Reading, writing, and thinking are all indubitably intertwined. As such, it is important to make sure that when reading the source material, one is reading it at a deep and intellectual level. Doing so allows for the creation of meaningful citations and better writing. Below I’ve attached pictures of my annotation of Sam Anderson’s “In Defense of Distraction.” Firstly, when my goal is to read and annotate a paper thoughtfully, I will read through it once, not too focused on actually annotating. I may highlight a few things that really stick out to me, but it’s mostly going through and getting an understanding of what the paper is. The second time I read through it is when I make my meaningful annotations. I highlight things that I believe are important ideas to either understanding the meaning behind the essay or that further strengthen those ideas (the latter is more useful for me as a writer). There are three main types of comments I make when I’m annotating: a summary of the passage/quote, a question that I can use to pinpoint specifics and analyze in my own essay, and interpretations/additional comments regarding what’s highlighted. For example, on page eight paragraphs one and three, I use a more simple and summarial approach, explaining what I think the key point of the passage is. When I go back to look for quotes, this can be useful when finding points that I specifically want to talk about. If in my paper I wanted to write about how we use drugs to alter our attention similarly to technology, I can use these annotations to quickly find passages that may relate. On pages eight and eleven paragraphs two and four (respectively), I use a question for my annotation. This is especially useful when coming up with talking points for my paper; if I read something and it floats a question to the forefront of my mind, I write it down. That way, when it comes time to write, I can incorporate some of the ideas that I already had, and I don’t have to worry about forgetting them. Lastly, shown on page nine and eleven (paragraphs six and one/two respectively) demonstrate my ideas/mini analysis approach to annotating. Similarly to questions, these annotations come into play when I have a specific thought or interpretation of a passage. At the bottom of page nine, when Anderson talks about how neurodivergence and attention are so closely linked, I interpreted the passage by commenting on how this passage seemingly implies that everyone might be a little neurodiverse (as opposed to neurotypical). Likewise, on the top of page eleven Anderson touches on how focus is paradoxical. The main point I pulled out of that passage is that we *need* both distraction and attention for proper focus. I believe these annotations demonstrate clearly that I have learned how to read deeply and properly engage with text.
