In her essay, Meg uses a compilation of different source materials (such as journal entries, letters, and emails) to depict for a reader her year spent as an exchange student in Germany. I think it's really great that these are real letters and journal entries from her trip. I mean, that definitely solves the problem of us not exactly remembering every detail of what we want to write about. I also like that it is not only one type of source--the different sections read differently because of their variety. Using the acceptance letter as an introduction is a strong start.
One thing I think would really add to this essay is the element of the writer at her desk: in other words, I want to see/hear/read the current Meg's voice, looking back on all of these sections and giving us some insight about what is really going on. It could be a cool feature to write all of this into a scene--with Meg sitting on her bed (or wherever, but someplace with some physical description to give us a good, concrete setting and keep us glued to the piece), flipping through her journal. I want a description of the cover of the journal, the way it feels in her hands, the color of the ink, the variety of handwriting inside of it. I think bringing these details into the essay would help us get grounded for what we are going to read inside the journal. These details would tell us about Meg, and give us a closer glimpse of the journal that is so important in this essay. This technique, Meg remembering these events as she reads through her journal and/or scrapbook and reflecting on them with her current voice, would also be a great way to give the reader many more concrete details, which would help us get involved in the essay. I wrote on my copy off Meg's essay: "I want to see/taste/hear/smell/feel Germany," and this can only be achieved by giving us these sensory details that we crave. This information would also help shape the essay into some kind of travel narrative, which might be a really great direction for this piece.
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