Blog 5

When I first started English 802 I was very unsure of myself as a writer. I had done well in 701, but was nervous about the sophistication of the essays and demands placed on students. The first essay was difficult because I was so used to the writing style of the 701 course; state thesis, state argument, summarize sources, tie thesis and sources together. I found it very formulaic. With 802 however, I was asked to take that writing a step further, and really bring in my own thoughts and the thoughts of others with many sources needed to support my claim. By the second essay I finally understood how to properly integrate a source with just enough summery to give background- but not push it to the point of over whelming the reader. At first the third essay was a bit over my head, but after research I finally found a suitable thesis and sources. That is another thing I learned in this course, before I had no idea how to use the library or the online sources. The library days helped me immensely and I’ve been able to use that information for my other courses. I’ve also become very familiar with MLA format thanks to the “A Pocket Style Manual” which is a useful skill I’ll be able to carry with me for the next six years. I found the readings throughout the course interesting because I could relate to them and was familiar with the sources they were pulling from, this made weekly readings a lot easier. I was able to site quotes from the readings that supported my theses without much trouble. All in all I enjoyed English 802 and my first essay through the fourth is evidence of how this course has helped me grow as a writer.