Course as a Learning Experience (Post #20)

Throughout this course, we have been asked to perform several writing projects. Many of which I had never even heard of, and it was a very difficult course. Coming into Wesleyan, I think one of my biggest worries was writing, and I honestly did not feel that my previous high school writing experience had prepared me for my college English courses. I had always been in upper level English, and I had been pushed before, but I was in no way prepared for Professor Ware, and the way he would push his students. I'd always just done the assignments given to me, and I had never really learned to think outside the box and deeply analyze things. I've never had to think so in depth about writing before. And after taking this course, it’s all changed.

I learned a lot about myself this semester, as far as who I am as a writer is concerned. In writing project one, I found that I am very capable of observing things, and writing about what I see, but that I reflect on things in a way I never even knew possible. In writing project two, I found that I absolutely hate the idea of rhetorically analyzing just about anything. It was very interesting when it was applied to the rhetoric of the vice presidential and presidential candidates, but I found myself having a very hard time applying it outside of class. The whole idea of rhetoric I found to be extremely boring, and writing a paper about a painting was just definitely not for me. I hope that I never have to do it again. Writing project three seems like it is going to be a very interesting project. I absolutely love music and I constantly find myself listening to songs and remembering things, people, and events that occurred when I was listening to that song. So reflecting upon that will be a very fun project for me.

As a writer I've found that it is much more productive for me to write about something I'm passionate about, and then analyze it and reflect upon it. I never really realized how insightful I was until this class. I found this very clear when we were asked to free write. I think that working with other students and letting them read my work definitely helped me in the long run, and I enjoyed getting peer reviews, and hated getting reviews from Professor Ware, mostly because he would go off on a tangent that was not only over my head, but illegible.
Good writing to me is something that is hard to come by. It’s something that I read and then walk away from with a whole different perspective on, and it should leave the writer with a sense of fulfillment within. As a writer, it’s great to get good grades on a paper, but if I hate it, and I’m not satisfied with it, then the grade seems pointless for me. I am no longer writing to appease anyone but myself. My writing style has completely changed after taking this class. And I am truly grateful for that.