September 17th Homework

In high school, peer review was usually just an organized way of saying "free time" because it mostly involved chitchat and gossip, rarely any actual constructive advice on the assignment. That being said, peer groups were not always totally useless. In my english classes from freshman to senior year, peer review was an opportunity to see how other students were structuring their papers and how to improve upon my own. Often I would realize subtle mistakes in my writing or get inspiration from other papers.

Because I went to a single sex all girls school, I believe I was more comfortable sharing in peer groups without fear of how I would look in front of a cute boy or a tormenting class clown. I felt even more secure being vocal in my groups as I got older because I knew all of the girls in my class and we were friends. This allowed me to continue to communicate with my peers via Facebook or texting if I had any questions because we became more than just classmates. While sometimes peer groups weren't necessarily beneficial, every once in a while I would get really valuable constructive criticism from a friend that would completely transform my paper.

In the beginning of my sophomore year, in English Honors, I struggled severely. My writing lacked depth and my analytical skills were sub-par at best. The first paper allowed for two peer review sessions, and like my attitude towards many things in high school, I wasn't prepared to take it seriously. Thankfully, I had the smartest girl in my class in my group, and I figured I would just copy her work. What happened instead was something that helped me pass that class with flying colors. When we all switched papers, instead of making red marks all over my page the way I assumed the genius girl would, she had a conversation with me about why I structured my paper the way I did. She then explained to me in the least patronizing way possible why her paper was more effective, while at the same time praising me for my effort. She was honest but not condescending, and it helped immensely. Soon after that we became close and she continued to help me for the rest of the year. Without her I probably wouldn't be considering English as my major right now. Peer groups always have the potential to be extremely valuable, you just have to take advantage of the opportunity.

September 5th Homework

1. The issue in this dialogue is one of a philosophical nature: What is the true meaning of beauty?
2. Atreus is considered the "expert" in this area and initially states that beauty is anything that is appealing to the eyes. Socrates refutes this with the example of beautiful music, extending the definition to include things appealing to the eyes and ears. However, this definition is also incomplete, as Socrates questions intangible beauty, like having a beautiful moral character. As the dialogue continues, Socrates poses the question of whether beauty can be found in both good and bad to which initially Atreus says no because all that is beautiful is good. Socrates makes him contradict himself when presenting the idea of a beautiful yet immoral play, allowing for an infinitely expanding definition of beauty. 
3. The author fairly summarizes each counter argument while maintaining an openness to consider the issue from all sides. The author often concedes an argument but then refutes it with a question (i.e. "But have you thought of this..."). For the most part the author is seemingly conceding but always rebutting an argument and presenting evidence to contradict it.