Reflections on English 111

Looking Back on English 111

Taking English 111 this semester has sparked a sense of creativity I have been way out of touch with for many years. Up until taking this class, I really hadn't sat down and wrote anything for at least five years. Luckily, the basic rules of grammar and sentence structure were embedded in my head from high school. I did however, struggle with punctuation, and MLA citations, as I really didn't pay much attention to those things in high school, and blew them off as things I would never use again.
Many of the assignments allowed me to relive good memories that I hadn't reflected on for a long time, or even on paper. For the Diagnostic Essay, I wrote about an old job, where I worked for a non-profit environmental organization. I had completely forgotten about all of nuances of that job; the crazy people's doors I knocked on every evening. I also didn't vividly remember the campaign I helped to win. Writing on this subject helped me relive the positive emotions of that job, which I had pretty much forgotten.
The argument essay could not have come at a better time. I was very heated about my topic, and began researching very early. I pretty much had my whole paper written in my head a day after it was assigned. Some of the inspiration I had near the beginning started to fade by the time the paper was due. I became a bit less heated about the issue, and through some research came to some new conclusions that were a bit more neutral than my original stance. These things caused me to procrastinate near the end a bit, and I didn't get as good of a grade as I could have.
The Restaurant Review was a fantastic assignment. I am a total fatass and love to eat. Working in the business myself for years, I've become very critical of restaurants, so this assignment gave me the opportunity to either destroy or praise a restaurant. I wonder if anyone wrote a review bashing a restaurant. I decided a positive review might be a bit better, and reviewed one of my favorite French restaurants in Seattle. It was not too difficult for me to remember dishes I had there; I went to the place on quite a regular basis, and memorable meals stay embedded in my head for quite some time.
I really enjoyed the integration of technology in the class. It was refreshing; I have never really taken a college class where virtually all of the assignments and information were available online. Most of the homework assignments that were posted on Blackboard were interesting and current topics that applied in most all of our lives. They were not too involved and time-consuming, as we really just needed to read them briefly and be prepared to discuss them in class. This encouraged class participation, although that seemed to be difficult to get going at first, but became much easier as the weeks progressed and everyone became more comfortable around their peers.
Virtually all of the writing topics assigned allowed for a lot of freedom and creativity. At no time did I really feel the need to "censor" myself, or select an "appropriate" topic the teacher would like, as I had to in high school. This was definitely not a class of fact-based research papers. I don't think I would have done so well in a class like that.
The cool thing about English class is that it doesn’t limit you to questions assigned. The topics can be so broad only you control the quality of the work you produce, and the help is there if you need it. If I was taking Pre-Algebra, I probably would have no chance of solving some mind-blowing complicated math problem, but in English everyone has the possibility to create a stunning and memorable piece of work, full of emotion and self expression. Everyone develops a unique style of writing, and tweaks it here and there, developing a voice for themselves. It's funny how thoughts in your head can sometimes be SO unclear, yet make perfect sense on paper.
I look forward to taking English 112. I have a feeling the papers are a bit more intensive, but after this refresher I feel ready for that. I also have the desire to take a Creative Writing course, which is something I haven’t really explored. I really enjoyed the class, but I sure am happy it’s all over too!

Image shot by myself, Cafe D'arte, Seattle, WA circa 2007