Engl 110: Passage of Growth
When I registered for Engl 110, I had no hopes of learning anything in the class. I thought that I would just write essays answering different prompts. Within the first week of attending the class, I was proved wrong. I was given a list of course learning objectives that I will be attaining by the end of the class. These objectives have helped me find my voice as a writer. Our instructor had planned the course meticulously so that I am leaving this class as a better writer and also as a better person.
In Phase 1, my class discussed different aspects of literary and linguistic traits during this Phase. The concept of “broken” English was one of the main topics that we dwelled into. We analyzed a few artists who explored their experiences of facing bigotry due to their inability to speak “perfect” English. These artists, such as Amy Tan, Safwat Saleem, and June Jordan were proficient in their native languages and were very skilled at doing their jobs. Yet, they were looked down upon due to their poor literacy skills in English. It was brought into light that a lot of people in our class, including myself, had faced similar problems.
I wanted to examine other topics that aided one’s language and literacy besides speech for my essay. I read a lot of books as a kid that aided my literacy skills and I wanted to expand that point. I intended my classmates to be the audience of my essay. I wanted to appeal to an audience of individuals that may or may not have found themselves situated in a similar situation as me. That is why as opposed to just simply stating what happened, I gave each situation a vivid description that helps explain my experiences effectively. I started the essay with a humorous anecdote to draw the readers in.
The context of the essay impacted my writing practices the most during this Phase. I incorporated the ideas of rebellion and oppression that I learned from my books and paralleled them to the social injustices happening in the world today. My first draft seemed as if it did not hold a stance because I used plain language that did not reveal any emotions. In my revised essay, I used stark contrasts with the phrases, “unicorns and rainbows” vs “cracks and defects.” to establish my theme of rebellion and oppression. I further expanded my piece about how reading has helped me become a better person as a whole and I wanted to share my story with my classmates. I accomplished the Course Learning Objective- “develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing.”
During this Phase, I also understood the importance of being able to “engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.” Having someone with a different perspective look into my essay helped me better my essay because I gained new insights on how to make my essay more appealing. They also helped me reduce my mistakes. I also learned how to be a better reviewer after receiving the evaluations on my essay. Not only did I learn how to critique kindly but also to not just offer any opinion but the ones that actually help their essays. Working with my peers helped me develop better skills for peer review.
In Phase 2, we learned more about the rhetorical features of texts. Everyone had to pick a video or essay that we had previously explored in class and write a Rhetorical Analysis essay based on that piece. Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” appealed to me the most because I could relate to it so well. It is one of my favorite essays that I have read in all of my academic years. In class, we studied different types of rhetorical strategies and our instructor taught us to analyze texts for what they do. We learned about ethos, pathos, and logos and how these techniques are applied in various ways.
Our first task was to write a summary of the rhetorical strategies used by the artist in our chosen piece. Writing the summary of “Mother Tongue” helped me organize my ideas for the essay and gain an insight of how my essay can be structured. I structured the language of my essay to accommodate my audience, my peers and instructor. Since they have already read the essay before, I did not go into the context of the essay too much but rather focused on the rhetorical strategies used by the writer. Instead of using complex language with literary jargon, I used simple and direct language that all my peers will be able to understand. I achieved the “explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations” Course Learning Outcome.
One of the most significant insights I had during phase was learning the potential of the rhetorical strategies. I learned how to “Recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations” These techniques give the artist the ability to make their audience believe in their creation. I understood that stronger rhetorical strategies, the more powerful the art. This prompted me to pick the strongest rhetorical techniques used by Tan, anecdotes and emotional appeal, to convince her audience for my essay. The context of the essay impacted my writing practices the most during this Phase. I had to learn how to properly analyze Tan’s essay and derive the rhetorical strategies she used to make her argument. I had to go beyond just stating what she said and had to explain the intended effect she had on the readers with her anecdotes and descriptive language.
This phase also helped me attain a Course Learning Outcome by aiding me to “recognize the role of language attitudes and standards in empowering, oppressing, and hierarchizing languages and their users, and be open to communicating across different languages and cultures.” My classmates and I empathized with Tan and her mother after reading her essay because we felt like they, and other immigrants else in their place, deserved better treatment. I acknowledged the powerful effect that the writer had on the readers by putting us in her shoes. This assignment led me to realize the importance of rhetorical strategies in all forms of art.
For Phase 3, I had to write a research essay. I chose to write about the effect of media on adolescents’ body image. I chose this topic because body image is something I used to struggle with and I wanted to learn more about the topic. I structured the language of my essay to accommodate my audience, my peers and instructor. In my essay, while I maintained a formal tone, I steered away from intricate scientific terms because I wanted my audience to be comfortable reading the essay. I included the rhetorical strategies, stating logical facts and establishing credibility, that I learned from Phase 2 to appeal to my audience. That is when I was able to “understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences.” Along with pictures, I used definitions, statistics, and examples so that the readers can actually learn from my essay and educate themselves about issues with body image.
One term that impacted my essay the most was argument. I had to pick a stance on my essay and convince the audience about my argument. I learned the importance of being confident in my viewpoint and saying what I had to say. Another important term that played a big role in my essay was evidence. I had to provide evidence for all the claims I was making in my essay. I learned how to carefully compile the sources that will help build my argument. I have learned how to “locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.”
This assignment also helped me gain the “compose texts that integrate your stance with appropriate sources using strategies such as summary, critical analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and argumentation” Course Learning Outcome. Writing the rhetorical precis and synthesis prior to my draft helped me organize my ideas for the essay and gain an insight of how my essay can be structured.
My instructor advised the class to use the MLA citation format. Prior to this class, I had heard about the MLA format but I wasn’t too sure about using it to write my essay. I learned how to properly use the citation format by reading other research essays written in MLA format. By learning how to properly give credit to the authors of the sources I used, I achieved the “practice systematic application of citation conventions” Course Learning Objective. I realized the difference in simply stating my claims with sources and performing deep analysis for my claims. This assignment led me to realize the importance of synthesis and rhetorics and I shall use this skill in my arguments in the future.
This Self Assessment essay constitutes Phase 4, the last phase of the class. Even though I might not necessarily have perfected all the Course Learning Objectives, I have definitely grown better as a writer. Techniques such as rhetoric, analysis, research, and peer review are now ingrained in my mind. I aim to use these skills in my academic career and in my personal writing. Engl 110 will always have a special place in heart for helping me find confidence in my ability to write.
