Emma Cook

Professor Clark

American Literature (Group 6)

October 11th, 2017

Reflection

American Literature 2 has been a class enriched with challenges and growth. I would

have to say that from these challenges two particularly stand out. That is, having to revise my

writing skills and focusing intently on the narration of the stories read. Nevertheless, from these

challenges I feel as though I have already grown as a writer and am grateful for the obstacles I

have been able to overcome through my experience in this course.

When I began this course I was certain that I knew myself as a writer and would not

struggle with my Daily Writings. Pretty early on, though, I was in for a rude awakening. I

received two low scores on my Daily Writing and was left feeling confused. After careful

consideration and helpful notes from graders I was soon able to pinpoint the problem. I was not

answering the question in a clear and concise manner. I was trying too hard to create a piece of

writing and less on actually completing the assignment that had been asked of me. For example,

on my Daily Writing on W.E.B. DuBois I ended up writing a summary of the story instead of

explaining the rhetorical presence of the text. This assignment, in particular, and the feedback

that came along with it truly helped me take a step back to evaluate what I needed to improve on

as a writer. My whole career as a writer has been quite different for what I am enrolled in now.

Before, I was to complete an essay in a particular format and was required to embellish my work

with strong opening and concluding points to hook my audience. I have been challenged in
American Literature 2 because this is not quite the same case. Instead, my task is to get to the

meat of what the question is pointing at. I have learned that there is no need to dance around the

answer. For example, the re-writing of a paragraph from The Sheriffs Children for Essay 1

helped me pinpoint the important elements of the text. This helped me realize what I needed to

focus on concerning the text and how I could use it to develop my paper. I need to provide my

readers with strong points and evidence that satisfy the claim. This is not to say that fluent

writing is to be thrown out the window. If anything, this skill produces a better flow of writing

and a better developed argument. As to how I am dealing with this now? I am eager to improve

on my writing skills and will soak up any feedback that is offered. I seek to create better writings

through being more straightforward and thoughtful in my answers and can already sense a

change.

One other challenge I have faced this semester was having to focus on the narration of the

stories. Before this class, I never dove deep into the narration of a story let alone the effects it

had on the text. When this task was presented to me in the course I was worried. I had only

known the three basic types of narration: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Point of View. In American Literature

2, I was introduced to a whole new world of terms such as heterodiegetic, homodiegetic, and

autodiegetic. Needless to say, this took some getting used to. For the first few assignments I truly

struggled with mastering what these terms meant and how I could determine the types that were

present in the stories we read. One major element that has helped me overcome the challenge of

understanding narration was the developmental work we did to prepare for Essay 1. The lists that

I made regarding key actions, shifts in attitudes, and hints that the narrator offered helped me

gain a better understanding of the narration and the effect it had on the story. This new challenge
with new ideas required that I thoughtfully examined the text and paid attention carefully as I

read. I learned to take notes while I read which enabled me to look back on ideas I developed as I

was reading. I began this practice for the assignment regarding Three American Writers on the

Civil War where I was to explain how each stories unique narration benefitted its audiences

understanding on the text. The notes I took during reading benefitted my overall analysis of the

story. However, I do not believe I realized my own improvement until our assignment for Steins

Gentle Lena in which I witnessed thrusting myself into the text and picking it apart until I

grasped the truest form of its narration. This task encouraged me and showed me visible

improvement on my knowledge of the types of narrations, the benefits it can bring to a story, and

more. These three tasks challenged me, grew me as a writer, and helped me become more

thoughtful as I read.

As I wrap my reflection up, I am overcome with a sense of optimism for the future of this

course. I have already learned so much and have watched my progress as the last few weeks have

flown by. I know, though, that my hard work and drive does not end here. There are so many

things that I have yet to learn and still desire to improve on, even if I do not know it yet. This is

simply only the beginning.