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Yaretzi Mancillas

Ms. Castro

ENGL 1301

23 October 2023

Reflection Essay of “The Demise of Ophelia”

The construction of “The Demise of Ophelia” was a hard but motivating road. I

encountered many challenges that I had to overcome by thinking rhetorically and using

difficulty as motivation. I really tried on being very articulate with my words to show the beauty

of the painting Ophelia while giving my take and thoughts on what concurred in the image.

Visual analysis is a small percentage easier than a normal text analysis in my opinion. A

visual analysis does come with certain challenges alike any other prompt, but it offers a sort of

safety blanket. A safety blanket meaning that there is always an uncertainty with an image that

does not specifically say what it means; giving the observer the creative control of interpreting

what they are seeing in their own way. Writing this visual analysis essay in comparison to the

text analysis essay was completely different in the way of interpretation. The text analysis

relied on more of the tone, and what was the thinking behind each and every word. However,

with the visual analysis you only have to analyze what you see, and how you interpret what is

happening in the image. All of these aspects that I have listed really helped in looking for an

alternate meaning, or looking closer at what may be lurking in the shadows. Looking into every

detail has helped me a lot in my studies because it assists you in reading deeper into even the
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most simplest things. For example, in my anatomy class being asked to analyze an organism is

so much easier than it was before.

The construction of this essay was way smoother than my first essay, reason being that I

felt like I had more to elaborate on. For example, I could talk about how Ophelia’s hands were

placed, the flowers she had let go, the color of dress Ophelia was wearing. Certain things were

available to me, so naturally I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and incorporate as

much detail as I could to give myself the best possible grade. The revision process started with

me attending a tutoring session at the ACE center. There my tutor made it very easy to apply

changes to my essay and showed me how to cite and create a strong claim for the essay. My

tutor gave me really good tips to stay on track with my essay’s. I really enjoyed going to the

tutoring center because it was very helpful, and I really think it made me essay so much more

stronger than it was.

What also helped me a lot with the construction of this essay was the brief moment I

had with my instructor. I was feeling very wary about my decision in visual, but my instructor

helped me by giving me suggestions on what to write about or investigate certain details that

do not really stand out. My instructor also said that there was always a deeper meaning behind

everything we tend to overlook. With her guidance I started to feel more comfortable with

working on my essay. I honestly think I would have given up on this visual and chose another

visual that was perhaps easier to analyze, if I did not have a small conference with my instructor

about my visual. I am very glad that everything worked out the way it did and that my

instructor pushed me to not give up on the visual I chose.

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The peer review with my classmates is always something I look forward to when

working on an essay. Not only do I get to make another friend, but I also get revision from

someone who can put suggestions in simpler terms than perhaps a professor would. I also gain

a great amount of insight when revising a classmate’s paper. I can determine if my essay is as

strong or less strong than theirs and apply changes accordingly. Peer reviewing is quite simple

and does not require a lot of effort, which is always a plus for me. I think of peer reviewing as a

“win win,” both you and your classmate get a grade while getting your essay revised and by

revising their essay. Peer reviewing is something I always enjoy, and I am very thankful that I

get to do it in this particular class.

Editing and proofreading my essay helped me get rid of certain things that did not make

sense in the essay. Edit and proofreading is a vital step in the revision process that I feel like no

one should skip on. This whole process can get rid of unwanted or careless mistakes that can

make a difference on the score of your essay. Editing and proofreading your essay can also help

you get rid of awkward sentences and some words that do not sound good together.

Personally, I like to read my essay out loud to see if there are any mistakes or misspelled words

so I can easily change them.

Writing “The Demise of Ophelia,” was challenging for me at first just because the

painting is from the play “The Tragedy of Hamlet.” This play is very popular, and people almost

always know the meaning behind every detail that goes on in the play. There have been studies

of this painting alone and they all go into remarkable detail, explaining every single piece of this

painting. So naturally it is very intimidating going into this visual analysis, where you must come
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up with a claim that is not so obvious, but also unique to your thoughts and imagination. All

these things collectively made it a tad bit challenging for me.

The least challenging part for me was writing about the flowers that Ophelia had

collected, because each flower had a meaning. All I had to do was connect the meaning of the

flowers to how Ophelia felt, and her emotions while she was collecting them. I really enjoyed

writing and elaborating on the flowers, because of their deep meanings, and their beauty in the

painting.

In conclusion, there were many lessons learned by composing and constructing this

essay that has taught me valuable lessons that I will continue to take with me going forward. I

value the time and effort I, along with my instructor and classmates, put into the visual analysis

essay because I sincerely loved the outcome. I am extremely grateful for all the help I received

while writing the visual analysis essay.