My relationship with everything English since I've been alive has always been a bad one (and that means everything, reading, writing, spelling, giving speeches, literature etc.). I've not only disliked the subject but I believed that the subject disliked me as well. No matter what I did my grades were always average or very poor. However, I somehow managed to get 1s (which equates to an A) for my CSEC and CAPE exams (important Caribbean examinations), so I did pass when it mattered but I'm still confused how I managed to do that. I've also always thought that because I loved and was good at math that the universe was set up so I couldn't be good at both of them. So entering this class wasn't that exciting for me even though it had Harry Potter in it, because as long as it was English based I was more than likely going to do poorly.  

 

Coming into the class I knew the basics of how to write different genres of papers for example, narrative, persuasive, summaries, reports, descriptive etc. (whether or not I was good at them was another story). I knew writing to be putting words on paper to make meanings or for a certain purpose which depended on the genre of paper. Descriptive, you're describing, narrative you're telling a story and so on and in order for it to be good you had to use the right amount of techniques that comes with the genres, have proper grammar, sentence structure and punctuation and it had to be interesting. (I remember my English teachers constantly repeating that you had to start your paper with a BANG! to catch your readers.)  

 

Throughout the semester I’ve learnt things one wouldn't expect from a traditional english class. I've learnt that you have to be fully aware of your audience because they are the most important factor when composing any message. The medium is also equally as important because the media is a factor that both determines the audience and also how your message can be composed. Different mediums allow for different audiences which allow for different messages which allow for different interpretations. You have to know your argument and how you’re going to prove it. To successfully convince an audience that your points are valid you have to have an argument and the proper evidence to back it up. When we write, what we write can be important not just for a grade but also for those reading it. It can affect their way of thinking or how they go through life. Media on a whole has an influence on culture, society and one’s mind, way of thinking and actions. I now know how to conduct research properly, (I have suffered with this in the past so learning this was important for me). Also, it’s okay to make mistakes, be confused and not know what you’re doing for most of the process (and act like a crazy person trying to figure out what you want to say) when writing because you learn from imperfections and it can only get better. The more you revise and get feedback the better it gets and no one gets it right the first time. The last things I've leant were more personal, for example the information (about culture and society) in my research paper still blows my mind every time I read it, how to combat procrastination and work a little harder than I usually do and the value of nagging your teachers for help and feedback. The things I’ve learnt about culture have changed the way I view the world and thus my overall mindset. I will also take the writing and revision skills I’ve learnt through my college life and beyond. (Although being an aspiring engineer I hope to not be doing too much formal writing in the future).

 

 

Going through this class I've come to enjoy English (or rather just this particular English class) and I was actually able to succeed and accomplished SO much more than I thought I was capable of. (I'm still in denial, shock and trying to figure out how this happened, but I'm pretty sure it's because of the class and my amazing teacher.) I now understand good writing to be thoroughly portraying your message in the clearest and most convincing way possible while utilizing your evidence to the fullest (and of course grammar and punctuation are important.) The thing I have enjoyed the most out of this learning experience is that it taught me a lot about life and the real world. When I understand more about how the world works that I can actually see for myself it makes me so happy and excited (because I tend to get very curious about how real world things work which is part of the reason why I'm pursuing engineering).