Final Blog Post

This class has been very beneficial to me as a writer and a person. I see myself as a below-average writer mainly because English is my worst subject. However this class has changed my attitude towards writing and how much better of a writer I have become. Before I came to this class the only thing I knew how to write were five paragraph essays. This class has taught me to not be limited to five paragraphs but use as many as I need to get my point across. This class has also allowed me to start writing about things that I would never normally write about. I started out writing about things that made me laugh, then moved to things I was involved in, and finally about things that were important to society.

I have learned that I write top to bottom in my papers, I put more emphasis on the beginning of the paper rather than at the end. This is something that I, as a writer need to address. I also view the subject matter of my writing to narrowly. I need to let my mind open up and see the entire piece that I am writing about. This is clearly evident in my 2nd Writing Project, where I focused on too few things and completely left out some major portions of my rhetorical analysis.

Peer reviewing was probably the most important part of this class for me. My writing was never the best. When my peers gave me feedback I took that feedback and incorporated it into my writing. Without that feedback I think that my papers would've been much worse than they were. Conferencing with Professor Ware in class was also very beneficial for my writing as well because it gave me an insight into what he and other professors are looking for and also showed me the faults in my writing. These conferences also hurt me in a way because I tried to focus on everything he and others suggested I do when I need to stick to a single topic and expand. Peer reviewing is an essential part of this class and helps a lot with the writing process.

I think that "good writing" incorporates good spelling, grammar, organization, and understanding of the type of writing your doing. Without these things you're just free writing. Often times free writing isn't the best way to go and you should consider writing in a different style. My own writing has come a long way since the beginning of the year. I could never have written a rhetorical analysis without the help provided from envisions or Professor Ware. Now that I have learned all these strategies for writing I can read other people's writing with my new knowledge in mind.

I have been able to use my knowledge from this class outside of class. I've used my observational skills at places like football games and the zoo. I've begun to look at paintings, sculptures, music videos, movies, and pictures in a completely different way than what I had done previously. Now I start looking immediately for how the object tries to grasp the attention of the viewer by implying logos, ethos, or pathos. Most recently I have begun to look at the objects that define who I am as a person and how they make me up. All of these things I have learned in this class and am now applying to the world around me.

T.I.