The peer review workshop for the resume project was super helpful, and my group was efficient, kind, and thoughtful in giving and receiving feedback. Our group went through the checklist and found that we hit all the essential points of grammar, spelling, etc., so we focused on formatting. For instance, my group helped me figure out how to format my experience and skills section, and it looks so much better now – they helped streamline the dates with the name of the organization/event, and we played around with bold vs. italics. We also helped each other ensure that the tenses were in order and that the dates were easy to find and correct. It was also helpful to see how my other group members worded their skills and embedded them into different sections to make better use of the space, and I will try to do that with mine as well. As always, it is crucial to have a couple of people who don’t know every detail about your life like you do to make sure that the relevant information stands out and is portrayed in the best way possible – they will catch things and provide insights that I would not have otherwise known.
Author: eohara (Page 21 of 28)
Quote: “ By the white misery that turned her face to stone – by the wild terror in her imploring eyes – by the gasping breath, which came out as the carriage drove away – he knew that he had seized the spell to make her listen at last” ‘He will take him away from me! He will take the child away from me!’ These words rang like a tolling bell through Ruth’s head. It seemed to her that her doom was certain. Leonard would be taken from her! She had a firm conviction – not the less firm because she knew not on what it was based – that a child, whether legitimate or not, belonged of legal right to the father” (Gaskell 235).
Comment: I thought this quote was significant regarding the previous chapter, where Ruth continually attempts to dodge Mr. Donne (Mr. Bellingham) as he tries to explain his leaving her, to then that opening of the next chapter where a very jarring and emotional outcry from Ruth. After her own personal pains in seeing him again and most likely feeling threatened that her past would be revisited, the point that sticks out to me is that her next thought is immediately consumed with Lenoard and the worst possible outcome. Not unlike TWH by Brontë, I feel like there is a separation of the personal feelings toward these men when children come in – almost like they sacrifice themselves to be able to either stay with their children or, in Ruth’s case, now have to acquiesce to the decision of Mr. Donne in meeting with him as she fears for both herself and Leonard now.
Question: I know the novel was published in 1853, but I wondered if there were specific dates the plot is supposed to be taking place within that might allow us to connect Ruth’s case to relevant reform acts or similar case law. I know she alluded to the fact that, legitimate or not, the child would be in the legal care of the father. Yet, it seems like no one was urging for that as a necessity to adhere to either social norms or the law when they found out she was pregnant and abandoned – I’m thinking of the Benson’s here as they seemed to diverge from those norms on all counts, perhaps it would have been a practice to alert the father of a child? I also wondered about the significance of Mr. Bellingham changing his name. I might have missed that detail, but I know that with his position in Parliament, having an illegitimate child would challenge his reputation and status. Did he not want any trace of his youthful wrongdoings, regardless of his not knowing about the child, to be associated with that former name?
Elia M. O’Hara
P.O BOX 159, Biddeford Pool, ME 04006 | (207) 412-8185 | emarieohara11@gmail.com
Objective
- Seeking an internship in the legal field or within advocacy work
Relevant Skills and Experience
Hale & Hamlin LLC. | Summer intern, June-August 2022
- wrote summaries of meetings, drafted documents, filed briefs, and reported on findings
University of New England | Part-time, August 2022- present
- Paid writing tutor working with peers, faculty, and supervisors (add communication skills)
Maine American Academy of Pediatrics | Research Contributor, July 2021 – September 2021
- Compiled background research for the Maine AAP 2021 Equal Rights Amendment Resolution
University of New England’s College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Student Leadership Advisory Council | August 2021- present
University of New England’s Arts and Humanities Club | December 2022- present
- President and Founder
Bush Lecture Series | September 2021, March 2023
- Student participant in the annual Bush Lecture Series Private Luncheon
Accomplishments
- Dean’s List – 3 semesters
- GPA – 4.00
- Alumni Scholarship Essay Contest Recipient 2022
Education
The University of New England, Biddeford, ME | August 2021-May 2025 (anticipated)
- Double Major in English and Political Science, Minors in Writing and Health, Law, and Policy
George Stevens Academy, Blue Hill, ME | 2017-2021
- High School Diploma
References
- Dr. Ali Ahmida | University of New England | aahmida@une.edu | (207) 602-2804
- Jesse Miller, M.F.A | jmiller12@une.edu | (207) 602-2871
- Sally Mills, Esq. | Hale & Hamlin, LLC | sally@halehamlin.com | (207) 610-2484
Reflection:
Having completed my Cover Letter, I feel much more confident in narrowing down the essential points of what a potential employer would want to know about me immediately. I think that being able to look at samples and read our textbook’s definitions/ tips made this task less daunting when you have a well-thought-out formula that can be personalized to each individual and scenario. Practicing good concise writing that considers the audience and uses the AIDA format is always applicable in a cover letter. You want to always strike attention and interest right from the start so that the rest of the piece will be seriously considered; building that desire and action is what makes the difference between getting an interview and moving to the next steps of the application process or being passed up. While writing and editing my cover letter, I always kept in mind that this was the first impression my prospective employer would get of me – it feels incredibly powerful and essential to figure out how I want to come across. This process also offers time for creativity when balancing professional and persuasive writing. The work has gone well, and I appreciated having extra class time to review samples and discuss what went well and what maybe needed some work. I felt it flowed nicely between our practice in the book and writing our drafts, and devoting that crucial peer review time made me feel more than ready to finalize my own.
Cover Letter:
Elia M. O’Hara
P.O BOX 159, Biddeford Pool, ME 04006 | (207) 412-8185 | emarieohara11@gmail.com
February 10, 2023
Grace Hooke, Engagement Coordinator
ACLU of Maine
PO Box 7860
Portland, ME 04112
Dear Ms. Hooke,
I am writing to express my interest in joining the Maine American Civil Liberties Union team as a summer intern for 2023. After reading your advertisement on the ACLU of Maine website, I was eager to bring my enthusiasm to advocate for equality, justice, and representation through this essential community-serving position.
I am a second-year student at the University of New England with a double major in English and Political Science and a double minor in Writing and Health, Law, & Policy. My interest in the legal field and writing are propelled through internships at local law firms and with local state representatives. Additionally, I have participated in local initiatives ranging from organizing protests, conducting research for Maine organizations, and connecting my academic writing with topics I am passionate about for scholarship opportunities.
As a summer intern, I can draw from previous practical experiences, such as my role working with a variety of professionals and peers through my position as a writing tutor. I am also the Founder and President of the Arts and Humanities Club on campus, which allows me to be creative when planning events and practice clear, thoughtful communication to ensure events run smoothly.
Having looked up to the ACLU as a pillar of social justice and a human rights champion since I began to pose questions about the world around me, this position would make my years of admiration and desire to do my part a reality. Thank you for your time and consideration of my application, and I look forward to assisting you further throughout this process. I have provided my phone number and email address below; please feel free to reach out at your convenience.
Yours Sincerely,
Elia O’Hara
(207) 412-8185
Quote: “She threw herself down on the lying by the side of the road, in despair. Her only hope was to die, and she believed she was dying. She could not think; she could believe anything. Surely life was a horrible dream, and God would mercifully awaken her from it. She had no penitence, no consciousness of error or offence; no knowledge of any one circumstance but that he was gone” (Gaskel 77).
Comment: I found this reaction to her finding out about Mr. Bellingham very interesting because it highlights her level of dependence on the situation, not just because they have romantic sentiments but because she entrusted him with her livelihood. It might sound like she is a dramatic, emotional, fragile young girl he has rejected. Still, she is an orphan – also of working-class status and has no flexibility in society – who succumbed to a decision viewed as staining her reputation. I am thinking of the similarities and contrasts between Ruth and the novel Moll Flanders – Moll felt out of place in a lower society just as Ruth did as she suffered in Mrs. Mason’s shop. Yet, Moll uses men like Mr. Bellingham to advance her social position and does not seem ever to let off her guard or put any hope that her well-being will be cared for by anyone but herself.
Question: I wonder how the audience of this period would receive a character like Mr. Bellington; thinking back to Bodichon’s remarks, he certainly does not appear to be a ‘man of good feeling’ – would they lay the blame on Ruth for falling victim to his charms and vanity or would they look to him as being deceitful and opportunistic. Judging by how the other female characters react to Ruth’s situation, especially Mrs. Bellington, they say that she is obsessed with her looks or that she must have lured him in. Yet, the charity that the Benson family shows to her makes me wonder if those Christain values took precedence over the shameful societal feelings.
