For my midterm essay, I chose to write about bell hooks’ piece “Is Paris Burning” and the concept of “the spectacle.” In my argument, I cited page 150 of “Is Paris Burning?” as supporting evidence for Hook’s claim that the documentary undersells drag’s potential and capacity to challenge white supremacist ideologies. Contrary to appearances, the movie is not as inventive. Livingston, on the other hand, produces a work that commercializes a minority group for white spectators. Overall, I enjoyed writing this paper.
These are what I think my strengths were:
- Effectively drawing context
- Thoroughly explaining my points
- Creating one overall argument and tying it back to my evidence throughout the essay
These are what I think my weaknesses were:
- Struggling to make clear connections: I feel as if some of my points were addressed in a very roundabout way. This is also because I struggled with finding the right words at times. I want to work on making my points more concise and straightforward.
- Struggling with transitions: I feel as if I struggled to make my transitions in the essay feel repetitive and choppy. As a result, I tried using a variety of transitions throughout the essay which might have made it feel disjointed and confusing at times.