Thinking back to my past experiences with writing in this class, I have found that I have gained some preconceived notions about how this second unit was going to turn out. As the first unit of this English class ended, I learned to voice my opinion and have intelligent conversations with my reader as well as the source. From this I had perceived that I had gained enough experience in writing to conquer any paper or English project that came my way. Thinking back, this type of reasoning might be why Confucius had said, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” As I have been thinking about these methods that Confucius lays out, it occurs to me that, yes, I can write as I always have (immitate), but this may become stale to either myself or the reader. Continuing to write as I always have may rise people to challenge my writing style with suggestions of how I can improve (experience); thus I can either acknowledge that I could improve, or stay at my current level. That brings me to the third point of his quote; “reflecting” on my writing style and what others have thought about my writing has increased my potential to continue to improve and become a more appealing writer. With this said, looking back on the second unit and the work that I've achomplished, I have found many areas on which I can improve as well as many ways I feel I'm a great writer.
Since the start of unit two, I thought that I had quite the grasp on writing. I recieved comments on my writing such as “Nicely done” and “Amazing work!” These comments were great to hear, but as I look back, I became very complacent in feeling the need to further my abilities in writing. I would just regurgitate similar writings to what I had written previously and turn that in. As time went on, I realized I wasn't writing to my audience anymore. I had reverted back to just spitting out the facts and not voicing my oppinion. I wasn't thinking about the source that I had found, I was thinking about just posting a paper and calling it in. Going through and reading all my previous entries, I had found that my discourse analysis paper and entries, along with my first two annotated bibliography entries, were well suited for a conversation and discussion between the reader, author of the source, and myself. My writings after that, however, were more for the credit instead of provoking thought. With my last blog entry, the website proposal, I recieved the comment, “So, it sounds like you're writing toward parents that are considering enrollment in Head Start, for the purpose of convincing them that this program is in fact a good thing? I wonder if this population, specifically, has any resistance toward this type of education that you may need to address?” I had thought a little about what I wanted my readers to take away from my website, but I didn't think about how I was going to help them contemplate it. As with last unit, I have reflected on what I can improve and how to apply it. Although I may have had a weaker voice in my writings as of late, I have increased the credibility of my sources.
When I started this class, I was using sources like Wikipedia and websites. As time went on, I began to find online articles and youtube videos to help further prove my argument. I had even used a book to help cite specific points. About half way through unit two, however, I decided to step up to bat by including more books and academic articles. It was in class that I had found out about the online database from the BSU library that was chalk full of articles. This, combined with the library itself, has been a huge help in solidifying my points about Head Start and furthering my resources. I had found many books and articles that i do not believe I would have found if I hadn't stretched myself in trying to find more creditable sources. I had recieved comments such as, “I'm impressed by the quality of your research, and your write-up.” and “I'm impressed by the substantial quality of the sources you found, especially as you tackled potentially one of the most difficult questions surrounding Head Start-- that of its' effectivity. Your exploratory research in many ways confirms my own suspicion: that head-start can give a leg-up to children coming from marginalized backgrounds.” I feel that if I can convince other classmates, who are researching about the same topic, to take my side, I might be able to help all my readers to as well. With reflecting on past experiences in this class (ie my research and papers) along with comments from my teacher and classmates, I feel that I have once again enhanced my writing and thinking abilities as a writer.
As I have been improving in this class, I have carried everything I have learned into this website that I have created. I have found that talking to my audience instead of spitting facts has help in being able to catch my audience's attention. I have found that creating a website is in fact like writing an essay. I still need to talk to an audience and obtain their interest in order to persuade them to see my side of the arguement. This I have learned to do throughout this english class. At first I didn't think that trying to gain followers would be all that important for creating a website, but I have come to realize that in order to make a good arguement, you need to speak to a certain audience and have them agree with you.
I continue to keep the statement that this class has not only enhanced my writing abilities, but has also taught me different ways to think and to convey my messege. I no longer feel that I am a master at writing; I no longer think that every one of my papers is going to be brilliant and exhilerating to read; but I do feel more confident in my abilities to research and provide a reader with a conversational argument between me, another author, and themselves. I feel that my whole perception of writing has enhanced; as Socrates had said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
No comments:
Post a Comment