A Final Reflection...

Since this is the first and only blog of my digital immigrant/native life, (I consider myself some sort of hybrid I suppose) I will use an entry to reflect upon my English 3010 course, the reason that I created it at all. This course allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and experiment with my writing a bit. For the first essay assignment, I wrote an analysis of Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener," in the style of David Foster Wallace in "Host." This was a combination of two of the essay prompts, and presented a unique challenge which I embraced every step of the way. It didn't end up being some great piece of writing that is worthy of publication, obviously, but it worked. The fact that I was able to make it work was a huge success for me and made me much more confident in my abilities as a writer. Our next essay assignment came after the conduction of a heavy amount of research on bias in the mass media, specifically political bias between the two major parties in America. I was thankful for the practice that the essay provided as we had to propose a solution to the bias problem, but I really took an interest in the research and presentation of the bias itself. Our class was filled with participatory members, so debates and other discussions were able to flow and uncover an abundance of arguments from all sides. This work will not only help me should I choose to pursue a career in public relations or social science, but it will also help with general life skills. It was an invaluable and enjoyable experience overall. The final research essay will undoubtedly be a helpful, career preparing endeavor as well. I enjoyed the readings, writings and certainly the discussions, but the most memorable part of this course will definately be my contact with John Ziegler. There was much debate following the reading of "Host," so I decided to spew my thoughts in class and my blog alike. However, John Ziegler (the focal point of Wallace's piece) found my blog and challenged me to hear his side, his truth. We scheduled a time and spoke on the phone for an extended period of time. I am still not sure how that conversation has affected me and my views, but I do know that it was an unique experience that I value the opportunity to have had. I went into this term fearing a general english composition class, but got so much more out of it. I want to thank my classmates and Professor Marshall for this semester and wish you all the best of luck no matter where life takes you.