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During our first scheduled trip into Philadelphia, I found myself constantly comparing the city to New York. Unable to see it individually, my essay reflecting on the experience drew connections to the street, people, and overall feeling of New York and it’s relation to Philadelphia. Unknowingly at the time, I was using this comparison as a lens for how I viewed Philly. Our second self-scheduled trip aided me in seeing Philadelphia separately from New York as I traveled to a section so different from where I’ve been. Visiting Old City Philadelphia allowed me a new view of the city and gave me a full experience of the historical landmarks and galleries.

Our visit to Isaiah Zagar’s Magic Gardens opened up a new writing skill for me. Mosaicking in writing made me more aware of the overall point that was made in each paragraph. We later practiced this technique after visiting Eastern State Penitentiary. Copying and pasting sentences from fellow classmates reiterated the Zagar’s skill that an entire work of art can be created from small scraps of material. The ESP draft helped me construct an essay that clearly contained several lenses from the point of view of prisoners, reformers, guards, and myself.      

Mark also really helped me construct a clear lens and thesis in weekly postings during conferences. The meetings also made me more aware of the “writing games” I played in essays. Beginning this class, I often stated very vague points which I have now corrected and noticed that my writing is much more specific and detailed. Mark’s questioning led me to narrow and articulate my points.

Zadie Smith’s NW was by far my favorite reading of the semester. I immediately fell in love with the characters thanks to how thoroughly developed and complex each was. NW was remarkably honest and realistic as it focused on practical and common problems in relationships and work. I thought Zadie Smith described the bi-cultural and bi-racial barriers between Leah and Michel perfectly, many of which I had picked up between my parents. Several aspects of the story were very relatable which allowed me to incorporate my own experiences into writings and discussions.

I am very glad I was placed in Play in the City as it not only greatly improved my writing and reading skills but also gave me the opportunity to explore Philadelphia through different modes of travel. I thought that the trips planned had an interesting range of visual arts, performing arts, and historical landmarks. Visiting The Barnes Foundation was a big treat and a little overwhelming with so many inspiring and iconic works of art packed together. The layout of the foundation was so different from any I’d been to and spent a lot of time paying attention to the balance of each wall and how pieces spoke and contrasted with one another. Barnes constructed his own work of art through the works of others much like Isaiah Zagar and the mosaicking writing skill we experimented with. Each trip truly did relate back to a topic we had previously discussed and helped to emphasize writing skills and techniques.