I have been able to see my own growth very clearly between now and before I started this class. It is different between being able to express your feelings, and maybe being good at it and knowing how to put them in paper in a way that everyone can read and get through it without confusing the audience. I found out how to navigate my narrative and write it picturing the public I’m referring to while I write.

In the first phase I found myself learning a lot about thesis, and authors, where they come from and their point of view. Because learning how to analyze a piece of writing gave me the “power” to understand the story significantly better which leads to learn what did the author use or how, in order for that story to be so interesting to read. With that being said, gave me the confidence to write my own story, being my true self and telling the story in the best way possible. And then of course I had learned about punctuation before, but phase one was like a real-life practice.

It is just punctuation, but it has a big weight when it comes to writing; giving it life and makes it easy for the reader to more or less relive the story we have written. Not to mention, that me as a freshman have never written a cover letter before. Phase one cover letter was the first for me, and apparently I did pretty well, all because things and instructions in class have been pretty clear and direct.

I have always been big on expressing my feelings especially through writing, and the best place to do it is of course in a space like this. Is the reason that pushed me to take this class. In the second phrase along with the enthusiasm to write, I also found many beautiful pieces to read and analyze each week.  I learned the way some of the authors write and the story behind the writing they made. Reading other authors writing also helped me understand the story better and where they came from, paying attention to some grammar and thesis I did not before.

 The course has been very correct and professional, giving us space to not only learn but express ourselves in our own best way.  One of the things I would like to highlight is that I have learned a lot on how to use punctuation; from being challenged from them to using it more.Now when I write, I also imagine that I have an audience waiting to hear my story. I want my stories to inspire people, to make them feel something. What I’m writing right now might not be so inspiring, but the bright side is that while I’m writing this assignment, I am also learning a lot. I am learning how to summarize what I have been practicing these last couple weeks. I am learning how to write a “cover letter” which is a first for me. So, I am winning.

 Another thing I would like to highlight is how I like to analyze a fiction now. As I mentioned earlier, I feel like when I analyze it gives me the power of knowing what they felt when they wrote it. It also helped me understand how an essay should be built in terms of using the right language and structure.

                        I found a little challenge while reviewing some of my peer’s work. Not because they did not do good, but because it made me work more and truly practice the skills I have been developing. In this topic of challenge, I would like to include the not so easy time I have had with learning the terms of literature. While I am still on a learning phrase, I am going to practice it along the way. All the terms are pretty new to me, but what have had the most impact in my learning and writing is purpose. Why am I writing? Why am I reading? Why did this author reflect on this piece exactly this way? What did they want me to know with this writing? And all the answers are answered once you know the purpose and the genre of the writing.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter the amount of time you spend doing something. It matters how well you manage to get out of it, for as long as you can. I can see my progress, on writing as well as speaking; so I’ve been told by people around me as well. Even though this phase was quite shorter than the first one, still very active and informative maybe just as much.

            To be honest, I haven’t done anything like this before, so this is pretty new to me. So, for me to be able to do a rhetorical analysis is an accomplishment. I want to highlight the difference between 2 weeks ago and now. Everything that I read now sounds different to me, it’s like a different point of view. What did the author want to say and who is the audience; I want to be able to prove whatever I say or write; I am able to do research and put reference proving where that piece of information came from; what is the thesis statement; Quotes and/or paragraphing; synthesis and much more.

            We were also able to take a sheet and find what is missing on the piece. I think that helped me to actually realize much more, which at first I didn’t see very necessary. I also like the way the class in general operates. There is no pressure applied to the students, which me personally gives more motive to be active and learn. I have always been a fan of writing, so being in this class and being able to do all this fun stuff is all very satisfying to me. I want to add that having the freedom to pick something to analyze was a great idea for me. I always wanted to talk and bring to attention more and more the mental health problems that often are not that very spoken about. So, I am happy what I was able to pull out of these last 2 weeks.

             What is best about this course above all, is that we learn something new, but we keep repeating what we did previously. With that being said, I have been able to better my skills in so many ways. Earlier in class, I would be confused about certain things but now that I’ve been able to repeat it over and over, I find myself liking and wanting to write more. I think workshops bring us closer as a class and it is also fun and also to get to know my fellow classmates better and how they write and what they think about my writing and their ideas in subjects overall.

            I used to have an idea what thesis is or does until this chapter that helped me figure out not only what is but how to use it in writing. I also like how the syllabus is laid down so smoothly, to help get things done gradually. It’s important to add that this phase has been fun, with all the activities. One of my favorite parts, was writing the two readings and then finding the similarity in both and their thesis. The other thing I liked was the option to vote on what to read next and I liked and voted “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Perkins—maybe because I am very big and loud in mental health and wellness overall; especially when it comes to more fragile creatures like females.

I would like to thank Professor Crowe for making this class easy to attend and informative. Also very fun and interesting.

Hope we can meet in future classes!