Reflective Essay
Writing influences the way humans communicate. Good writing skills are essential in the working world and it’s important for our own self. The love for writing creative stories that engage the reader personally feels like an impossible task. After thirteen years of English I’ve realized that English does not come easy to me. It’s important to note that my writing skills have improved over the years. Going into my first year of college, I was nervous. I knew that my writing needed improvement. During my first semester of college, I was able to take the WAC 101 class. This class not only improved my writing, but it also encouraged me to start reading again. I look at reading as a task instead of a hobby, but I know that it can progress toward something that I like to do on my free time. WAC 101 is a class that helps develop a student’s writing skills. To measure the progress, outcomes in different areas of writing are reflected upon.
Each outcome has bullet points to break down the specific areas that were developed. The first outcome was “Rhetorical knowledge”. Rhetorical knowledge is defined by how an individual uses the text, audience, author, and purpose to persuade their point of view. At the beginning of the semester, I struggled to understand the concept. As the semester progressed I developed a better understanding of the meaning and how to use it. The writing assignment WP1, was a rhetorical analysis on a topic that was chosen from a list. This
Writing is a practice that most of us were taught when we were young. We were taught the basics of grammar, how to form a sentence, conjunction words, how to write paragraphs and more. Although we have learned this skill while growing up and have used the skill every year after entering kindergarten, this does not mean our writing process will ensure the best work. The authors that I chose each encourage their audience to excel in the art of writing in their own way to help with the writing process.
I am particularly interested in the 1st STEP program because of the opportunity presented to acquire advocacy, persuasion and presentation skills that are fundamental not only in the court room but also in all areas of lawyering. As a continuing J.D. student, and ranked 86 (47%) of my class, I wish to engage in the fundamentals of litigation so as to better serve possible clients. Because I was pre-admitted into the program upon my acceptance letter, I choose Golden Gate University to learn and grow and hope this program will further my education.
Upon entering English 111, I knew I would be writing papers. However, I did not anticipate how much room I had for improvement. Throughout this term I have been enlightened with so much knowledge that I may have forgotten or have been exposed to for the first time. Certainly, my experience with essay writing has been solidified due to newfound knowledge of proper work citing, MLA standards and the steps of planning an essay. Perhaps, my time away from a learning environment slowed me down a bit, other times I feel as though I have an advantage due to life experience. An online environment has certainly been challenging but throughout the course I have provided solid work and consistent grades commendable of an A grading.
My experience in the writing process has been extremely humbling. My mother is a teacher, so as soon as I could speak, I was taught how to write. All throughout elementary, middle, and the first few years of high school, I excelled in English. This skill of mine was put to the test, and for the first time, challenged and criticized in AP English Language. I quickly learned that I couldn’t always follow the three-chunk, five-paragraph essay format and that restatement of the author’s ideas was not enough. English soon became difficult when I realized I actually needed to think critically. My confidence in my writing dropped dramatically. However in my time so far in AP Literature, I’ve come to realize that I am a talented writer, and that
Being a student in this course has taught me quite a bit about my writing process. I went in to this class hoping it would not be too big of a challenge. As it turned out, every part of this course has been a test for me. I have truly enjoyed learning everything I have in this class. The two learning objectives I gained the most from were developing strategies for evaluating others’ work and engaging in prewriting activities.
One of the techniques I am going to use through out college is talking to
I learned a lot throughout each io, learned about how each little thing that affected Suskind affect Grenouille. Grenouille was basically affected by the mindset of Suskind but also the setting in which Suskind lived. Suskind lived during the cold war an era in which everyone felt that the world was going to end. Suskind was effected mightily by this so he was probably thinking he was dying and that the world was coming to an end. Grenouille also wasn 't considered human because he also did not have a positive state of mind because the setting was always changing and different from all the other people in his world. While reading Perfume for myself I often viewed Grenouille like Society did, as a freak who shouldn’t live on this earth. But these orals helped me understand how I was judging and not accepting just like society was towards Grenouille. I wouldn’t like to be judge either for all my flaws or just because someone says I’m not good enough. Yet society still had some sort of sympathy towards Grenouille even though they viewed him as a monster. Grenouille was a normal human that walked on the same earth as every other human. He just wanted to be accepted and loved like everyone else.
For as long as I can remember I have always struggled with writing especially essays. I am not sure if it is my lack of imagination or my lack of knowledge with writing basics but writing has definitely been a struggle for me. When I entered this class I became very nervous right away to learn that I was going to have to write in this class. Could I be successful in this class? Would I have any idea what I was doing? Although, I was nervous and had many fears, as soon as we jumped into week two things seemed to flow and my fears seemed to subside. This class was setup in a way that helped the student be successful. The key to my success was to not fear the essay but to break it apart and do it in pieces (the way the course was set up). The research paper was very beneficial in teaching me the sections of a research essay that can be carried over into other writing areas.
Reflective essay writing has made me realised what thoughts and emotions I have experienced since undertaking this degree. I was under the misapprehension that finding previous study in Aged Care quite easy to complete, that this degree would be as easily achievable. I did not take into consideration what was required to work with my peers.
If there is anything that this class has taught me, it is that writing is more complex than I ever imagined. I have concluded that writing is like a cake- the good ones are creative with many layers. Coming from a small public school, I was raised on the five paragraph essay style. If you were to get a pile of my senior classes final research papers, it would be hard to tell them apart. We all wrote the same, and our style hardly changed from second grade on. Metaphorically speaking, we all created the same plain vanilla cake.
I remember being extremely nervous to begin graduate school, but I was especially anxious about taking PC700, Communication and Intro to Scholarly Writing. It had been a long time since I had written any sort of formal paper, so I was uncertain how I would accomplish my goals. I knew that since I had not written recently, I would need to be well organized and I would need to read all the recommended readings in addition to the required readings. I settled into the fact that this was going to be a difficult semester and began to work while hoping for the best.
What makes up a good family? Does your family communicate well? These are the questions that many people in America ask. They battle with these questions everyday when they think about the way their family acts. I have also battle with these questions especially when it comes to my family. My family is one of uniqueness, which causes lots of conflicts. I battle an individualistic sister, a communitarian mother, and a civic republican brother. With all these different personalities in the house it is no wonder it seems like our house is a lifestyle enclave. Looking at my family is like looking at American homes today. It shows the effect of a society that is all about on the go activities.
Writing for me has always been a difficult and daunting task. I always found myself asking, “Why is this required?” “How is this helping me and preparing me for my future?” “What’s the point?” However, at the completion of my writing 122 course I have come to realize how important writing is for my future. Writing is way more complex than I ever thought of it to be. I have had to ditch my old high school habits and establish new techniques that have made writing much more enjoyable and less stressful. Some may think that taking a writing course is not necessary for your future and shouldn’t be considered a “requirement” to graduate. You go through your whole life needing writing skills. No matter what profession. You will learn so many great life skills that will not only help you through this course, but the rest of your college career and life. I went into this course with little confidence in my writing ability, but that gave me motivation and a feeling of purpose for being in this course. Writing should be considered as more than just a requirement due to the fact that it is found in everyday life. The skills you learn in a college level course, such as how to properly go about doing research and annotating articles, will make writing feel less like a dreadful assignment.
I have always liked this popular saying by Edmund Burke,” If you do not know your history, then you wind up repeating it.” This can be used in many, if not all areas of life. Moving forward in life is important, but being able to turn back and see what occurred in the past is also equally important. This semester, I enrolled in what I thought was going to be an easy English class. Not because English classes are supposed to be easy, but because I truly have a desire to write and love doing so. Despite the caution from the professor of what it would entail, I still had a relaxed approached to the class. After spending many nights and days writing papers, I see the investment required for such a course like this one. Although my grades may appear to be all over the spectrum of quality of work, I am thoroughly informed on what makes a great writer.
I think back to the very first day of composition one and I remember feeling so nervous that my stomach was in knots. Maybe I was scared because it was my first college class and I hadn’t even walked across the stage at my high school graduation. However, looking back I question why I was so fearful. I could have never dreamt of the knowledge I would be gaining in just a few short months. After completing this class I can confidently say I am prepared for comp two and the rest of my college career. Thought the course of comp one I have mastered the learning objectives that will help me in future college classes including: producing an effective writing process, using correct word choice, and integrating sources by using quotes, paraphrases, and summaries.