For my midterm paper, I argued a queer interpretation of “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. Although I am not sure how effective my argument was, I was able to draw on the physical intimacy between the singer and Jolene, which then segued into the song potentially being about a rivalry between “my man” and the singer for Jolene’s love. Finally, I made sure to address any naysayers by saying Parton borrowed from queer culture and fashioned the song like a beard.
I would say I think my argument was interesting at the least. I think someone could read it and be intrigued by my thoughts, especially since country music isn’t per se inclusive of an LGBT lifestyle. I think my midterm paper takes the reader on a ride and potentially changes their view of the song, and maybe invites them to question other songs they’ve listened to.
There were some parts of my midterm paper where it felt incredibly disjointed. I think my premise was a good one, but I am not sure how well I implemented it. I struggled to make sure all of my thoughts were clear on the paper because it felt like language failed me in those moments. I might have been able to make more sense, especially with the romantic feelings for Jolene, if I could bring in every line and reinterpret it for the reader, but doing so would add far too many words and take away from the reader forming their own opinion on the validity of my argument in general cases. Additionally, I am not sure how well my transitions translated, and it is possible that the structure of my paper made it more difficult to transition well. I just felt like my paragraphs were disjointed and didn’t flow well into the next thought.
It would be nice to work more on my organizational and transition skills for writing. By not having a honed skillset in this area, I am deterring from my argument and causing the reader to do more work on my behalf. I imagine such a skill would help beyond a writing class as well.