My Analyzation Of My Metacognative Content Area Reading Process (Part III)

General reflection

As my partner has shared that his preferred reading strategy is visualizing/picturing, I thought it would only be fair to share mine. My preferred reading strategy is looking up unfamiliar words. As someone who was an English major and has always been an English lover, I am curious to know the meaning to every unfamiliar word I come across. I enjoy expanding my vocabulary, which helps my reading in the process. I find that it is sometimes crucial to look up unfamiliar words when reading. If a reader does not recognize a word, it could sometimes cause them to lose the meaning of an entire passage. I do use all of the other reading strategies when necessary, however, I would say that I tend to look up unfamiliar words most often.

Image: Falling apricots (Refer to Reflection #2)












Image: Running horses-pulling a carriage (Refer to Reflection #7)









Focused Reflections

Due to the fact that the content area reading I have chosen is a fairly simple read, I have decided to continue reading past the minimum twenty pages.

For blog #2, which was the first blog entry in which we focused on the analyzation of our metacognitive reading processes, I chose to focus on pages 1-29 of my content area text, which included all of chapter one, entitled “January/Christmas Rolls” and the first half of chapter two, entitled “February/Chabela Wedding Cake.”

For this blog, I will continue analyzing my metacognitive reading process by focusing on pages 30-41 of my content area text, which includes the remaining half of chapter two, “February/Chabela Wedding Cake.”

Here I will use the same format I have used in blog #2 to organize each of my reflections. The reflections will be broken up into three parts, the first, a direct quote from the text; the second, my reflection; and the third, the specific strategy/strategies which I have used. The following is a continuation of the reading guide I have already begun to create in blog #2.

1.
Text:
“Heat the apricot paste together with a little bit of water; after the mixture comes to a boil, strain it, preferably through a hair flour sieve, but a coarser strainer can be used if you don’t have either of those” (Page 31, Paragraph 1).

Reflection:
While reading this portion of the text, I came across the word ‘sieve,’ I had never heard of this word before. By using the context clues in the sentence, it is very simple to figure out a general meaning of this word. The word seems to mean some type of strainer, one which is less coarse than typical strainers. However, since these recipes are essential to the book and especially if the reader would like to prepare this particular dish, then it may be useful to look up the specific definition of the word. (Sieve means an instrument with a meshed or perforated bottom, used for separating coarse from fine parts of loose matter, for straining liquids, etc., esp. one with a circular frame and fine meshes or perforations.)

Strategies:
Here I used both context clues in the text and looked up the meaning of a word in order to better understand the text.

2.
Text:
“To prevent Pedro from looking at her leg, Tita let go of her skirt. When she did, all the rest of the apricots rolled onto Pedro’s head” (Page 32, Paragraph 2).

Reflection:
Here I am picturing Pedro on the kitchen floor, on his hands and knees, picking up the fallen apricots. While Tita, standing directly over him, lets go of her skirt, to drop all of the remaining apricots, which were held by the skirt, on top of Pedro’s head, like an avalanche of apricots.

Strategies:
Here I am using the visualization technique to picture the events which are described in the book. I am illustrating the story by creating my own images in my mind, using the words on the page in combination with my prior experiences.

3.
Text:
“Tita stood as if in a trance, staring at the whiteness of the sheet; only for a few seconds, but long enough to cause a sort of blindness” (Page 33, Paragraph 3).

Reflection:
I can personally relate to the feeling which Tita is experiencing at this moment in the text. When I have a lot going through my mind, I tend to spontaneously stand, staring as if in a trance too, usually at the worse times, such as at work or in a meeting. In Tita’s case, while preparing for her sister’s wedding to the man she loves.

Strategies:
Here I am making a personal connection to the text. I believe that making these types of personal connections while reading is essential to fully understanding a text. If I did not understand Tita’s actions, then I might not understand her character as much as I do.

4.
Text:
“She felt powerless against it, feeling that at any moment the white color might seize her mind, dragging along those snow-white images of her childhood, May-time images of being taken all in white, to offer white flowers to the Virgin” (Page 34, Paragraph 2 or First full paragraph).

Reflection:
In this section of the text, I sense that the author is using symbolism. This is an important technique in English Language Arts. It seems as though the ‘white color’ which is haunting Tita is, in fact, her own virginity. The word ‘childhood’ in the sentence seems to represent the idea of innocence. She seems disappointed at the fact that she will be forced to remain a virgin for the rest of her life, due to the fact that she cannot marry if she is to stay home and care for her mother until she dies.

Strategies:
Here I am using my prior knowledge of the writing techniques used in my discipline in order to identify symbolism.

5.
Text:
“Only the pan knows how the boiling soup feels, but I know how you feel, so stop crying, you’re getting the meringue watery, and it won’t set up properly-go now- go” (Page 35, Paragraph 7).

Reflection:
In this section of the text the author uses metaphorical language. As a reader of literature, it is important to be able to identify metaphorical language in order to better understand the text. As a reader of this particular text it is important to be able to identify this quote as metaphorical language in order to both better understand the text and to pick up on the fact that this is one example of how food is a significant theme throughout the text.

Strategies:
Here I am clarifying the text by again activating my prior knowledge of the writing techniques used in my discipline in order to identify metaphorical language in the story.

6.
Text:
When she finished beating the meringue, it occurred to Nacha to lick some of the icing off her finger to see if Tita’s tears had affected the flavor. No, the flavor did not seem to have been affected; yet without knowing why, Nacha was suddenly overcome with an intense longing” (Page 35-36, Paragraph 9).

Reflection:
I predict that maybe Tita’s tears have, in fact, affected the meringue and that anyone at the wedding who will eat the cake, which will be spread with this icing, will experience the same longing that she feels, the same way Nacha has experienced a longing of her own after eating the icing containing Tita’s tears. In a way her tears must produce a magical spell.

Strategies:
Here I am making a prediction about what will happen in the subsequent part of the book.

7.
Text:
“She and her sisters were taking a quiet carriage ride when some boys set off a firecracker. The frightened horses bolted. When they came to the edge of the village, they ran wild and the driver could not control them” (Page 37, Paragraph 7).

Reflection:
Here I am picturing a firecracker bursting into the sky, in very close proximity to the carriage which held Tita and her sisters, lighting up the sky in designs of different shapes. I can also imagine the thunderous sound of the firecracker and the noise the horses must have made when they began to quickly and abruptly gallop away. I am picturing the horses galloping at a dangerous pace toward the edge of the village, while Tita and her sisters are uncontrollably bounced up and down in the carriage. I can also imagine all of the confusion and fear in each of the sisters’ expressions.

Strategies:
Here I am using the visualization technique once again, to picture the events which are described in the book. I am illustrating the story by creating my own images (and sounds in this case) in my mind, using the words on the page in combination with my prior experiences.

8.
Text:
“Pedro, holding her much closer than convention allowed, took advantage of this unique opportunity to whisper in Tita’s ear: ‘I am sure I will be, since through this marriage I have gained what I really wanted: the chance to be near you, the woman I really love…’”(Page 38, Paragraph 5-6).

Reflection:
I wonder how Pedro plans to be happy living with Tita, when he is married to her sister. Technically, he will be closer to her, yet she is forbidden because she is his wife’s sister. Therefore, even though she is close in proximity, she will probably feel even further away than before. Will they sneak around? Will this actually make either one of them happy?

Strategies:
Here I am questioning the text in order to better understand the text and the characters within the text. I will have to read on in order to gain possible answers to these questions.

9.
Text:
“The moment they took their first bite of cake, everyone was flooded with a great wave of longing” (Page 39, Paragraph 2).

Reflection:
Here, my prediction was proved accurate. I predicted that Tita’s tears had affected the cake and that whoever ate a piece would experience longing. And this is, indeed, exactly what happened at the wedding.

Strategies:
This is a perfect example of how a fix-up works. I developed a simple theory and by reading-on, I was able to see my prediction confirmed in the text.

10.
Text:
“What motivated such a monstrous punishment was Mama Elena’s conviction that Tita, in league with Nacha, had deliberately ruined Rosaura’s wedding by mixing an emetic into the cake” (Page 41, Paragraph 2, or First full paragraph).

Reflection:
While reading this portion of the text, I came across the word ‘emetic,’ I had never heard of this word before. By using the context clues found in the prior pages of the story it is very simple to figure out a general meaning of this word. I suspect that this word means an agent that causes vomiting. However, it may be useful to look up the specific definition of the word, incase, I am missing a significant part of the definition or a possible alternative definition. (Emetic means causing vomiting, as a medicinal substance.)

Strategies:
Here I used both context clues and looked up the meaning of a word in order to better understand the text.

Notes*

I have also chosen to enhance this portion of the reading guide by including both the paragraph number and the page number, when citing the text. In the first portion of this reading guide (blog #2) I had only included the page number. However, after reading my partner’s blog entries, I noted the fact that he tends to include both the page and paragraph numbers, which I feel could be potentially very useful and convenient to both my partner and other readers.

For this blog, I have also incorporated my use of discipline-specific strategies, such as identifying symbolism and metaphorical language.

In this blog, I have also included images for each of the two instances where I used the visualization technique during my reading of this section of the text, which were reflection number two (image: falling apricots) and refection number seven (image: running horses-pulling a carriage). I have continued the pattern of incorporating images in my blogs because my partner prefers to utilize the visualization technique over any other strategy when reading. These images can be found at the top of the blog.

My Analyzation Of My Metacognative Content Area Reading Process (Part II)

The Mexican flag








Mexican Christmas Rolls

The book cover

I have recently realized that in my previous blog, I jumped right into the individual instances where I used metacognitive strategies during my reading and failed to provide a general overview and background information for the text. I apologize for that and will do so in the following paragraphs.

The book I chose to read for my content area text is entitled Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquirel. I had originally planned to read this book with my twelfth grade English class during the time I was student teaching. However, the first two books we read took up the entire semester and we never got up to this one. I chose this book from the literature list which the school provided for the twelfth grade level. I had never read or heard of any other pieces by Esquirel, however my cooperating teacher had advised me that this was a good book to choose.

Like Water for Chocolate is a piece of fictional literature. The setting of the story is Mexico, during the turn of the twentieth century. The story focuses on a character named Tita De La Garza, the youngest daughter of the De La Garza family. Although Tita is in love with a boy named Pedro Muzquiz, she cannot be with him because of the fact that her role as youngest daughter, in the Mexican tradition, requires her to refuse marriage and live at home in order to take care of her mother until she dies. To make matters worse, her mother has offered Tita's sister to Pedro and Pedro has accepted.

The story is structured in monthly installments. The story takes place over the span of one year and each of the twelve chapters is titled with one month out of that year. Each chapter also begins by describing a traditional Mexican recipe. Food and cooking are significant to both Tita and the story. In essence, this book is both a novel and a Mexican cookbook.

The author, Laura Esquirel, was born in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1950. Aside from her work as an author, she was also a kindergarten teacher and a screen writer of children’s television shows during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Other works by Esquirel include, The Law of Love (1996), Swift as Desire (2001), and Malinche (2006).

The section of the book which I chose to work with is chapter one, entitled “January (Christmas Rolls)”.

Images

Above I have included three images. I have included these images because my partner, Matt, has stated that he prefers to use the metacognitive strategy- visualizing, when he is reading a text. I thought these images might help him visualize this particular text.

The first image is of the Mexican flag. This story is about a Mexican family and takes place in Mexico. Mexican traditions are very significant to the story. Therefore, I thought this was an appropriate image for this text.

The second image is of Mexican Christmas rolls, which are described in the chapter I am working with. Food is very significant and so is the process of cooking. This is why I chose this particular image.

The third and final image is of the book cover. The book cover illustrates Tita, the main character. In my experience it is nice to have an idea of how the main character looks. This usually helps to better visualize the text. Also, in this illustration, she is cooking, this helps demonstrate the importance of cooking in her life. Lastly, her facial expression is one of agony, this may provide further insight into this character and her struggle.

My Analyzation Of My Metacognative Content Area Reading Process

Throughout my careful reading of my self-chosen text, I have employed the strategies listed on our assignment prompt sheet, including making predictions, visualizing, making connections, identifying problems, and using fix-ups.
However, I also used additional strategies such as looking up unfamiliar words, making inferences, clarifying, and questioning the text, simultaneously, keeping the Daniels and Zemelman text in mind.
Keeping our goals in mind, I have organized each of my reflections into three parts, the first, a direct quote from the text; the second, my reflection; and the third, the strategies which I have used. The following is the reading guide I have created in the process.


1.
Text:
“Take care to chop the onion fine. To keep from crying when you chop it (which is so annoying!), I suggest you place a little bit on your head” (5).
Reflection:
When the text states ‘I suggest you place a little bit on your head,’ do they mean a little bit of chopped onion? (The prior sentence suggests that it is the chopped onion which the narrator is referring to.)
Strategies:
Here, I am confused, so I am questioning the text. Then I use a context clue found in the prior sentence to come to a conclusion.

2.
Text:
“Since there was no such thing as powdered milk in those days, and they couldn’t find a wet nurse anywhere, they were in a panic to satisfy the infant’s hunger” (6).
Reflection:
Since the quote states the words ‘those days,’ I am assuming that this event took place long ago, or at least before powdered milk was invented.
Strategies:
Here I made an assumption/inference based on key words found in the sentence.

3.
Text:
“Likewise for Tita the joy of living was wrapped up in the delights of food” (7).
Reflection:
I predict that food will be a central theme in this story.
Strategies:
I made this prediction because the author associates and makes a connection between ‘the joy of living’ and ‘the delights of food.’

4.
Text:
“While Tita was singing and waving her wet hands in time, showering drops of water down on the griddle so they would ‘dance,’ Rosaura was cowering in the corner, stunned by the display. Gertrudis, on the other hand, found this game enticing, and she threw herself into it with the enthusiasm she always showed where, rhythm, movement, or music were involved” (8).
Reflection:
Who are the two girls mentioned in this passage, ‘Rosaura’ and ‘Gertrudis’? (I believe they are Tita’s two sisters, because I looked back at the text, re-read and looked for clues. The prior sentence states, “Tita managed to convince them to join her in watching the dazzling display made by dancing water drops dribbled on a red hot griddle.” In order to figure out who ‘them’ is referring to, I went further back in the text. The sentence before that sentence stated “Her sisters were just the opposite: to them, Tita’s world seemed full of unknown dangers, and they were terrified of it.” I can now conclude that ‘Rosaura’ and ‘Gertrudis’ are Tita’s two sisters.)
Strategies:
I began by questioning the text where I became lost and confused. I resolved/ fixed-up the issue by going back and re-reading the text in order to clarify what I was reading.

5.
Text:
“All the women in the family had to participate: Mama Elena; her daughters, Gertrudis, Rosaura, and Tita; Nacha, the cook; and Chencha, the maid” (9).
Reflection:
Based on this portion of text, I would infer that this family considers the cook and the maid to be a part of their family.
Strategies:
Here I have made a text based inference. I base this inference on the fact that the text states that “All the women in the family had to participate,” and proceeds to list not only the actually female family members, but also the cook and the maid.

6.
Text:
“When it was all finished, they went to their bedrooms to read, say their prayers, and go to sleep” (10).
Reflection:
Based on this passage in text, I would infer that this family is religious.
Strategies:
Here I have made a text based inference. I base this inference on the fact that the text states that they would all “say their prayers” before they would go to sleep.

7.
Text:
“Tita knew that discussion was not one of the forms of communication permitted in Mama Elena’s household, but even so, for the first time in her life, she intended to protest her mother’s ruling” (11).
Reflection:
I predict that Tita will eventually go against her mother’s wishes later in the story.
Strategies:
Here I have made a prediction concerning what will happen later in the text. I base this prediction on the fact that this is the first time Tita has ever ‘intended to protest her mother’s ruling,’ which suggests that she feels very passionately about this particular issue.

8.
Text:
“What passed for communication between them resumed when Mama Elena, who was inspecting the clothes each of the women had been sewing, discovered that Tita’s creation, which was the most perfect, had not been basted before it was sewed” (12).
Reflection:
I picture a designated sewing room, where each of the five women, sitting in a row, at individual tables, are diligently sewing away at their creations, while Mama Elena, both hands behind her back, walks by and stops at each and every one of their stations in order to critique their work like a drill instructor.
Strategies:
Here I am visualizing what I imagine is going on in this scene of the text based on a combination of descriptions in the text and what I have seen before in real life, on television, and in movies.

9.
Text:
“Mama Elena took comfort in the hope that she had finally managed to subdue her youngest daughter” (13).
Reflection:
What does the word subdue mean? I think I will have to look up the definition of the word subdue. (Subdue means to conquer and bring into subjection.)
Strategies:
Here I had to look up the meaning of a word in order to clarify and understand the intention of the text.

10.
Text:
“Tita knew Chencha sometimes exaggerated and distorted things, so she held her aching heart in check” (14).
Reflection:
Based on this passage, it seems as if Tita may be in love with Pedro, or at the least have some type of feelings for him.
Strategies:
Here I have made another inference based on both the text and my prior knowledge. The text states that Tita ‘held her aching heart in check’ at the idea that her mother had offered her older sister in substitution of Tita. Based on my prior knowledge about love and feelings, Tita’s heart would not ‘ache’ at this idea, unless she cared for Pedro.

11.
Text:
“That overpowering chill lasted a long time, and she could find no respite, not even when Nacha told her what she had overheard as she escorted Don Pascual Muzquiz and his son to the ranch’s gate” (15).
Reflection:
What does the word respite mean? I think I will have to look up the definition of the word respite. (Respite means a delay or cessation for a time, esp. of anything distressing or trying; an interval of relief: to toil without respite.)
Strategies:
Here I had to look up the meaning of a word in order to clarify and understand the intention of the text.

12.
Text:
“A deep flush suffused her face and no matter how she tried she could not find a place for her eyes to rest” (16).
Reflection:
What does the word suffused mean? I think I will have to look up the definition of the word suffused. (Suffuse means to overspread with or as with a liquid, color, etc.)
Strategies:
Here I had to look up the meaning of a word in order to clarify and understand the intention of the text.

13.
Text:
“Tita’s fear of her mother was enough to make her forget about Pedro for a moment, and she applied herself to convincing Paquita, any way she could, that she was thinking clearly, that her mind was alert” (17).
Reflection:
Why is Tita so afraid of her mother? Maybe I’ll need to read on in order to find out.
Strategies:
Here I am questioning the text in order to better understand the text and the characters within the text.

14.
Text:
“I know this declaration is presumptuous, and it’s quite sudden, but it’s so hard to get near you that I decided to tell you tonight” (18).
Reflection:
What does the word presumptuous mean? I think I will have to look up the definition of the word presumptuous. (Presumptuous means unwarrantedly or impertinently bold; forward.)
Strategies:
Here I had to look up the meaning of a word in order to understand the intention of the text.

15.
Text:
“It wasn’t decent to desire your sister’s future husband” (18-19).
Reflection:
This is a confirmation of what I originally speculated earlier in the text (that Tita may be in love with Pedro). Tita is in love with Pedro. She clearly‘desire[s] [her] sister’s future husband’ as demonstrated by the text.
Strategies:
By using a fix-up method, which, in this case, is reading on and by making a connection between this passage and the passage I had read earlier, I was able to clarify one aspect of the text.

16.
Text:
“This preserving technique had been employed on the ranch since time immemorial to ensure a supply of this nourishing and indispensable food throughout the winter” (25).
Reflection:
What does the word immemorial mean? I think I will have to look up the definition of the word immemorial. (Immemorial means extending back beyond memory, record, or knowledge: from time immemorial.)
Strategies:
Here I had to look up the meaning of a word. This helped clarify the intention of the text.

17.
Text:
“If you want them to keep for more than a year, place the eggs in an earthenware crock and cover them with a ten-percent lime solution” (26).
Reflection:
This is probably similar to how they preserve some types of food in order to store them at the supermarket while they sit on shelves waiting to be sold.
Strategies:
Here I am making a connection to my prior knowledge of this subject.

18.
Text:
“‘I won’t stand for disobedience,’ Mama Elena told her, ‘nor am I going to allow you to ruin your sister’s wedding, with your acting like a victim. You’re in charge of all the preparations starting now, and don’t ever let me catch you with a single tear or even a long face, do you hear?’” (27).
Reflection:
I picture Mama Elena standing over Tita in a very intimidating way, delivering this dialogue in a very hostile tone, with a very cold expression on her face.
Strategies:
Here I am visualizing the events based on the description in the text. I am attempting to put myself in the scene.

19.
Text:
“In a frenzy Tita beat, beat, beat the cake batter, as if she wanted to complete her martyrdom once and for all” (27-28).
Reflection:
What does the word martyrdom mean? I think I will have to look up the definition of the word martyrdom. (Martyrdom means suffering endured for sake of a cause.)
Strategies:
Here I had to look up the meaning of a word. This helped clarify the intention of the text.

20.
Text:
“Nacha stopped Tita’s stirring because she felt that Tita was on the verge of a nervous collapse; though she didn’t know the word for Tita’s condition, she was wise enough to realize that Tita could not go on” (29).
Reflection:
In the next part I think that Tita may have some type of psychological breakdown, possibly slip into a state of serious depression.
Strategies:
Here I am making a prediction concerning what may happen next in the story. I base this prediction on the text’s description of what Nacha was witnessing happen to Tita.

My Literacy Autobiography

My earliest memories of literacy development are of reading and writing in kindergarten. I remember being fascinated by the picture books that the teacher kept in a crate by her desk. During playtime, I would choose one and proceed to sit in a corner of the classroom reading and looking at the images all by myself. I figured that I could always play at home, but I could not read at home because sadly there weren't any books in my house. As for writing, I recall practicing our writing skills in our marble notebooks each and everyday.

English has always been my favorite subject and my biggest strength. However, I don’t remember learning to read at all and I only remember little of learning how to write but I always loved to do both and never truly struggled to do either.

Before I entered school, I never read and no one had ever read to me. However, once I entered kindergarten I read as many books as I could get my hands on. As far as learning how to write goes, I only remember learning how to write letters. I had a thin blue workbook with all of the letters in it and the teacher made us practice by copying each letter over and over again in the workbook.

At the age of six, I remember my Aunt drilling me on the week’s spelling words each and every week night, in the kitchen, while she cooked dinner and I sat at the head of the kitchen table. There were always ten words to study each week. She would keep drilling me until I spelled every word correctly or until dinner was ready, whichever came first.

In my early elementary school years, I remember many occasions where I would read an entire book and complete the book report to accompany it all by myself in one evening.

In my later elementary school years, I remember being behind in math and being placed in a resource room environment. I would work one on one with my resource room teacher, Mrs. Harfosh, on math word problems. It was so completely frustrating because I could never seem to get math, especially long division. I would get so frustrated that I would want to cry.

Throughout all of my elementary school years, I remember that each time I visited my grandmother she would sit on her steps with me and help me with my homework. These were some of the best times. She was very encouraging. These are fond memories to me.

In the first two years of middle school, I remember having continued difficulty in math and being assigned to work one on one and receive peer tutoring from my middle school crush, Steven Lee. He actually helped me improve my math skills believe it or not. I took a liking to math for a brief time in my life.

In the beginning of each summer in middle school, I remember going to the local library and struggling to find the most interesting books on the assigned summer reading list. I always looked for a book about the adventures of a young girl around my age. I suppose I felt that I would then be able to relate to the character better.

I remember that Go Ask Alice was the only book I read for pleasure in my entire three years of middle school. I read for pleasure a lot in elementary school, fell off the wagon in middle school, and then started up again in high school. To this day I still love reading.

Beginning around the age of twelve, I remember keeping a journal as a way to use writing in a therapeutic way to get through a really difficult and traumatic event that happened in my life. I believe it helped in a lot of ways.

In my sophomore year of high school, I remember voluntarily staying after school three days a week for a special SAT prep program that was offered at my school. I liked it and met many friends there.

Throughout high school I enjoyed reading magazines such as Seventeen and Cosmopolitan. I found these magazines very fascinating. I liked to read about both fashion and romantic relationships. I suppose I was a typical teenage girl in that sense.

I remember always writing and keeping marble notebooks full of poetry throughout elementary, middle school, and high school. Once I got into college, I could never seem to find the time to do so anymore.

In my early college years I created both Myspace and Facebook pages that I would use to keep in touch with friends and family. I enjoyed reading messages from others and creating message responses. I also liked to read comments posted by my friends and others. I believe that these sites are very valuable.

I remember the first time I encountered language that I found too difficult and too advanced for me in a literature course I took early in my undergraduate years. It was very frustrating. However, once I overcame the language and worked through it, I felt a lot of pride and satisfaction.

I remember going to Italy for four weeks in the summer of 2006 and not being able to understand or communicate with the people. This was also frustrating. I did not like it at all. I felt very out of my comfort zone and vulnerable.

The most recent literacy memory I have is from this past summer. I took an autobiographical writing course. This was some of the most difficult writing I have ever had to do in my life. I had to write about my life, myself, relationships, and past events. It was very challenging for me in many ways.