D.W. Harding comments paragraph

Is Collins funny or is he a nightmare?

Mr. Collins' character and personality is exaggerated throughout the novel. Mr. Collins' immature and pompous behavior is pushed to such an extent that he comes off as an annoying nightmare. Although at times he serves as a comical character -- such as the time he sent a letter to the Bennett's about his appearance at the house the following day -- Mr. Collins continues to humiliate himself throughout the novel through acts and comments of stupidity and carelessness. Also, Austen intentionally over exaggerates Mr. Collins' character in order to cover up the slight satires that the main characters shed. Thus, because Mr. Collins is so exaggerated as a satirical character, the reader becomes oblivious to the hidden satires that the normal characters (such as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth) must overcome. Therefore, Austen's intentions were not for Collins to be a funny, comical character, but rather a supercilious and arrogant character that stands out more than the others.

What I need to work on as an English IV Student

I feel that what I really need to work on is my quality of writing and my usage of grammar in writing. I think that I can become a much better writer, but there are a few places where I get stuck. I need to work on being able to make sentences shorter and more concise while still saying the same thing. I also need to work on modifiers and how to use them in my writing.
I also want to work on becoming a better reader and being able to interpret what a book is trying to convey in a faster and more efficient way.

The most important aspects of an essay are....

I believe the most important aspects of an essay include clear, concise writing, creativity, and most importantly as strong essay really proves the writer's point

There were a lot of things I really liked about X for Xander. First, the writer went about a different approach to engage the reader through creativity. Second, the intro paragraph really described the two novels in a very clear and strong way. Lastly, the author of that essay truly stuck with his or her point throughout the whole essay and proved to the reader that their point was the one to believe.

A couple other essays I read were very clear. Mrs Bennett- Austen's Punching Bag was a very clear essay that carried a consistent thought through the whole essay. It gave great examples and the writing style was easy to read and engaging as well.

C2 - Mrs. Bennet: Austen's Punching Bag

This particular essay stood out to me because it was a new idea that no one had gone about doing yet

• Very clear and interesting introduction that makes the reader want to keep reading
• the author makes a stance that has not been made by any other authors, which makes this particular writer stand out 
• Carries the stance through the whole essay
• Author uses good examples to prove his or her point
• Very well written with great ideas too

X is for Xander

After reading 3 more college essays, X for Xander truly stood out to me

• First, the author's witty title completely what the author will state in the future
• This essay really stood out to me because of the style of writing... I like the way the author introduced the essay by setting the scene
• The author sticks with his/her point that he/she states in the introduction and analyzes and expands that point 
• The author understands how to engage the reader
• After reading the intro paragraph, I wanted to read more rather than wanting to stop (as I felt with other college essays)
• Overall, I thought the structure and writing of this essay was a really interesting and fresh outlook on writing and I think the writer did a great job on analyzing and expanding on each point that he/she made. 

M for Mathilda

Out of three essays that I read, M for Mathilda stood out the most in regards to following the rubric.

• The author took a clear stance and described what he/she was going to write about in the future in a specific way
• The author stuck to his/her idea and carried it out through the whole essay
• The author wrote a very concise yet clear thesis
• The author did not overly "narrate" the stories in the novel like some of the other essay writers did
• The author did a good job in not repeating him/herself when it came to reiterating the point that he/she was making through the essay
• Overall, I thought this essay was very clear and made a good strong point, and that is why I liked it the most. 

The utilization of foils and gossipers to introduce characters

Austen introduces characters as foils of oneanother, whereas Hurston introduces characters through the eyes and words of the townspeople.