Srikar's WRA-110 Website

-Yifan

  The first essay I read was Yifan's essay. Although this essay contained a few errors, it was clear that the overall idea was about a foreign exchange student coming to study in the U.S. The essay explains his personal journey and how it affected him for the better. The main idea is supported by firsthand accounts of the author' experiences mixed in with an account of his friend's own experience. The author then goes on to explain how each of his experiences shaped his attitude toward American culture and how it differed greatly from Chinese culture. Based on the author's main idea he is probably targeting an audience consisting of future or new foreign exchange students and offering them reassurance. This essay definitely could have been edited better. While the author is able to get his point across, the essay is hard to read at times and at other times nearly incomprehensible. This essay is primarily made up of the author's own experiences and lessons with one excerpt of his friend's experience. Although I have never been part of any foreign exchange program, I can relate to this essay by my vacations in India. Being born and raised in the U.S., I am very much accustomed to American culture and ideals. However when I visit India, I feel something comparable to a culture shock from the very different way people go about their days.

-Mackenzie

  The second essay I read was Mackenzie's essay. The main idea of this essay was to discuss the difficulties of living with divorced parents. The author then goes on to explain how this experience shaped herself and her brother for the better. The main idea was presented through the personal experience of the author and her brother through a largely first person view. This point of view allows the reader to directly connect and identify with the author and her struggles growing up. As with the first essay, this essay seems that it also is directed towards an audience who is going through a similar situation. The overall essay has little to no errors and is revised well. My only gripe is that the font size differs throughout the essay and can be distracting at times. I really don't have much that I can relate to in this essay but I can say that reading this has made me thankful for what I currently have.

-Joe

  The final essay I read was Joe's essay. This essay starts out as a story of a happy child with a good life but then turns to a darker tone when the author's parent's lose their jobs and his family is forced to move into low income housing areas. The main idea of this essay is to explain the hardships that the author went through. Like the other essays, this essay also uses the first person perspective in presenting the author's experiences and what he thinks about them and what he learns from them. This essay appears to be directed towards people who are going through a similar situation. Growing up in a stable middle-class family, I cannot relate to the author's experience of living with divorced parents. But I can relate to the author's view on "the importance of humility". As I learned a long time ago, it's good to have respect for those under you as well as those who have a higher status as you.