Fathia Qandeel

Professor Von Uhl 

Individual and Society H8

7 November 2021

Exploratory Essay Reflection

     I was first torn between the two texts “A Rose for Emily ” and “A Country Doctor,” and couldn’t decide which to use. Both piqued my interest and accurately depicted Freud’s psychoanalytical principles. After some consideration, I decided on a country doctor, not only because of Freud’s work but also because I was able to thoroughly explore the story of “A Country doctor”.Through the evidence I uncovered in the text, I was able to define Freud’s dreamwork words manifest content, latent content, and condensation. I realized that there is always a deeper meaning behind the surface of a piece that we may not understand or recognize when we first read it. When I was writing my introduction, I was undecided about what I wanted to write for my thesis, so I created a rough thesis and moved on to the rest of my essay. As I had a better understanding of the material, I was able to figure out what point I was making and how I wanted to proceed with my essay. Since my thesis was on a dream’s complete hidden significance, Freud’s concept of latent content came in handy.

     As I moved into my body paragraphs, I struggled to ensure that I wasn’t over-explaining or providing too many examples, which would negatively impact the tone of my essay. Peer evaluations and the writing center, on the other hand, assisted me in breaking down this problem, and now I simply employ the material I truly require to recognize my point. I enjoyed defining Sigmund Freud’s words and the parts of the story that depicted his ideas. I had the impression that I completely grasped his ideas. It piqued my curiosity to the point where I began utilizing his terminology to define my own dreams in order to comprehend their meaning. As my essay came to a close, I had some difficulty writing my conclusion, but I felt like I had a better understanding of how to write it than the last essay I had written. I avoided overthinking the ending and instead kept it brief, summarizing the essay and including my thesis.

       The exploratory essay helped be engage and develop strong course learning outcomes. One of the learning outcomes I noticed I engaged in was “ Develop strategies for reading, drafting, revising, and editing” (Syllabus). When I originally began writing my essay, all I had was a tiny list of what I wanted to write and where I wanted to write it. I drafted the rest of my essay three to four times. I realized that starting my thesis but continuing my essay while I alter my thesis is something I found valuable when composing. Writing this article also allowed me to interact with other students in the class, on a similar topic which aided me in branching out and expanding my essay. Overall I believe that I was able to grow writing this essay and I feel stronger as a writer compared to the last essay. 

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