Final Reflections

the end

jayleen ramirez
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Throughout the weeks of this course, I improved as a person and as a writer. Looking back on my writing, one thing that stands out to me is how much my vocabulary has grown. I’ve noticed an improvement in my writing abilities also. I sound more professional, have improved my vocabulary as I mentioned, and have built a structure that helps me when responding to a question. I’ve come to realize that if I really put my mind to it, I can write anything.

My Erasure poem is one of the pieces I am most proud of. I struggled at first with this style of poetry because it was unfamiliar to me. I was overthinking everything until I understood that I had to go with the flow, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. I just started taking words out, leaving words in, and not overthinking everything as much as I used to when it came to writing. This project drew me a little more than the others because it was so distinct from all the others. At first, it appeared to be an easy assignment, but it wasn’t.

Another piece I’m very proud of is the Where I’m From assignment. This assignment was entirely about myself and my life. I struggled with it at first, but then again, I always do with my writing. I attempted to begin this assignment on my own but found it difficult. However, on my second attempt, I completed this task in my living room, when my entire family was there. Everything began to flow, and all of these memories began to surface.

One of my most difficult tasks was time management, It’s been a long road because I’ve been balancing so many classes. I procrastinated on almost all of my assignments in all of my classes. This added to my already high level of anxiety. I tried and tried to come up with a system that would work for me, but I kept giving up. Prof. Perry, on the other hand, was a teacher who helped me get through it. She wasn’t the type of instructor who would give you a zero if you turned things in late because she understood that we were still in the midst of a pandemic and that we all had lives to live. That allowed me to get back on track with my other subjects because I could concentrate on them first. Except for my Math and English classes, all of my classes were terrible this semester. Prof. Perry believes that children are constantly learning new things and that they do not arrive at college knowing everything. Her grading approach benefited me as a student because it allowed me to focus on what I knew rather than worrying about how perfect an assignment had to be. was able to learn from my mistakes and grow. In my public speaking class, for example, the teacher thought we did TED talks every weekend and did not understand that we were still learning how to public speak especially those with anxiety. This semester’s grading system was not equitable. In general, I’ve realized what I need to work on for the coming year.

My freshman year of college went just as everyone predicted. There was an hour-long lesson and several hours of homework to do. It was a lot to deal with, and it was quite stressful. Procrastination may have worked in high school, but it will not work in college, I discovered. I’ve never liked writing, however, I appreciated this class and all of our assignments. It was a good mix of us writing about our experiences, thoughts, and feelings, and reading and writing about a great story. My experience in this class has been amazing over the past 15 weeks. My classmates are all outstanding writers, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading each of their assignments. I’m grateful for the knowledge and experience I’ve received from this class this semester 🙂

Final Reflections

Darren

I think that throughout the semester, my work I think I did very well making connections to the outside world and my own life to the readings that we did in class. For example, a lot of my work when I got to choose what to write about was Toni Cade Bambara because I felt like her work and her message was something I could relate to, since I’m also an African American. I’m not too sure if I’ve found my style as a writer, but I think that I’m a very introspective writer and that I draw understanding not only from what I’ve read, but from what I see around me. I think my journey these 15 weeks has been insightful in a way, we have read about so many different types of ideas and perspectives, and i got a little view inside worlds that i could relate to, but also others that i had not thought of.

One piece that I am most proud of was the work that I did with Toni Cade Bambara. I liked the fiction/literary theory essay that I did. I loved the idea of connecting critical race theory with the personality of the characters from Gorilla My Love. This was something that I understood fully and well how racism has shaped my community and how it has affected us. I think I did well on it, because as I mentioned before it was something that I could relate to, and could even connect it to my own life and those around me as well, not just Toni Cade Bambara’s work. I also liked the poems we did like the Black Out Poems, and the Where I’m From poems. I liked those because I’ve been writing poetry all throughout my life, so it was fun to take some of my own hobbies and work on it for an assignment.

I think my greatest challenge this semester was my time management, personally i’ve had trouble saying organized and on time with a lot of my classes due to outside factors, which made it a lot harder to stay on the ball, but i always tried to keep up with everything that was going on in this class and all my others. 

In conclusion, what I really enjoyed about this class was that for the first time in an English class we really got to study and learn about everybody no matter where or who they were. We learned about different walks of life and the different struggles and triumphs that come with them. I think that’s so important for an English class, to be diverse and accepting of all people.

Final Reflection

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

To begin with, reading has always been a challenge to me because I am more of a math person. So taking this class I wasn’t really confident in my self because I knew I was not going to do well. But then I developed a mindset of doing my best which really helped because I noticed the effort I put in really paid off. This class has enhanced my writing and reading skills a lot. Beginning an essay has always been one of my biggest challenges but with the help of this class I’ve been able to write essays without having to struggle a lot. I’m very impressed about the script I wrote as well because I was not expecting that grade.

This semester has been really tough for me, due to personal life experiences and also with lots of college assignments while working. I did try my best to stay on task and I hope I pass this class.

Final Reflection

Michelle Myagkaya

Final Reflection

 I learned a lot in this semester, and it was like a comeback after covid and now I know how it feels like to be a college student .In the first assignment I was a bit nervous since poetry wasn’t my area of interest, but honestly the blackout poem really helped me understand more about it. I think this semester I made the most progress in understanding the poems more and had a bigger connection to reading then ever before. I came to realize my style and tend to notice that I like to ask a question in my essays because I think it’s more interesting. I had a busy journey within these 15 weeks. I have college , work and was a bit of a challenge to be doing two things at once .

         The piece That I was most proud of was the 4-6 page paper and the script. It really made me enjoy time writing. The comments from peers boosted my confidence in that they agree with what I’m thinking and helped me understand more about the assignment. The writing skills that I have shown so far is at my best and don’t think I could have done better. To be honest I do like this assignment more than the others because i can express my feelings.

       One of my greatest challenges is to start an essay because you need to know how the best way to start is . My time management was quite a little issue but I think I did the best of my ability and there was a bit of genre that didn’t interest me as much comparing to the other ones.

At the end , I hope I pass my classes and this is a class I won’t forget because at the end it really made me learn things like time management and will make sure to do everything on time from now on.

Final-Reflection

Deborah Adekoya

DEBORAH ADEKOYA

A roller coaster ride that lasted 15 weeks, if anyone asked me what I would title this semester, this would be my answer. English 201 definitely shocked me a bit. I used to think English is an easy class, and this mindset almost set me up for failure this semester. I don’t know if this makes sense, but to me, the semester was fast and long at the same time. When I needed time to complete my missing assignments the days went quickly, but when I really wanted a break, the days were longer. I was a very bad procrastinator this semester, so bad that in the 10th week of this class, I had only completed 3 out of the 10 modules posted. It was really bad. If this semester taught me anything, it’s that I should sometimes appreciate deadlines and create them for myself. If I had known this earlier I would not be here typing my final 1 hour before it’s due. 

This class has definitely taught me a lot about writing and time management. In the first week, I remember not doing my “Where I’m From” poem correctly because I was confused about the instructions, all I knew was I had to do a poem. I didn’t know what the poem was about and what the format was. I was really lost, but then I saw my classmate’s poems and I figured out how to complete the assignment. This assignment though was not the best because I didn’t follow the actual instructions. In this class, I think the best assignment that people didn’t see is my research article. I believe this was my best assignment because it is the only assignment I submitted on time, I put a lot of effort into it and I enjoyed doing it to some extent. I was really proud of myself when I completed it because when we first got it, I was so confused I didn’t know where to start because I hadn’t read the previous literature pieces. However, as soon as spring break hit, I was prepared and ready to do the work I needed to do. I guess I was in the zone, which was really cool. I think that was my most productive moment in this class. Even though I’m proud of this assignment I wouldn’t say it was my favorite. I think my favorite assignment was the erasure poem. I really like writing poems, and this was my first time doing an erasure poem so I found that very enjoyable. 

My greatest challenge this semester was doing the work. I had zero motivation to do my work. Especially in this class, I would look at how long the pieces are to read and say “Nah, I’m not doing this now, maybe tomorrow.” I did this many times till I fell very behind. Thank God, I was able to catch up, and submit enough work to pass the class.

This class was a great class. I definitely benefited from it. I furthered my experience with WordPress, I learned to manage my time wisely, and best of all, I learned how to make an erasure poem. Many times you’ll be tempted to start later but if you start now you won’t have to do it later, I hope you all remember this is the future. 

Final Reflection

Evelyn Garcia

Throughout the semester a lot of things stand out to me. What stood out to me the most was the poems. Every writer wrote about their experiences and how they saw things based on their life. My writing throughout these 15 weeks has improved a bit. My journey to getting here was difficult but not impossible. 

I’ve completed many assignments throughout this semester. But the first assignment I’m most proud of is the blackout poetry. I’m proud of that assignment due to the fact that I loved the poet’s poems and really loved what she was saying in her poems. I felt like I was in her shoes and understood where she was coming from. Another assignment I’m proud of is the marriage proposal. I really loved that assignment because it explains both perspectives on marriage including those who are part of the LGBTQ. It really spoke to me how men think differently than women in a proposal. I also never knew that almost every woman thought about the same thing when they were being proposed to. 

Throughout the semester a lot of us go through a lot of challenges. Mines were a couple of them. For me it was mostly time management and dealing with mental health issues. I would procrastinate a lot with my work and let everything pile up until I finally got myself to do it. I would come home from school and decide to do other things other than my homework. I would be busy at times where I wouldn’t have time for anything. But at the end of the day I chose to get myself up and still try even if that meant I was going to fail. 

Overall I really loved being in the English 201 class. It really taught me a lot of things. I read so much and learn so many new things. Even though it’s been challenging for me, I really got it through and enjoyed learning new things everyday.  This class has made me understand things more, especially poems and understand what others are trying to say. It made me like reading poems now then before.

Final Reflection

Trinasia Harper

                Throughout this semester while I was writing to answer the prompts, I realized that I am a very unconfident writer. I’ve noticed a pattern in my work as well throughout this journey. It seems that whenever I think too much about what I’m writing I get a sort of writer’s block. However, when I just go with the flow and stop being so judgmental of what I’m, writing it comes out somewhat better. I also feel like having the freedom to write without worrying about a grade has helped me become a more confident writer because I didn’t have to worry about being good enough for a higher grade.

                If I am being honest, I’m not really proud of any of my writing. As stated, before I’m not a very confident writer and because of this I judge myself very harshly. Even though a paper can get me a passing grade it doesn’t necessarily mean its good to me. I tend to start writing pieces and never finish them because of how judgmental I am to myself. So, as far as having writing pieces I am proud of I have to say that I have none. I do write poems sometimes for my personal enjoyment and I do like some of them. While writing the ones that I do partially like I can say that I was just letting the words flow and I was uncaring about whether it would be considered good or not. If I am speaking of class writings, I did like the individual reading prompts where we got to choose which story we wanted to work on. I don’t necessarily like my writing however I did enjoy how I was able to go deeper into the meaning of the story that I wrote and not have to stay on surface level. It allowed me to think deeply about what the story was about and relate it back to myself.

                One of my greatest challenges throughout this semester was adjusting to being back in person. It was difficult to balance having to get up early in the morning to go out to class and then coming back and doing all the homework that was due for all my classes. Since my first two semesters were online It was easier to find time to do other things but with this semester, I had to balance out my time and take my commute into account. It was difficult to find time to do much else than go to class and come home. I think this semester really drained me emotionally and mentally.

                This class was one of my favorite classes this semester, I didn’t feel pressured to be the best overall, instead I was pushed to be the best me and although I have a long way to go before, I can consider myself a good writer I feel like this experience was amazing. I think this class helped me grow as a person as well as a writer.

Final Reflection

Branden Guerrero

Final Reflection 

Overall, this semester my writing has improved. Looking back, my writing could have improved significantly more if I applied myself much more, but I’d also argue that important change is also the change that happens gradually, not only the change that happens exponentially. What stands out to me is honestly how poor some of my writing feels now, for two reasons. One; I have been surrounded by good writing throughout this semester, so my standards have gone higher, and I genuinely think that I could have made my writing better at the time. I think that I do not have a distinct writing style. It usually reflects the writing that I am currently reading, except not as profound. However, what I’ve realized about myself as a writer is that I enjoy having a bit more of a comedic flavor to it as often as I can as opposed to a more serious flavor. These 15 weeks have been tough, since I am not a great writer, and I have also been getting accustomed to a new and heavier work schedule, but it has been a 15 weeks of improvement, thanks to having a great professor. 

A piece that I am most proud of is my analysis on The Thirteenth Night. Firstly, I really enjoyed just reading the story itself as it was difficult to pay attention to at first, until I got deeper, and I ended up loving the story. I also found out the importance of learning more about the author, their past and what their life was surrounded by during the time of them writing their story. The story had a lot to analyze, and I personally enjoyed how I was actually able to find resources online that could help me dissect what was going on. I believe my writing could have been better, but the amount of effort I put into it made me proud. 

One of my greatest challenges during the semester was actually trying to get myself to give my best effort since I knew that un-grading would be used. I think that un grading is an amazing way to ensure that students are focusing on the education itself and improving at their own pace, but for me, it also gave me an excuse to not try my best since I was under the impression that I could get full credit even for minimal effort. More specific to the subjects, I actually find the ones about critical race theory the most difficult since it is not a theory that I have been exposed to as long as the other theories. 

Final Reflection

Sicong wu

Looking back to this semester, I have learned a lot a literary theory, like postcolonial theory from Sherman Alexie, feminism theory from Higuchi Ichiyo, and critical race theory from Kate Chopin. During this class, I like the story “The Thirteenth Night”. It provided a new perspective to observe Asian culture, especially the gender inequality in Asian country. Gender inequality is also a common phenomenon in my country, China. The first gender inequality matter that I remembered was happening in my home. My dad did not do anything, but he always blame my mother did not do well. And the worst thing was the rest of my families usually supported my father. I hate this kind of situation, and I think gender should not be the condition that judge people’s right and wrong. Also, the open lab assignment is making feel like as a writer because I can write the point I found from the story. I also can browser other classmates’s respond. It is full of fun and interesting to do the open lab assignment. It is a new and fun way for me to learn English in the past 15 weeks.

The research paper about feminism theory is my favorite work. I hate gender inequality since I was a kid because the thing that my father done to my mom. However, I never know there is a feminist theory for women, so I was curiosity how did this theory develop and how did this theory affect women’s life. In the beginning of writing this research paper. It was very tough and difficulty because I could not find many documents about women’s life in Meiji era at first. And, the document I found was full of the vocabulary that I did not know. I had to translate those words to see what are those mean. I spent a lot of time to translate and understand those sentences so that I could have a clear thought to develop my research paper. However, after I observed more and more documents, I felt surprised about the class of women in tradition Japanese society. Women were born to be a household wives. This should not be their fate. Thankfully the feminist theory developed in Meiji era. Otherwise, women are hard to be independent and shout their voice out loud. I still believe every gender have the same right and opportunity to pursue their own dream. This is why I like my research paper so much.

The greatest challenge for is the language barrier. As an non-native student, language aspect is a nightmare for me. Even thought I have been living in New York City for about two years, I still can not understand most of content what people said. About the concept in the class, I only can understand part of them. So, in most of time, I just know the outline of what is that concept or what professor said. Besides, I also need to check my grammar and the meaning of the word to make sure my expression is what I want to tell. Translation application is my best friend for this reason. Translation also took me so many times. It is very tired to write assignment and essay sometimes because I have to translate it to understand it at first. If I did not that, I am afraid that I can not develop the statements of my essay. Anyway, leaning a new language is a long process. It was like anything in our life. Being patience is the key point to learn every new thing.

At last, in this semester, I was so happy to learn so many literary theory. This is a totally new thing for me. I read some books sometimes, but I never have a realization to figure out the concept behind the book. Feminism theory is my favorite theory through this semester because my own experience. I hate the bias that exists in different gender. Then, I stated to write about feminism theory, and I expected to learn from those documents. Language is still a big problem for me in my academic life. But, thankfully I can speak and write some English, so that I still can communicate with people and write my assignment. Finally, Finally. As people said on the internet, ” what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger!”. Complain less and do more.

Final Reflection

Skyy Woodroffe

The body of work I’ve done this semester was analyzing poetry and writing an essay about one of the author’s poems, writing about activism, discussing the psychoanalytic theory, discussing the postcolonial theory and examining types of government in the Alexie story, discussing the Marxist theory and analyzing the Ichiyo story, and discussing critical race theory and analyzing the Chopin story. After spring break I was writing about my opinion on an article of my choice, writing an analysis essay on the feminist theory and Ichiyo’s story, discussing genres of drama, discussing Moral Criticism and Dramatic Construction in literary theory, and creating a one-act play based on one of the stories I’ve read. I thought it was an eventful journey over the past 15 weeks because I learned and discussed some topics I never discussed before or went into full depth. I think the realization I have made as a writer is that I struggle with what I want to write for an hour, but when I finally get the right idea I know what to do.

The two pieces of work I am proud of are the Poetry Analysis essay and the Literary Analysis essay. I did a lot of research while writing the essays and made sure I understood all the material I reviewed. I am never confident about my essay but I felt better after hearing the feed back from my professor and peers. It encourages me to not doubt myself when I am writing my essays. The reason why these were my choices is because I somewhat enjoy writing and going into depth about topics that I really like to discuss. Analyzing poetry and talking about feminism is a couple of the topics I enjoys writing and discussing about. I was in zone because I was focused on doing the best I could do when writing the essays and I enjoyed this assignment more than others because I got to talk about topics I want to talk about.

I have had an issue with time management this semester and it was my biggest challenge. In one of my other classes, I was having a hard time understanding what was going on and it was giving me a hard time, so I began to procrastinate and finish homework for that class at the last minute. It also caused me to fall behind in my other classes because of how stressed I was. I managed to catch up with everything and started to procrastinate less and less. I still had an issue with time management but I was starting to get better and practice a healthy habit of finishing most of my homework on time.

I really enjoyed this class and I will miss attending every Tuesday and Thursday. I had a lot of fun with the assignments and I enjoyed reading everyone’s opinions on different topics in open lab. This class has helped me grow as a writer and made me enjoy discussion post when I didn’t like doing them before. I also liked writing essays in the class even though I usually don’t like writing them as much. I hope my professor and peers have a great summer this year and wish them the best of luck!

Final Reflection

Shakhrizoda Sadriddinova

This spring semester was my second semester in college, and I was still new to college writing. From this semester, I have learned many new writing skills which will be helpful for me in the future as well. From the first week’s assignment up to now, I believe I was able to write good essays and writing because of the feedback I received from the professor and comments from classmates. This course actually encouraged me to write an outline, write a draft version, and then revise and finalize my paper. Over these 15 weeks, I struggled on a few assignments, but I still made good progress.

The assignments that I did pretty well is the poem we wrote about ourselves called “Where I’m From” and the other one is Desiree’s Baby where I had to write an ending to the story.
I loved my poem even though it took me about a few days to write it. During the writing process, it helped me stay in tune with my thoughts and feelings and it caused me to find out more about my personality, likes and dislikes, passions, and interests. For the second assignment was my way of writing a good ending that came out just like I wanted. I was “in the zone” on both assignments because I was focused.

The greatest challenges I faced during this semester is not feeling creative enough, understanding, and focusing on the point. We’ve had a lot of writing during this course so being a writer comes with its own set of difficulties which can make the writing tough. Whether I had many years of experience in writing or not, I still overcome struggles. Since I took 5 classes this semester, focusing on each course was challenging for me, especially since understanding each is important. However, I made it all on time, and was valuable in the end.

Looking back at this course, I learned how to carefully consider my ideas and how to organize them in my paper. I still need to improve on some stuff, but I am happy with how far I have come as a writer.