousands of dollars in student loan debt and cannot contribute to the housing market. According to Time Magazine, most college students are not able to buy their own homes after graduation and they continue to move back in with their parents. Last year’s Census Bureau concluded that the number of men who are 25-34 years old living at home with their parents have increased from 13.5 percent in 2005 to 17 percent. It is also becoming harder for people with large amounts of student loan debt to qualify for a house mortgage. Student-Debt-Cartoon-Big   If the government does not create programs to help with student loan debt, the U.S. economy will continue in its current state of distress. College graduates will never be able to contribute to the housing market or any aspect of our economy if they will always be carrying the burden of debt.

Works Cited

Chris, Denhart. “How The $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students,

Parents And The Economy.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 07 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.

Collinge, Alan. The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History, and

How We Can Fight Back. Boston, MA: Beacon, 2009. Print.

Egan, Matt. “China Now Owns a Record $1.317T of U.S. Government Debt.”Fox

Business. Fox News, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

Kadlec, Dan. “Time.com.” Business Money Student Loans Are Becoming a Drag on the

US Economy Comments. Time Magazine, 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.

Kingkade, Tyler. “Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Rule Traps Graduates With

Debt Amid Calls For Reform.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14

Aug. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

Kingkade, Tyler. “Congress Considers Proposals To Let Private Student Loans Be

Discharged In Bankruptcy.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

Meyers, Jim. “USA Today: Increasing Student Loan Debt Having a ‘Ripple Effect’ on

Economy.” Moneynews. Moneynews, 18 July 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.

Pisani, Joseph. “A Guide To Student Loan Forgiveness And Repayment Options.” The

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.

Valenti, Joe, Sarah Edelman, and Tobin Van Ostern. “Student-Loan Debt Has a Rippling

Negative Effect on the Broader Economy.” Center for American Progress. Center for American Progress, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

Webley, Kayla. “Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?” Time Business & Money.

Time Magazine, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2014

source

The article USA Today: Increasing Student Loan Debt Having a “Ripple Effect” on Economy has a paragraph about statistics of men moving back home with their parents after college because they cannot afford their own homes. This statistics will be useful in my paper because it supports the crippling housing market argument. It also relates to a cartoon image I found for my enhanced blog post and it will improve the argument. 

source

This source is from MoneyNews and is titled USA Today: Increasing Student Loan Debt Having a “Ripple Effect” on Economy and is written by Jim Meyers. This article is about Students having so much debt they are unable to make a down payment on a home or take out a mortgage loan. This is destroying the housing market because sales are at an all time low. This article will be useful for my paper because it supports my thesis showing that if the student loan debt problem is not fixed, the economy will continue to suffer. 

Peer review notes

Thesis: The government helping out students pay off student loan debt is the most beneficial solution that will positively effect the economy. 

Paragraph 1: statistics on student loan debt today compared to past and its contribution to the economy

Paragraph 2: Differences and Benefits of federal loans compared to private loans

Paragraph 3: Gov. plans currently being developed

Paragraph 4: Statistics on people for loan forgiveness

Paragraph 5: opposing argument for loan forgiveness

Paragraph 6: opposition of Applebaum’s petition 

Paragraph 7: Question of fairness for Applebaum’s petition

Paragraph 8: continuation of paragraph 6. 

The purposed of each paragraph being written down by my peer really showed me that I am arguing my paper clearly. My peer reviewer was able to pick up on all the main points of my paragraphs with out any confusion. This shows me that I am on the right track with my paper.