Post 6: Family Story/Issues Paper

I found this research paper to be a little difficult at first. I thought I had a good thesis, and then I realized that I there were no academic journals or anything about the topic. Then I had to create a new thesis and topic. My final paper ended up not so much being about my family stories but the environment in which my family lived.

I wasn't too attached to this paper. I know it was about my family, but I wasn't super interested in the topic I chose. Sure, I learned a lot about France during World War II, but I could have tried to have found a topic that I was more interested in. That's the problem with my writing sometimes, I'm not very interested in the topic even if I choose it. In all honesty, I thought that sample paper about the aliens was really cool and I would have preferred to write that one.

I did find out a lot about my topic when I wrote this paper. I never knew a lot about German occupation of France because we never really learn about it at school. I now have a better understanding of how and why the French got invaded. Well, I think we all know the why, but why the French allowed it to happen so easily was the real question I had. I really do feel as if I learned a lot about history because of this paper. Imagine that. I learned about history in a writing class. That's not something you hear about everyday in high school.

In order to make this paper better, I would advise the writer to choose a topic that they are really interested in. The writer needs to have a connection with the paper. I think having the family stories be the topic of the paper allows the writer to be connected more. A paper needs to be interesting and fun. Otherwise, the writer may not put enough effort in the paper as they should have. Don't just choose a topic to get a grade. Choose a topic that will be enjoyable for a long time.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to write this paper. It allowed me to work on my writing skills while learning about my family story. Now I feel as if I understand more fully what my grandfather had to go through during his childhood in France. I never knew my grandfather, but I feel very close to him now.