Reflection

Transformation This Semester I have really learned to give myself more credit on what I have done. In English 102, I learned to write how to make a connection between positives and negatives also become skilled at how to observe things from different viewpoints, and become a curious researcher. It had been a short but at the same time exhausted semester for me which goes by so fast. What I found interesting is that English became restorative mediator to me. Being able to write an essay and talking about everyday life experiences and problems which our nation faces everyday helped me out in many ways. The biggest help for me was that I could write how I was feeling at that time and then be able to write an effective paper to get my point across, as well backing up my thoughts with scholarly researches. Overall I wrote three papers in this class, including some short journal entries and discussion board conversations. Well, these three papers were totally different from each other, but connected in same subject. As I go back and refresh my mind on all of those assignments what I had done, it helped me to understand how each assignments were connected to each other, even when I felt that they don’t have anything in common. One previous assignment makes a step to other task. After spending nearby quick time period on each essay, I learned that in every future assignment, our tone gets more aggressive and more intelligent. I believe this is because we judge deeper in future assignments than in past. Plus we were able to add more emotion and be well-dressed than in past paper. Writing had been a problem for me since I was a kid. I was pretty successful in all the other subjects, but writing assignments were the dilemma. I never could understand why we should write, and how people could choose a particular topic and write about it pages long essays. After this class, I understood that writing is actually shapes our intellectuality and gives a sense of being human. By being able to write we can actually incorporate or exclude any subject to each other. If person is a good writer, by his or her writings he/she can convince the reader to any elevation. Thanks to writing we can tell to people what we actually feel about the subject or an object. So this course thought me importance of the writing in our life. I am proud of myself and skills which I earned thanks to this class. This ability will stay with me forever, because I know I will use this talent in future classes as well as in real life. In addition, I learned how to incorporate this ability to outside sources and use this tool as a guide for future problems. The first essay what we had to write was on Local level. In this essay I had to evaluate something, so I compared and contrast online class vs. traditional class. In general I had to argue over, why is one better than the other. In this essay I wasn’t very successful on my organization and being one sided. I lost my end points where I had to stop. Accordingly, I had lot of ideas in one paragraph instead having one idea in one paragraph and I was talking about one thing at the begging and my paragraph would end up with something totally different. Consequently, it took me a while to figure out how to separate one idea from another, thus one idea leads one paragraph. This essay reminds me one of the stories which I read in high school (Ethics in the Age of Digital Photography: By John Long, 669). This story was about how journalism progresses year by year, and how they use photo montage to make a real photograph into not real or vice versa. However, I used the same tactic. On my Local Argument essay, I take my instructor’s, classmates and Writing centers suggestions. At the first level my instructor and writing center offered me to work on organization, also my instructor showed me that having clear and strong thesis actually a fundamental level for good essay. I went back and re-read the draft and highlight the main ideas throughout the essay. Later on I divide up the entire essay into small portions and stick in one idea in one paragraph and find good sources which backed up my thoughts. Also, I stick in one idea in one paragraph and made sure that ending sentences of last paragraph is actually opening sentence for next paragraph. This way, my transitions were smoother. Last draft came out in much better shape with stronger thesis. After this lesson I became export about digging deeper in my own ideas, backing up personal thoughts with good sources, and expressing myself in lot clear manner on the paper, and not being too personal in research papers. Later on there was second assignment, Film Analysis. This paper was lot easier or I thought this way. Because I was thinking that I’ll watch the movie, pick the negatives about the movie and give the solutions what needs to be done to increase the quality of education. This paper was more judgmental, it kind reminds previous essay, Local Paper, in prior paper and this paper are similar because in both of them, we judge. In film analysis essay it was easier because you took the pessimistic of public and write what you think about it and back up your thoughts with research. Also, in this essay I was focusing on small words in the essay so it sounds smoother, I started writing like: author says, argues, or explains and start the quote. This makes essay look more documentary and be more connected text to the quote. Also, this small changes and twists make quote look like part of essay. In addition this essay thought me proper citation of the source. By knowing citation rule it makes lot easier, to show your readers where the ideas come from and what writer’s viewpoint about the proposal is. Towards the end of the semester there was final paper, paper on Global Level. This essay was made of all components that we been learning throughout the semester. This essay had on it base of everything; it had emotional portion, argument piece, and comparing and contrasting of two things on Global level. I would say this was the highest level for everything. We had to put together everything now, that we learned and analyzed in past. This essay was the most leading because as we progress farther into the end of semester, we tend to move quicker and unravel all meanings. This paper came out lot better than verses to other essays. But I still had some problems. This time I was too harsh from one point view. Subsequently, I worked through the essay and try to be equal for both sides and show to my audience how we as a nation progressing and educational scale comparing to other countries. I bring up solutions which showed why governments have to change some policies to be able to give quality of education to its community. I find that this portfolio is great helpful tool. This way I can go back and see how I started and how I ended this journal. This portfolio helps me to refresh my mind about all the experiences I had during every assignments. I literary, break my thoughts, ideas, experiences, and collect all of those emotional and physical feeling in this short paper. This class thought me lot of stuff. Well, being an online student thought me how to monitor time, and be your own teacher. I get lot of help from my instructor, but at some point I asked question to myself and eventually I was the one who get to find the answers. I learn how to be more motivated and directed, which is, I set goal and achieved it and never let it go if I fail at some point. Reading and writing been trouble for me in past, but not now. I learned how to acquire my negatives and start restoring myself. In past when it comes down to writing I felt like not being able to sleep. I can’t sleep when I have too many problems or question marks in my head. Same as writing when you have paper to write you can’t ever find the best topic to start. You have lot of ideas in your head, but can’t see the connections between them. Or don’t know which one would be the best to start with, to write about so you can be multifaceted and unexpected to your audience; also not provide general thoughts which knowing by everyone. I get done lot of stuff in this class. Now I can freely tell what literacy does to my identity. Throughout the semester I restore myself and learn how to cover my negatives and not be afraid of asking for help when I need to. Overall I feel like I did a decent job in this class. Not being English native, I achieved my goal, and I feel like I am ready to move on and be in higher division classes. Moreover, I think if I accomplish this course, being full time student and full time employee, there is no reason I can’t success in higher and harder category in regular basis.