Hagerman 1

Grayson Hagerman
English 111 CB
December 7, 2009

An Ending and a Beginning

There is much to tell regarding my experience with English 111 this semester.
Being one of my more enjoyable classes, English 111 actually allowed me to express
myself in ways my other classes did not. I learned many things about myself as a writer
this semester, and I thank Ms. Prichard’s English class for that. There were some positive
experiences as well as some negatives, but in both cases I learned a thing or two about
writing. Looking back on what I feel I have accomplished this semester, it is safe to say
that I will definitely be taking what I have learned in English 111 with me.
Coming into English class on the first day of school is actually a memory worth
mentioning. I was running a little late, or at least I thought I was, so I decided to sprint to
class. It turns out that I was early, and unfortunately I had to sit dripping in sweat in a hot
room for fifty minutes. Talk about a great way to start off my first college class. I
remember being quite intimidated while waiting for Ms. Prichard to arrive. I looked
around at the other students, and they were all busy letting their fingertips scurry across
their laptop keyboards. My prejudice was that I was in a class full of “sophisticated
writers” who seemed to already be writing their own novels. Funny how we think when
we are a little nervous. These feelings passed however, as we formed in groups and
discussed different topics. At first, I was afraid of the kinds of homework we were going
to be assigned, but the work assigned actually turned out to be easy to follow and rather
enjoyable. As more and more time passed, the more and more I enjoyed English 111. I
found many of my classmates to be fun to work with and interesting to talk to. Plus, Ms.
Prichard was an excellent teacher. She was both understanding and approachable, and I
was really appreciative of that. In hindsight, English 111 was not at all intimidating.
Instead, it was both enjoyable and enlightening.
It is difficult to say what exactly English 111 has taught me this semester
concerning writing, because there is no specific notion or proper skill that was drilled into
me. Instead, English 111 aided me in the realm of self-expression and the ways in which I
convey who I am through my writing. I learned to accept constructive criticism and also
to enjoy what I was writing, because if you are not passionate about your work, then your
paper is going to be boring and difficult to write. I would say the assignment that best
helped me to acquire these mindsets was the rhetorical analysis. I enjoyed the fact that we
were paying close attention to film speeches and also the ways in which their messages
were delivered. I was really passionate about writing the rhetorical analysis, because I
genuinely felt that I was allowed to express my feelings on the subject. I thought that
project sequence was really cool. I found the group blog to be pretty interesting as well.
Unfortunately, I found that sometimes your best bet is to take care of things yourself as
 Hagerman 2

far as projects go. I am not saying that my partners meant any harm, instead I am just
stating that sometimes it is best to take the helm yourself, in order to ensure the
completion of an assignment.
English 111 helped me to recognize my strengths and weaknesses in my writing
style. I realized that I am pretty good at grasping concepts and implementing them into
my writings. For example, I had never heard of ethnography, but I did not let my lack of
prior knowledge preclude me from writing a paper on it. I was able to understand the
concepts of place, artifacts, and thick description, which helped me to write an effective
essay. I also thought I was able to understand the aspects of rhetoric pretty well. I was
able to comprehend ethos, pathos, and logos, which are all key ingredients to rhetoric. In
fact, I plan on taking these terms with me in my future writings, especially persuasive
essays. I also believe one of my strengths when it comes to writing is simply the passion
for it. Of course I am not always keen on writing reports, but when the opportunity to
express myself in writing presents itself, I am always eager to take advantage of it. It is
safe to say that if you have a love for something, odds are you are going to be good at it.
As far as my weaknesses go, it is difficult to pick out any prominent ones. It is hard to
critique yourself, because everyone wants to believe their work is perfect and flawless.
However, there are a few areas of my writing that I wish to improve. Sometimes, I can be
rather opinionated and unfortunately my biased feelings are reflected in my work. This
often offends some of my readers, so it is a weakness I can work on. I think using specific
areas of rhetoric, like pathos and audience, could avail me in my effort to heal my
weakness. Another weakness that I notice in my writing is the fact that I sometimes just
assume my readers know what I am talking about. I feel that if I really perfect the use of
thick description, this weakness will cease to be a problem.
I achieved a great deal in writing this semester with the help of the sequence of
projects we were assigned. Of the five sequences, I would have to say sequence five
worked best for me. I realize that five is different from the others in the sense that it
consists of my recasts and this reflection, but I have truly learned something valuable
from it. I have been able to look at my past projects and collect helpful suggestions, as
well as study the ways in which I can implement what I have learned into my future
writings. This reflection has proved to be most valuable, because it has allowed me to
recollect the lessons and enjoyment I acquired from English 111 this semester. Although
this reflection symbolizes the end of English 111 for me, I also see it as a new beginning
in my passion for writing.