u/Far_Software_2617

interesting. accidentally found this subreddit while looking for girldinnerdiaries. i am a girl. my apologies. upon reading posts i’ve been convinced. i am not real.

If anyone could grade this and specifically give me advice on how to better my evidence and commentary that would be so helpful i’m struggling a lot with those.

In her New York Times article “Go Outside, Sink Your Feet Into the Dirt and Engage with the World.” (2023), Raquel Vasquez Gilliand, a Mexican American poet, novelist, and painter, suggests that spending time in nature can increase creativity as well as . Gilliland develops her message through the use of personal anecdotes as well as by conceding opposing viewpoints before refuting them. Vasquez writes for an intended audience of creatives, as she discusses her creative process, ultimately urging the audience to connect with nature when they need artistic inspiration. Vasquez begins her article by evoking a sense of nostalgia in the audience with a personal anecdote, highlighting the importance of nature to her creative process from a young age. Vasquez recounts that “[Her] grandmother and mother also taught [her] that the natural world around us has stories to tell if you listen closely.” In doing so, she builds trust with the audience, as many readers may also hold beliefs that were passed down to them from their families, building a sense of relatability with the audience. This relatability increases the chances of the audience taking her advice to spend time in nature if they hold the common belief that people should listen to their elders. Vasquez further develops her relatability to the audience by appealing to their emotions when she recalls that “One of [her] earliest memories is sitting on [her] grandmother’s cracked concrete porch, watching one of the many doves she had nursed back to health land in her raised hand after she called out to it.” While not all of the audience can relate to being told to spend time in nature by their relatives, the vast majority can relate to having memories of quality time spent with them in their youth, which Vasquez uses to her advantage when she describes her childhood story in hopes of evoking a similar sense of nostalgia in the audience. In doing so, she reinforces one of the overarching themes in her article, family bonds, so that the audience is reminded of the importance of their family to them. This makes them more likely to trust the family members who are important to Vasquez and take their advice on the importance of spending time in nature for artistic inspiration. Vasquez furthers her argument that time spent in nature is important by explaining how it is not as difficult as people think to spend a little time outside. Many members of the audience may believe that it is just not practical for them to spend time outside due to their lifestyle. As her article was published in the New York Times, many audience members likely live in New York City, and the urban megacity does not exactly scream “place to spend time in nature.” Vasquez concedes that it is difficult to get outside for many people, explaining that she knows that “Our busy schedules can make it hard to find time to spend in nature, and it may seem especially hard in urban areas,” before going on to argue that while it is difficult for many people to connect with nature, it must be prioritized for everyone due the increase of people struggling with loneliness and isolation. Vasquez’s admittance that it is not easy for everyone to spend time in nature appeals to the reader’s logic, as it makes her seem like a reasonable person who understands the limitations of her claim. She goes on to explain how it is important to spend time outdoors due to the increase in loneliness and isolation because that not everyone in her audience is an artist, but the majority of people have struggled with these things, so mentioning them furthers her removal of the belief held by audience members that what Vasquez is arguing does not apply to them. Vasquez goes on to list things anyone can do to connect with nature, such as sticking your feet into the dirt or “find[ing] a tree to befriend, be it a pine, mango or tulip tree.” In naming easy ways to connect with nature, Vasquez furthers her logical trustworthiness by showing how her beliefs can be adopted by anyone anywhere. This is particularly shown when she lists the different kinds of trees people may befriend as all of the trees she lists are found in vastly different climates, illustrating how her advice to connect with nature can be taken anywhere in the world. Vasquez uses emotional and logical appeals to argue her claim that it is essential to prioritize spending time in nature for numerous benefits even when it is difficult to. Vasquez does this by sharing personal anecdotes from her childhood that build her relatability with the audience and by acknowledging the difficulties people may have with spending time in nature before logically explaining why and how these difficulties can be overcome. Her article speaks to the importance of spending time in nature that has been neglected in recent years due to an increase in reliance on technology, ultimately urging the audience to prioritize spending time in nature.

Ive been writing a lot of practice essays and I've been trying to see how well im doing by running them through ai essay graders but they give me inconsistent answers and ive heard they are very inaccurate so It would be really helpful if people could grade mine. (don't judge me that I wrote it about Taylor swift I was doing it timed and that was all I could think off 😭)

The argument made by National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman about optimism is not truly opposed to pessimism, it is strengthened by it. Optimism is a tendency to view things in a positive light, while pessimism is, seemingly to the contrary, a tendency to view things in a negative light. These are mindsets that can change the outlook on people's lives, so understanding them is crucial. Gorman's claim that optimism is not opposed to pessimism, but in conversation with it is correct, as was shown by the artistic expression during the COVID19 pandemic and the renaissance.

In 2020, during the COVID19 pandemic, when the entire world was filled with pessimism due to being forced into a lonely quarantine, optimism shone through, bringing a sense of hope to a world void of it. During the pandemic, Taylor Swift was unable to create music in her usual production studio due the mandatory quarantine. While this could have very well led to her halting releasing music due to both a lack of tools for production and a lack of socialization that removed writing inspiration from her personal life, it did not. Instead, she used this opportunity to create music different from her typical style because there was less input on the songs she was creating from her team. Rather than simply writing about other celebrities and exes like she had previously been doing, she created fictional stories which she wove into her two albums released at this time, Folklore and Evermore. This supports the claim that optimism during times of extreme pessimism can result in beautiful works of art because if the pandemic had not happened, Swift would have continued on making bland pop music, but she instead used the bleak times as an opportunity to create music from a different perspective. Consequently, she created what has been viewed by critics as two of the best albums she has ever created, therefore spreading optimism to her fans, many of whom were previously in a pessimistic and isolated space. Taylor’s optimism during those dark times resulted in beautiful works of art, which is to the creation of the Arabian Nights.

Another prime example of optimism in times of great pessimism resulting in great works of art is the creation of the Arabian Nights. Hundreds of years ago, a woman was taken captive and was to be killed, but she asked her captor if she could tell him a story to delay her execution a day. The man liked the story so much that he requested for her to tell him a new story each night, extending her life by years. These stories began to spread throughout the world, and the collection of these stories has become known as the *Arabian Nights*. This demonstrates how art often comes from optimism in difficult times because the woman’s determination to live inspired her to create stories which she otherwise never would. Consequently, these stories have gone on to become famous tales, one of which, Aladdin, had been made into two Disney movies. Therefore, since she did not give up hope while being kept captive, she created beautiful stories which would not have existed without her perseverance in a horrible situation.  
  
When pessimism is at an all time high, and giving up seems like the only option, optimism becomes more powerful and can result in the creation of beautiful works of art. Works of art created from persevering during difficult times can spread the optimism from the artist to the viewer of their art. Seeing the optimism of others can inspire people to adopt an optimistic mindset themselves. This chain of optimism spreading from person to person showcases an overarching theme of the importance of community. It is essential to spread optimism in times of pessimism in order to create a happier community and world.