I.O.P Reflection

1. Write a brief descriptive paragraph that summarizes your IOP. Be sure to include the topic, your thesis, and the hook and any visual aids you used.

I chose to use J.M Coetzee's novel Disgrace for my I.O.P, tackling the topic and theme of hopelessness and amorality in the novel. My argument was that J.M. Coetzee uses David Lurie, the anti-hero of the novel, to portray his image of the hopelessness of post-apartheid South Africa. I chose this topic because I found the theme overwhelmingly prominent, and felt the need to express Coetzee's emotional outlook on the apartheid, rather than a political one. I used Marcel Proust's questionnaire as a hook, selecting three of the questions that I felt were most interesting and relevant, asking the audience to generate hypothetical responses assuming the character of David Lurie. I used a power point presentation as a visual aid, a means of enhancing my presentation with different images and effects, and a visual reference for any quotations or excerpts from the novel, to help the audience better understand and get more involved in my presentation.

2. In a well-developed paragraph reflect upon the lessons you learned as a result of the IOP process. This process includes the preparation of your presentation, its delivery, and the subsequent reflection you engaged in following the presentation itself.

While preparing for my I.O.P, I encountered several challenges. The most major issue I initially faced was selecting a topic, and then formulating a solid, concrete argument on which I could base the rest of my presentation on. The argument had to be something I actually believed and fully understood for me to successfully present it, rather than just a common argument that I could pull off half-heartedly. Searching for a unique and original though realistic topic was truly a process. The next challenge was actually going through the book to find supporting incidents and quotations. This was a long, somewhat dull, but certainly beneficial process since reading the different sections also helped refresh my memory about the book as a whole, but also discover and realize new theories that I hadn't thought of previously. During the actual delivery of the presentation, I had to focus on actually saying everything I had to say effectively and completely, while still remaining within the time frame. I also had to try and keep the presentation interesting, and maintain presenter "composure". I've always enjoyed presentations, I've never really felt very intimidated while speaking, rather I feel I am comfortable with words and speech as a means of exposing my thoughts, as opposed to art or dance or other forms of communications. I felt I had managed to get my message across by the end of the presentation, though there were certainly some flaws that I could have avoided, such as awkward pauses and "umm"'s and "uhh"'s. I was also not very satisfied with my conclusion, which was somewhat abrupt, though not ridiculously so. I was very satisfied with the way I handled the Q&A session, answering all questions quickly and correctly, using details and references from the novel to support my answers. Finally, the reflection process was for me the most interesting. It was very helpful to watch the DVD recording of the presentation; I felt I had a better understanding of what I did right and what I did wrong, learning what mistakes not to repeat in future presentations and other aspects I should preserve. I quite enjoyed working on the presentations, and certainly felt I had gained more knowledge on presentations and the work that goes into pulling them off successfully.