Blog 5

Beginning English 802, even as an English major was quite daunting this semester because all of English 802 was closed my first semester I had to wait. I was nervous jumping into a college level English course because of the lapse of time since my high school English class. Also I have never been really confident in my writing. The first assigned essay was difficult for me because I had so many thoughts and ideas about my advertisement, but I couldn’t completely bridge them to counterculture. It took me a while to really develop my paper according to counterculture; this included a lot of editing. Before this class I never put as much effort into the editing process and it made me realize the amount of time put into a paper really improves it. For the second essay I had an easier time developing that paper but more difficulties with research. My use of Signs of Life was limited because of the specific space I was using. This gave me perspective into doing research in general. That no source is perfect, and it takes lots of sifting through unnecessary material to find what you really need. The third essay was probably the most challenging for me. While watching the film I had developed concrete ideas in my head, but putting them to paper was extremely challenging. Here research helped me develop my thesis more than anything. Unlike the earlier two essays, my research guided my paper instead of the other way around. Finally the fourth essay was a bit overwhelming with all the requirements of sources. I gradually learned how to take information from a variety of places and mold them into my own argument. I have learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer, such as the importance of the editing process is something I should take into account more often and outside sources can guide me in developing my essay. I feel I have developed as a writer even though I had struggles within the course. Also I plan to continue developing as a writer while here at Temple .