After studying English Composition II for one semester, I feel that I have benefited a lot. Because I met a very good professor, he taught us to get out of our comfort zone, dare to express our opinions in class, and taught us in detail how to develop in the face of different essays. I admit that I am a relatively introverted person, and sometimes it is difficult to talk to strangers first. But through group activities, I gradually adapted to this kind of activity and actively communicated various ideas with the group members. It made me feel a change in myself and I am happy about it, all thanks to prof. Jwendlen Z Nivens. Not only a personality change but more experience in writing.

     The first point I got is to develop confidence as a writer. To be honest, I didn’t have much confidence in the class at first. Because as a non-native speaker, I am skeptical about my writing level. Because I don’t know how to develop the direction of the content, whether there is a format to plan the arrangement of articles or paragraphs. So I was worried that I would write poorly. But there is a turning point, the professor will let us have a free writing activity before class every day. He would come up with a topic and let us feel free to write about anything about it. There was no right or wrong answer, we could say whatever we wanted about the topic. This also made me gradually confident in writing. I can freely develop my ideas in subsequent articles instead of writing some general content because I am afraid of being right or wrong. I will add more details and reference examples to support my arguments, thus making my content more fleshed out and believable. So I think it is very important to be confident as a writer.

     The second point I have learned is to develop strengths and weaknesses. For this is a step to make your composition more outstanding. For example, when I first started, the content I wrote was relatively general. Moreover, the article lacks rules and regulations and does not have a reasonable content arrangement. These are my weaknesses in writing essays at the beginning. But after learning this course, the professor taught us many ways to write essays. For example, we need a strong Intro to attract readers’ attention. We can use rhetorical questions or tell a joke to make our introduction more interesting to achieve this goal. Then there is a need for hooks. Many times we are not limited to describing one thing, but more about the details. For example, “seeing, hearing, smelling, touching” and other subjective feelings to describe your feelings at that time, so that readers can better empathize with what you describe. Of course, these are also related to a point “Write a complex and well-reasoned composition in language, style, and structure appropriate to purpose and audience”. Because we first need to know what type of people our potential audience is. Then we will take different ways and detailed details to write different types of articles. Therefore, learning to be good at developing one’s strengths and discovering one’s weaknesses, and correcting them is the correct way to write a good article.

     The last two important points are “Having fun as a writer” and “Engaging in a writing process”. Although many times, we may not be very interested in the topic of the article that needs to be written, and when we have to write, we have to explore more fun. Even if the topic is boring, we can still support our point of view with more interesting examples and facts in it. As a writer, we must make ourselves happy in the process of writing, expressing our favorite ideas and resonating with more readers is our top priority. If you hate this article, you can’t write an attractive and good article with this attitude. At the same time, we must actively participate in the writing process. For example, we will observe the articles of our peers and comment on their articles. Of course, the professor will also give everyone corresponding comments. We need to consult more opinions from peers and professors, because usually what we write is our idea. It’s not necessarily the best and most comprehensive. Through the opinions of others, we can better modify our articles and improve the deficiencies of the articles to get A+ with a higher probability. No one will refuse the opportunity to get A+, right? So I am very grateful that I took this course and let myself learn so many writing skills. At the same time, I learned how to better communicate with my peers and complete group assignments together. All this has benefited me a lot, and I believe that passing this course will have a lasting impact on my future life.

In Zhaofeng’s essay, he said: “She got pregnant, and b didn’t want to take the responsibility. This- means that most men only have ideas about women’s bodies and mistakenly think that they like each other, ”  I totally agree with what he said. Because in this story, B’s feelings for Fantomina always fade away quickly no matter what kind of Fantomina he encounters. This shows that b just likes the freshness of different women, and once they have sex, the feelings will disappear quickly. B even hides it from Fantomina and makes an excuse to date “another” Fantomina. This fully shows how irresponsible B is and reflects the serious sexism problem in today’s society. But I do not quite agree with what he said “so they take no responsibility afterward” because B was tricked by Fantomina, so that’s why he doesn’t believe that was his child. Actually, it’s a tricky situation here. 

     And about Jennifer Tamayo, I agree with the said “In this poem, Tamayo expresses the need to respect other people’s bodies and not to use other people’s bodies to masturbate at will. Tamayo concerns herself with her body, her father’s body, and her lovers’ bodies, then integrate these feelings into her poem. ”  Women certainly need some rights and the strength to protect themselves, but more people need to change their ideas of sexism in order to better protect the female group. Although this is a difficult thing to change, we still need to work on it. For the magazine, I agree with his point and It reminds me of the abortion laws discussed in the US some time ago. It has been asked whether a 16-year-old girl should have a child if she was raped and became pregnant. This also reflects the problem of sexism in society, some people think that this is a lively girl should give birth to him. But just imagine how a 16-year-old girl could be capable of taking care of another life, and a pregnancy caused by a violated body. This is very unfair to women. So Zhaofeng summed it up nicely at the end: “Although it may be a bit disrespectful to some strong women, I think women’s bodies are weaker and more vulnerable than men’s bodies, so women should get more protection, and men should not be the perpetrators, and women should have more power to protect their bodies. Put an end to the concept of gender discrimination.”

  It is undeniable that there are various problems in American society. Issues such as racial discrimination, and the gap between the rich and the poor exist and affect people’s daily lives. And the severity of the subject we are discussing today is no less than the above examples – sexism. Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one’s sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles. It is worth mentioning that sexism also exists in all aspects of society. Therefore, it is also one of the social problems that we cannot ignore and need to solve.

     The novella opens at a theater. A beautiful, distinguished, witty lady, who is called Fantomina, is attending the Playhouse. Rather than watching the play, she observes the behavior of the aristocratic males also attending the theatre, watching how they react to the prostitutes in the ‘Pit’ below. But it occurred to her that she wanted to get involved by imitating the behavior of a prostitute and seeing how men would treat her. She did and got a lot of men to approach, but then she found a different man – Beauplaisir. He treated Fantomina differently from other men and was attracted to her. But he was desperate to have sex with Fantomina. This makes Fantomina very tangled because she is a traditional conservative woman. But with a man she loves and a desire to keep her chastity, Fantomina decides to hide her true identity and have sex with a man through role-playing.

     The first character she pretends to be is the daughter of a Country Gentleman. She convinces Beauplaisir of her identity through a series of arrangements while having sex with him. But the male lead quickly tires of his feelings for her. To regain his attention, Fantomina created a second character – Celia, in a maid’s uniform, a broad country accent, and a generally unrefined demeanor. Having sex with Beauplaisir while helping Beauplaisir’s room. But unsurprisingly, the man quickly tires of the relationship again. Fantomina changed her identity again as she drove to Paris. Her new disguise is a widow’s dress, with hair tightly done up. She calls herself Widow Bloomer. Guided by fake stories and words, they have sex again on the way to London. Realizing that Beauplaisir is growing tired of all her current disguises, Fantomin disguised himself as a House staffer named Incognita. She hides her features through a mask and attracts Beauplaisir again with a gorgeous costume. So they have sex again. But this series of behaviors led to her pregnancy. Fantomina’s mother asked Beauplaisir for his opinion after learning about it, but he refused to admit that the child was his own. So Fantomina decided to go to the monastery after giving birth and refused Beauplaisir’s visit. This is the outline of the story in this book.

     Among other things, the book satirizes claims to control female sexuality. The motivation behind Fantomina’s actions throughout the entirety of Haywood’s novellas is freedom from the constraints that accompany her role in society as a lady. Most importantly, this is inclusive of sexual freedom: without her usual upper-class dress, she can now interact with men without any judgment. Fantomina thereby possesses control over the expression of her female sexuality and refuses to conform to the constraints of a society that expects women to only become sexually active as a man’s wife. It is therefore ironic that at the end of the story, despite her greatest efforts, Fantomina goes into labor and is finally a slave to the bodily functions that only occur to the female sex. Fantomina has fought for the entire novella to dictate her own secret desires, only to be forced to submit and admit to the societal bonds that her status as a female imposes on her.

     The second example is Not my responsibility by Billie Eilish. It’s a short film that posts by Billie Eilish on Jul 30, 2021. In the short film, she bluntly addresses examples of sexism she encounters. Eilish said she hated her body. “I would have done anything to be in a different one. It’s funny because when you’re a little kid, you don’t think of your body at all. And all of a sudden, you look down and like, whoa. What can I do to make this go away?” From her words, we can know how seriously people in today’s society discriminate against women, no matter if she is an ordinary people or a star. This can’t help but remind us of the norms of women in society. For example, women should be regulated to be “perfect women” from an early age, they should manage their bodies, do laundry and cook at home and take care of children. At the same time, you have to protect your virginity for your husband. This is a very serious sexism issue. This feudal idea is shackled and disrespectful to women. In American society’s belief in freedom, everyone should have the right to make their own decisions. Whether male or female, they can choose whatever they want to do. Even women can choose to be a doctor, a lawyer, or a teacher. They should not be required by feudal ideology and normative behavior to become a “full-time wife”.

     The last example is called Purl, directed by Kristen Lester and produced by Gillian Libbert-Duncan on Feb 4, 2019. It’s talking about a ball of yarn named Purl who gets a job in a fast-paced, high-energy, bro-tastic start-up. Obviously, she suffered from male discrimination

in the beginning, and then she began to learn how her colleagues dressed, behaved, and talked. Then finally she became more aggressive, more serious, and sharper dressed to be seen by her colleagues’ nevermind taken seriously. But in the end, a ball of yarn like her came, which made her realize her mistake and changed the atmosphere of the whole environment through herself. From this example, we can learn that gender discrimination is not only in the norms of women but also in the workplace. A lot of times, many people will think that men are more capable and capable of handling things than women and therefore men should be paid more. This is very wrong and discriminatory against women (sexism). Because in America, women have the same rights as men. They have the right to study with and compete with men. To be precise, it should enjoy all rights equal to men. So this means that women are not necessarily inferior to men in ability, they should have the right to prove themselves through their abilities. Rather than being oppressed and restricted by the wrong ideas of this society. Overall, the issue of sexism is still a social issue that people need to focus on and correct.

The story of this article roughly revolves around a woman named Fantomina and a man named Beauplaisir. The general narrative of the story is that Fantomina, a beautiful and noble woman, is attending the Playhouse. Rather than watching the play, she observes the behavior of the aristocratic males also attending the theatre, watching how they react to the prostitutes in the ‘Pit’ below. The protagonist muses how some men could have such high class and manners, yet act depravedly. So she decided to imitate The behavior of a prostitute showing how popular she would be with men. Then she met Beauplaisir and had sex with him by playing different roles. But Beauplaisir has no deep doubts about it. Eventually, Fantomina became pregnant with his child and refused Beauplaisir’s concern.

     But the article has some interesting details. For example, the author writes: “imagining a world of satisfaction to herself in engaging him in the character of such a one, and in observing the surprise he would be in to find himself refused by a woman who he supposedly granted her favors without exception.” With this evidence, we can learn that it reveals her desire to occupy a position of power. She takes pleasure in the idea of undermining Beauplaisir’s sense of control and dominance by turning him down after leading him to expect that she will have sex with him. But there are The clip shows that a protagonist is a traditional person in the beginning, and she wants to protect her purity and virtue. But in the end, it was also guided by the yearning for happiness and freedom to become a different kind of person.

      Another example will be “Thus did the lady’s vivacity and wit assist her in all but where it was most needful. She had the discernment to foresee and avoid all the ills which might attend the loss of her reputation. Still, she was wholly blind to those of the ruin of her virtue, and having managed her affairs so as to secure the one, grew perfectly easy with the remembrance she had forfeited the other.” From this quote, we can see that she is remarkably intelligent and calculating, and yet at the same time, she can be very naïve. She readily comes up with a lie that ensures no one will know she has spent the night with Beauplaisir and is able to devise a plan enabling her to continue seeing him in secret. In fact, because the protagonist is so confident that she can successfully have an affair while escaping social consequences, she seems to very quickly recover from any guilt or distress she might have felt when she first had sex with Beauplaisir.

     Why choose the path of music? Why can’t you choose a major like finance, or law, or a doctor like a normal person? Music can’t bring you a lot of money, maybe you can only earn change on the roadside or subway station with a guitar in the future. I’ve heard this question countless times before, and this time it made me question my inner choices. But should everyone choose a major that everyone thinks will make money, like most people, and live the same life day after day? No, I don’t agree with this kind of life. I have the right to choose what I like and I am willing to work hard for it. Even if it doesn’t give much wealth. But at least I’m willing to try, just so that I won’t regret in the days to come that I’ve chosen the same life as most people. This is who am I. My name is Haoyuan Xu and you can call me Dylan. A guitarist, a big fan of music, the one who is obsessed with computer games, these are part of me. I was born in China twenty-three years ago. I came from a widespread family, neither rich nor broke. But my life experience is destined to be full of changes.

     I am currently living in Brooklyn, New York City, with my family in a two-bedroom apartment. The journey from an urban area of China to perhaps the world’s most cosmopolitan city was a big change for my whole family and me. My mother became the provider, she has to work very hard to earn money to keep us alive. So once when we came to NYC, we faced immense economic problems. Even though I had access to free education, the pressure of paying rent, transportation, and cost of living is still present. My mother finally found a job as Shirtwaist Maker in the factory. The job pays for our survival, but it also takes a heavy toll on her body. She was suffering from cracked skin and bone and that broke my heart. I was trying to help, but I can’t earn so much money because I am a teenager. Fortunately, I was able to find a part-time job to provide for my daily needs. The left all goes to my mom. Even though it cannot help a lot, I feel like this is the least I can do.

      But it turns out that changing from one lifestyle to another is not that easy. A new language, a new culture, and even new academic subjects, just like you are going to learn all the different things from a new life. Although I was put in an ESL class, most of my classmates have a strong academic background. But I had to learn all the subjects from practically the ground up. I tried hard, but it was really hard when everyone was sprinting and I was still learning how to walk. I have to spend a lot of time catching up because I know that my future is counting on it. 

      Afterward, there was one thing that made me understand how important it is to improve my literacy. Because I realized that I am the only one who knows English, which means I have the responsibility to take care of my family. A lot of times, I have to help my family members deal with most things. I remember that it was not long after I came to America, that my grandparents hoped I could help them to apply for the SSI. That was the first time I felt so embarrassed because I did not know many professional words but I had to translate for them. Therefore, it was hard to communicate with the staff but luckily we still accomplished this. That was the first time I realized the importance of literacy and made up my mind to learn English well.

        Looking back, my life was not as bad as I thought. An important turning point in my life was when I asked my father to teach me how to play the guitar. Therefore, he tried to search for some scores online and taught me how to press the chord. He did his best to support me to go further and further on the music road. He patiently demonstrated how to play beautiful melodies, even though I did it wrong many times. Learning to play guitar is hard at first because you need to press the strings with your fingertips to the fretboard to prevent the noise, but it also means your fingers will suffer a lot of pain. I also thought about giving up a lot during that time because you need to watch a lot of scores that are full of detailed notes and do a lot of practice every day. My fingers are constantly complaining of its misery. But every time I wanted to give up, the doubts and distrust of those people always came to my mind. The taunts they gave me became the motivation for me to persevere, allowing me to make up my mind to keep practicing. That’s why I finished my first song and performance and got a round of applause from the audience. So sometimes I’m grateful for the questioning and sarcasm that some people used to say to me, so I can slide my fingers, press every string, play every note, and complete a beautiful piece of music.

     All in all, I know that it’s tough to get used to a new society. But I am trying my best to fit into it. I will try harder to communicate with people to improve my speaking and listening, although I am not very good at these things yet. I will try to participate in more social activities so that I can truly integrate into the lifestyle of people in the new society. And I will make what I love —— music, more brilliant in the new society.

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