final post

Walking into Patterson the first day of classes I was sure I could write a final paper off of one draft, boy was I wrong. I have learned to look at stories from different points of view, looking for the tools the authors use to persuade the reader or to express his or her beliefs. I have learned how diction is used to set tone in a story and how it can change the way things are perceived. Putting two stories side by side to find a common thread is another thing that I have found helps me to understand writing. Using new technology such as blogging has changed the way I view some text because it opens my eyes to the way other people see it. Lastly I have learned to use what is around me, such as my classmates to help me with my writing. All of these things I have learned in this class and the have changed the way I read and write, for the better. Learning to analyze text while I am reading is one of the first things I learned in English 1010. I have now begun to notice how an author uses specific words to convey certain feelings in their work, such as “blood” in David Mamet’s, “The Rake,” or how David Griffith in “Prime Directive” uses a television show, Star Trek, to display his beliefs on the war in Iraq. After reading these stories that use certain tools so well, I have changed the way I write and read. I now see that comparing a harsh subject to a thing that many people can relate to is a good way to get your point of view across without boring your readers with a straight forward argument and throwing facts at them. Finding different and interesting ways to present my thoughts and ideas helps my writing and makes it more presentable.
Using “The Rake” and “Under the Influence” in a synthesis essay taught me how using two work’s like characteristics can help you come to certain conclusions about the works. After writing my synthesis essay I came to the conclusion that “sons are directly influenced by their fathers.” (Connell 1) I came to this because I found things such as an alcoholic father in “The Rake” and an abusive step father in “Under the Influence” contributed to their son’s lives. I have learned to pull things out of my reading that I wouldn’t have noticed before and use them in my own writing. I did this in all my writing this year and especially in my synthesis essay.
Sometimes doing something you have never done before can help you learn new things. This is what we did when we started blogging. I had never done this before but after doing it I learned that it can help my writing. The main way that it helped was by letting my peers see my writing and give me feed back on what I need to do. I also was able to read other classmates writing pieces and get ideas from them. Overall getting exposed to this new idea of blogging helped my writing and opened me to a place I can turn for inspiration and ideas.
Learning to use my classmates is one of the last things I am taking away from this class. Throughout the semester I have turned over a rough draft to someone in my class and I gotten back a fully corrected draft that is filled with great ideas and helpful tips for me. If I didn’t have my class to peer edit my papers they wouldn’t of turned out near as good as they did.
Leaving the last day of class was a lot different then my first day of class. I learned so much throughout the semester, from using blogger to looking at an author’s choice of words and how it affects their writing. I learned how to put two different works side by side in order to find similar characteristics and come up with and interpretive conclusion. I have changed as a reader and writer as a result of taking this class and it has all been for the better.