A Reflection — WRIT105
This is a review of the elements of my learning about writing and revision throughout my second semester as a sophomore.
transcript:
[music]
00:05 —
Hi, I am Liastor Parkinson, until a few years ago writing became more than it ever was for me. I enjoyed writing and oftentimes used it as an escape from the real world, well within my teenage years. I am 20 years old now and a lot has changed. Writing was a tool I used to express myself emotionally, I was allowed to process a lot of my thoughts through writing, and because of that, I would often put words together freely, without a thought of what sounds right. Throughout my years in high school, it became difficult, I either didn’t have much freedom to be creative with my writing, or I was left with only two paragraphs in an essay that required me to write five. Eventually, writing felt like a task and I didn’t write for pleasure anymore but just to pass my classes. To be honest, this was the similar mindset I entered Writing 105 with. While I was expecting a grade, my mindset was filled with doubt but also with the hope that I’ll write for myself again. My personal narrative was a prime example.
00:59 —
“The Beauty Behind My Scar”, told the story of a life-changing event, the friendship between my childhood dog, Bentley, and me, and how a specific incident changed my perspective on beauty. This written piece reminded me of nights spent alone in my room, writing in my pink journal. I was able to be descriptive using metaphors and long adjectives. I was able to tell the story without worrying about how it sounded, and with feedback from my peers, I saw what needed to be added, such as another character, as well as what didn’t, such as repetitive words.
My proudest moment in this class would be the feedback I received on my first draft. They were encouraging and helpful, but what made me the most proud were comments saying that my narrative was great and easy to read, with lots of details and good organization, because I felt like I was all over the place during the process of writing my first draft, but the feedback I received gave me clarity and motivation to work on my middle draft.
01:50 —
My biggest personal growth, however, came in the form of my rhetorical analysis essay. It was the most challenging assignment for me as it was something completely out of my comfort zone.
What was comfortable to me was storytelling, whether it’s of my own experiences or fictional. This assignment required me to analyze and evaluate an advertisement’s effectiveness in persuading its targeted audience. The advertisement I chose was Nike’s “Re-Run” ad from their Vintage Running Campaign. I had to immerse myself in a great amount of research, learn the appropriate rhetorical terms, and lastly, cite evidence. Citing evidence I believe was one of my main difficulties. I never understood the different formats, whether it was APA or MLA. Implementing rhetorical terms like “purpose, audience, ethos, logos, and pathos” was another difficulty. I spent my first drafts analyzing the specific ad which limited my usage of the terms. After having in-class peer reviews, I made revisions to mention these terms in the introduction and elaborate on each term as I go and explain how they are portrayed in the advertisement. This made the writing process much easier for me as I was able to have a lengthy paper of not just words but thorough information.
02:59 —
In conclusion, the skills I’ve learned throughout this course have helped me overcome my many doubts and insecurities about writing. So far, I’ve established professional platforms on social media sites such as Medium, YouTube, and Instagram. I’ve uploaded 6 videos, 5 blog entries, and 45 photos showcasing my passion.
I now have a better understanding of structural writing than ever before, which will help me in any other writing-intensive courses I may take in the remaining years of college, as well as in my chosen profession as a freelance journalist. Writing proficiency, I believe, can take you anywhere, especially in the field of journalism, which requires extensive writing and communication skills. Whether it is in public or private. Written pieces are the foundation of developing a story, as well as how the world communicates, whether in newspapers, through telephones, in magazines, or on television.
03:50 —
Overall, this course has been the most enjoyable because it has allowed me to rediscover my love of writing and has had the greatest impact on my future.
