If we can be honest, the beginning of this class was a total letdown. This is more so on my behalf than the class itself. I began by feeling cheated because I had received credit from high school for this class from another institution yet upon transferring I was informed I had to retake the class, setback number one. In addition I went through family and medical issues as well as one mediocre job and work schedule that were difficult to overcome. Finally, the general laziness and sense of complacency with school did not prepare me for the speed of the course itself.
As for the actual class, the instruction and teacher feedback I received was the best that I have received at this university, granted through only three classes. Though the workload was a little daunting, the completion was rewarding and the time put in was not as extreme as one would imagine. The out of class element was a large quantity of eye dedication to soak in, but many of the readings and especially the examples from former students guide you through if you falter as a student. Personally, despite some unnecessary conversation, the dialogue and discussion allowed class to pass more swiftly than a typical three hour class. I also enjoyed the fact that constant feedback and peer review options or at least guidelines were available. The writing center is available and Mr. Gasparo is also available to critique and funnel your musings into the form that will best suit your writing abilities.
Come to write. Usually, most of the first ten to fifteen minutes of class was free writing. It is not easy to open your brain after a day at work to a broad topic but at the end of time this creative thinking would guide the groupthink into the lesson plan. It seemed to keep some of the boredom of repetitive structure of some learning passable. I say passable because I am a test taker and not a writer. I prefer questions and speed to work and diligence. This class makes you work some and I felt like putting the time in on the rhetorical analysis actually gave me some self insight. Additionally, the argument essay, while tedious, expands knowledge of interesting social ideas and that is always beneficial.
I hope in the end I have learned how to better make an argument. Writing is about persuasion and telling a story. Making your writing more interesting through rhetorical tools and appeals expands your vocabulary and the depth of your reasoning. Many people will tell you how they feel; most people cannot tell you why they feel how they feel. That is what understanding rhetorical tools bring a person as a writer.
Wake up and realize you are at college. That is what I should have told myself in March at the beginning of class. If you do not like to work or think and want to find the easiest possible way to skate through TCC do not take this class, with this teacher, in an eight week period. However, while impossible to say I enjoyed class, it is possible to say that it was worthwhile. The pace of a eight week course forces a student to complete tasks on time or at least put an effort in. The class itself requires out of class reading, which guides you as a writer and thinker, and time researching, preparing a student for more college. I appreciated that aspect of this class. It is a refresher that college and life require work. The class was rewarding. Personally I do not like to go into detail about past experiences but the rhetorical essay provided me with a forum to open up and think critically about some things I have done wrong and still do wrong. English 111 benefited me personally; it expanded my knowledge of community resources, challenged my work ethic and hopefully rewards me further down the trail of my life.
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