Throughout the semester I have learned a lot about myself through my writing. Writing is never easy but it’s the thought behind it that always counts for a bigger reward. Within this class, we have learned how to take various forms of texts to a different level in terms of analyzing and uncovering different interpretations behind different ideas in writing, through our own thoughts as well as others. I was able to come up with writing strategies in times where I may have writer’s block and nothing to say, I can use the skills we practiced in class to further influence my thinking pieces. The influence that social media plays in daily conceptions and practices used in writing pieces today had to have been one of my favorite points throughout the semester because it relates to real life as we are apart of the general audience who has to encounter this daily and the things that happen around us definitely do influence the ideas and opinions that we carry behind recurring events in literature as such. This class also made me more outspoken in terms of being able to properly articulate my thoughts and my thought process to ensure that my message comes across. I gained confidence throughout the semester being able to properly account for the thoughts I had but through my writing instead which I heavily appreciated. Even through occasion papers, I always had a chance to showcase my own creativity when it came down to it. All in all, this semester I was able to grow as a writer within my own skin just through being introduced to different techniques that can be used to uncover different meanings throughout various pieces of literature as well as social media influences which is pretty cool. Definitely will refer back to these skills in my near writing future.

Basically this project felt personal to me as growing up I have encountered the experience that the stigma of being a poor African brings and honestly wanted to bring awareness to it. It’s because of memes and pictures on social media as well as commercials we see in our everyday life that reveals why many other people feel as though all Africans are put within the same boat. Within the texts that I referenced and used in my annotated bibliography, they help me to explain to the audience that the idea most people hold when it comes to West African communities is not true. In the case of exploited children, there are many active reforms in Africa currently being used to help ensure the children are protected and as far as food goes for children, there is food available in schools as programs are being created for donations to become welcome. The texts I chose were informative and addressed the main audience who needs the clarification which is your average human being in America who has access to online platforms where the stigma is advertised for all to see, so I was happy to find sources that aren’t highlighted as much to give a greater perspective to the audience. Those texts as well as pictures help to support my argument that not all African children or people who live in African communities are poor and dirty despite what it may appear to be on social media.

• “‘Sceptical Third World Child’: What a Viral Picture Tells Us about Child Poverty in Africa.” BBC News, 2 Nov. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-34678592.
• This article is important and will be used in my source to provide background on general misconception of poverty within west africa.
• Philipp, Jennifer. “10 Facts about Child Labor in Africa.” The Borgen Project, 18 Jan. 2020, borgenproject.org/10-facts-about-child-labor-in-africa/.
• Using this source for the picture as well as gathering key facts of actions taken to prevent child labor abuse in africa.
• “Debunking 15 Common Myths and Misconceptions about Africa.” Global Citizen, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/africans-are-all-poor-and-15-other-myths/. Accessed 26 May 2023.
• Also using this article for pictures as well as explaining the common misconceptions represented amongst african children.
• “The Business of Voluntourism: Do Western Do-Gooders Actually Do Harm?” The Guardian, 13 Sept. 2018, www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/13/the-business-of-voluntourism-do-western-do-gooders-actually-do-harm.
• Using this resource for pictures as well as a reference to the harm that tourists/westerners cause in their part of african explotation.

As an English major it’s almost inevitable for me to not be involved in my own techniques for tackling my writing. A flashback to one of my most memorable times in which I had to conduct a detailed research paper of any subject in my interest and I was indeed stuck, I’m not sure if it was writer’s block but I just couldn’t think, so I went back to old practices that are stuck with me but never led me wrong. Firstly, I try to make sense of what I’m reading whether it’s the task or the evidence presented in front of me but annotating and taking notes to recall when I’m revisiting. Then secondly, after making some sense of it I try my best to incorporate what I got from the text by close reading to help me see in between the lines so that I can gain thesis’/arguments from the piece as well as give me a better idea on what i can use to further shape my option. Thirdly, I begin to write whilst having an argument on what I need to continue to exemplify my point of view, I start by organizing my essay from an intro explaining what I’m getting into then the body paragraphs carrying the main information/evidence needed for my arguments then lastly, conclusion where I sum it all up if I don’t include a counter argument.

Honestly, I’ve been having a week. It’s really just been all over the place and I have no explanation for what’s been going on, but I’ve just kept going. I’m definitely tired though because some things get old. I pretty much live my life in routine, the typical.. Work then home then sleep then repeat. On off days there’s school but for the most part nothing in my life changes. I constantly just wonder about my days, I have so much to do all the time. Assignments like these make me believe that a day is worth seeing again because it’s a time to express how I’m feeling and the things that matter most to me. I matter the most to me right now, I mean when you’re putting everyone over yourself all the time with no recognition in the end it gets tiring for sure but you have to dust it off and pick it up I’m told over and over and over. But, I’m simply tired. With time things will only tell so I don’t try to look into the future for much. There isn’t a point unless you want to look like stress when you’re only 23 going on 24.. I enjoy not looking like how I’m feeling truly. When you think about your problems compared to the next person’s life problems it for sure makes you feel blessed and appreciate what you have going on and that’s another thing that keeps me going. Life has good moments, stressful moments but it almost always works out.. You just have to keep going and trust the process, that’s the only thing that can help you. 

Myriam Cisse

ENG 200w

Prof. Larsson

Spring 23

      “West African Community Artifact” 

Born and raised in West Africa you definitely gain a lot of culture, then adjusting to an urban lifestyle in America you get acquainted with a lot of different things than you’re used to. Whilst in class we went over how different types of communities can have an impact as to how you as the writer identify and that can be seen throughout our work. In my experience I identify culturally with the West African community because it represents the daily life that I live as well as millions of other West African or even just African people within my community alike. For my community artifact I have chosen the ‘Westafricancommunity’ instagram page as it has over 100k followers who identify with West Africa. 

Firstly, this instagram page is home for many not just Africans but many individuals who are curious about the culture to know more. I am from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire which is one country in the big continent of Africa. My parents were born and raised and therefore I frequently visited back and forth to visit my immediate family such as my grandma, aunts and uncles. With that said, I was able to learn French to be able to communicate and resonate with my family members back home and at the same time I was able to adapt to a lot of the culture that was made available to me from home as well as in Africa which I felt was very awesome to experience. I was exposed to two different worlds and although I lived in America I never wanted to lose my roots and where I came from so that is how I was able to gain my connection into this community where I felt culturally compelled to. 

Whilst observing the Instagram page I was able to come up with more of an understanding as to why other individuals interact with the page. The creators of this instagram page post content relatable to most West Africans by posting videos, memes, even food. It brings the people together by comparing that to the experiences that they share at home when going through their own motions. For example, when the world cup was going on soccer was something that was prevalent in Africa as they compared it to how big the NFL is in America. The whole African community was in the comments cheering on the teams and supporting their country, and as eliminations started going through when it ended up being one African country vs another non-African country, the support and interactions from everyone alike despite the different countries/teams? Meant a lot and is a great example of how united a group of people can be even though they haven’t physically met! This instagram page allows people from all over to be able to relate and have an opinion on their African values which is pretty cool. Another interesting thing that this page does is post a lot of different foods or variations of food prevalent in African societies and homes. It’s amazing to see how connected individuals can become over the use of food and how cool it also is to be able to relate or have an opinion on a daily dish that you eat at home. My mom makes this dish named Attieke every sunday and on that instagram page, half a million people ate that same dish and even more people wanted to try it. But, nonetheless, it was amazing to see how that sparked all the difference.

 I believe the purpose of the instagram page was mainly to be able to connect those Africans in America, the Africans back home, as well as the girl/boy who is intrigued by African culture to have a platform where they can be able to share, learn and relate. I believe this goal was accomplished due to the major collaborations every time a major African event happens whether it’s celebrating Muslim tradition like Eid, or talking about soccer etc when the community comes together and recognizes the culture that goes into creating a legacy for not just one person but a village. Being a part of a community and being able to recognize its significance goes a long way but helping to shape the impact of that artifact is what makes all the difference and this is why I chose their instagram page as my community artifact.. It’s always growing and the work is never done! There will always be more and more Africans to keep this going. 

Works Cited

West African Community 🌍 (@westafricancommunity) – Instagram, www.instagram.com/westafricancommunity/. Accessed 15 May 2023. 

As of lately, I’ve been getting to know myself more. You know, you’d think considering you’ve been you for your entire life, that you know yourself already.. But it’s really not true. Over the years I’ve been so many different people. I’ve been vulnerable, I’ve been strong, I’ve been resilient, I’ve been weak. I was girly and felt pretty, and some days I still felt ugly. All in all.. I still never knew who I was or what I enjoyed until I got to know myself some more. These days I treat myself how I see myself, as a well deserving young woman with her whole life ahead of her. Even on my worst days, I learned how to be okay with it just being me. No matter how I felt at the time, I came first. I became more selfish with myself, I damn near cried for the little me who begged to be accepted.. How dare you girl! I learned to be my own friend, learned that I love happiness in life, and I know it isn’t easy but I just know we’ll be okay somehow. Constantly thinking about my future and it just keeps feeling like I’m running out of time. Every year with time, I change.. My mind changes, my life changes. I’m not even the woman I wanted to be yesterday but yet people think they know me from last week. I take life on the heed, put it in the front and embrace it. It’s not perfect, but who really wants that anyways? I came such a long way and I’m still not done coming, I’m still on my way. So many things to do with what feels like such little time but it’s what you make it. Even on my darkest days I know nothing easy comes without pain, the sun will shine again. I do it for little me wishing to be the best I could ever be. I think of little me wishing for better days with better just never coming, but it did– But it did. 

Hello to all reading this 🙂 My name is Myriam Cisse and I am a 23 year old lower senior attending Queens College. During my free time, I’m normally working at my 9-5 for Chase bank as a relationship banker, helping others with their needs, and on the weekends if I’m not partying, then I’m just enjoying my time somewhere else. I enjoy traveling and have been to 15 countries as of recently as well as 3 continents, so I must say I enjoy being aboard and can’t go too long without a flight. Solo traveling is my favorite. I currently major in English Literature and Composition and am always looking to grow my knowledge. Why do I write or why did I choose to write you may ask? Well, because it makes me feel free and helps me to set goals as far as where I see myself in life. Growing up, I didn’t always have easy going days where things went my way so a free outlet where I knew nobody would judge me was always my journal. Writing also gave me a way to express myself and help me feel like someone is actually listening. Even though paper can’t talk, it still allowed me to have an outlet in times I felt most vulnerable, which has always allowed me to keep going. How do I write you may ask? I write in the dark, with the lights off in my room for the best think pieces. But I write a lot of academic papers also that requires research and hours put in for me to get things together. But I write to myself, those are normally the best writing time that I get, when I’m focused on making sure that it’s a good read. I definitely take time into my writing because of the experience that I have learned throughout various college classes as well as intrapersonal skills that I’ve possessed since young. I write all types of pieces from personal to poetry and I take pride in accepting that it’s an enjoyable read and I only write with the intention that someone is going to sit back, relax and read this. It’s not always easy due to writers block, but I definitely make it work.