Annotation Blog #7: Difficulty Papers

1) Summary/ Main Ideas
This reading explains that a  difficulty assignment asks you to look at moments in the text that seemed complex and begin through them to get a better idea of their purpose/ meaning.  The reading explains it as: "Difficulty papers are essays that ask students to locate, describe, hypothesize, and reflect on moment s of difficulty through writing."These assignments allow you to learn what things are difficult for you ad to begin helping you figure them out and practice supporting the conclusions you come up with evidence form the text. There are 4 steps after reading the text to identify your difficulties:
1. name a place that was difficult for you- helps you pick something small or specific in the text
2. In your writing, begin to work through this place- start small and work outward
3.re-read hat you have written and go back to the text one more time
4. Now begin spiraling outward- explained outward to the rest of the surrounding scenes, rest of the narrative or argument, to the piece as a whole
Difficulty assignment sound be informal. The writer notes that, "the purpose of this writing is to less argument or answer driven and a bit more exploratory or thinking- oriented." Writing through the process should help generate ideas and have these ideas stick throughout your writing. The goal of using difficulty as a focus for writing, thinking, and exploration  according to the article is to develop and make critical thinking skills stronger and to to develop strategies for figuring things out on your own. By focusing on our difficulties , it becomes a way for readers to work with texts in a new way. When we look at places where we had trouble, we can engage these complexities instead of asking someone for the answer.
2) Quotes & Reactions/ Responses
- "Your writing would take the form of an informal essay"
I was excited when reading this because those are my favorite kinds of essays. When I type formal essays I sound like I'm trying too hard to sound smart.
-"Teachers "solve" difficulty "for" students"
I think this could be correct in the sense that they correct all our homework and grade us based on whether we are right or wrong. We sometimes don't have a chance to go back and see where we make errors.
-"Students do not have difficult, particularly gifted students/ readers those who consistently perform well"
I also disagree with this statement because no one is perfect and everyone struggles with something even if they are "gifted".
3) Questions for Discussion
- Is difficulty papers after a essay to reflect on what what has hard about it?
-I have never heard of this style of writing, is it effective?