English 101

Essay #4—Course Reflection—20% of overall grade

Due

Tuesday, August 4 at NOON (NO exceptions. This is a hard deadline. I will not accept late submissions, so it’s safest for you to submit this assignment in advance of the deadline in case of technical issues, emergencies, illnesses, etc….)

Content

In proper essay form using all the conventions of formal, academic writing, reflect on what you’ve learned this semester in this course and your remaining goals as you continue on as writers. (Note: Use the first-person point of view.) Think carefully and analytically. For example, some of what you’ve learned may be about time management or about the importance of making sure you read and understand assignments fully before beginning them. You may have learned the importance of reading the syllabus carefully or asking the instructor lots of questions. Because this became an online class, you may have learned more about Blackboard or other technologies that you had not used often before. In other words, your reflection can blend what you’ve learned locally (about traditional essay structure or grammatical functions) with what you’ve learned more globally (about yourself as a student or a human being) from this course.

Note: though this is a first-person essay, do not use second person. If you need to refer to me as the instructor, simply use my name, Nancy Carol Bryant or Ms. Bryant or, more broadly, you can reference “the instructor.”

Structure

This essay should have an introduction, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your essay must contain at least three well-developed body paragraphs (9-16 typed lines of text for body paragraphs).

Introduction:

Give background information about yourself as a writer and/or an English student. Give a brief synopsis of what you’ve done in this class. Next, create a direct, clear thesis sentence (three-points) about what you’ve learned. For example, “This semester, I have learned X, Y, and Z about writing (or about myself as a writer)”

Body Paragraphs:

Write well-developed paragraphs that follow PIE: Point (something important you learned) Illustrate (describe in detail assignments or other features of the course that helped you learn the lesson from your point.) Explain (analyze in-depth how and why the illustrations helped you learn the lesson.) Make sure your essay follows proper conventions of academic essays (no use of contractions or second person, slang, colloquial speech). However, this is a first-person essay, so you are allowed to use first-person pronouns as long as you do not use phrases such as “I think, I believe, I feel.”

Conclusion:

Sum up your points, reiterate your thesis (not verbatim!) Your conclusion may also focus on where you are going as a writer and what you would like to work on as you develop more.

Minimum Requirements

Five well-developed paragraphs and 2+ pages (which means that you have two full pages and at least a couple of lines on the third page.)

Thank you, and I look forward to reading Essay #4!

ANSWER

Course Reflection

I have always wanted to engage in literary work, become a distinguished unique writer with a master of diverse writing styles to communicate my ideas. Since beginning this course, I knew I wanted to learn and acquire this information, which I referred to as ‘training.’ As an English student, I have acquired many skills and systematically developed an academic culture involving reading, analyzing, and writing. In doing so, in class, I have attended higher numbers of lectures, participated in discussions given by my instructor and in group projects, solved quizzes and tests, and online assignments, as well as presenting my findings and ideas of what I have learned. I believe these activities have been the foundation and basis for the development of my academic culture and sharpening my writing skills as a writer. I feel my writing abilities have improved when compared to the moment before attending this course. This semester, I have learned to communicate my ideas eloquently, diverse approaches to literary analysis, and write persuasive arguments. Most importantly, I understood the importance of going the extra mile as a writer and student to grasp information adequately.

Learning to communicate my ideas eloquently in an organized manner is part of the academic and writing culture I obtained. Learning this new information meant freeing the old habits I had and releasing myself to accommodate and maneuver through the transitions and discoveries from the lessons, readings, group projects, and assignments. Many days I woke up with many ideas in mind, and whenever I had topics to write on, I felt overwhelmed with many ideas, making it hard to write the main points directly. When writing these thoughts on diverse themes such as love, nature, sexuality, and environment, I found my stylistic skills getting out of hand. I had lengthy and overwritten sentences or points before communicating or putting across my main thoughts and ideas. However, as I attended the lectures, I learned argument synthesis, learned to create outlines, grammatical functions, and essay structures. I decided to practice the information through extensive writing during my free time to discover my thoughts and place pieces of information together. With time, I transitioned into a precise flow of ideas.

I feel I learned diverse approaches to analyzing literature, which is an essential aspect of writing development. In week six, I remember learning a lesson on rhetoric appeals, which introduced me to ethos, logos, and pathos, elements that enhanced my research, analysis, and interpretation skills. Before learning the lesson, I must admit that I mostly conducted surface-level analysis and evaluations on literature and making arguments, which I later discovered was a meager way of analyzing as a writer. I would analyze literal works subjectively, judging them based on individual convictions. I must admit it was a struggle to understand these concepts and the application completely; however, I learned to be patient and practice active learning. This meant listening attentively to my instructor, Ms. Bryant, critically scrutinizing articles, scuffling with the hard knowledge to understand, and compressing the information into small understandable, or would I say consumable bits, literary using a book and a pen. Once I understood the rhetorical appeals’ interpretation and applicability, I learned to conduct literature analysis based on theoretical frameworks, using research databases for scholarly journals and making constructive judgments and criticism. As I continued employing these rhetoric appeals, I can attest that even my writing skills have enormously developed. My newly acquired skills and knowledge have liberated and transformed my understanding of my writing, analysis, and reading. My confidence in literature analysis and writing is equally boosted.

Throughout the course, I think I have experienced and understood the sacrifice and extra mile needed for increased remembrance, retention, and practicing the theoretical foundation. It takes much discipline, especially in an online class, to ensure maximized attendance, active participation, and better time management. I know my time management skills are wanting, and I have always wanted to work on them. I kept looking for opportunities to learn and correct this problem but always postponed. When I started this course, I discovered I could train myself to attend classes punctually, and sincerely I am not disappointed, as, on a scale of 10, I have improved from a 2 to 7. Moreover, I decided to participate in class discussions and groups, not just passively, but actively. I will not forget my advanced formula: listening attentively to my instructor, Ms. Bryant (1), critically scrutinizing articles (2), scuffling with the hard knowledge to understand (3), compressing the information into small understandable bits (4), writing these small bits in outlines (5), and creating mnemonics for remembrance and retention (6).

My experience as an English student has been enriching, and through the help of my instructor and classmates, I feel they have prepared me individually and professionally. I contend with having grown as a person, my thought process, and as a writer. The information, training, corrections, and discipline I acquired and learned will be translated even after the end of this course and in the future, as it has molded me into a lifelong learner. I will continue writing all through, as I must achieve my objective and dream of writing. My writing will impact the communities diversely, where I will entertain and provide scholarly support on diverse topics, such as on the pandemic, climate change awareness, and criminal justice. Besides, my evidence-based ideas can form a policy and program development basis.