This class was definitely beneficial to me this semester. Not only did I continue to hone my writing skills, but I was also introduced to the arts at Penn State, and even learned a lot about the arts in general. Even though it was an 8am (ugh), I really enjoyed this class and am taking a lot away from it.
One of the topics that I feel like I got a lot better at this semester was actively thinking about the audience that I am writing to. I never directly thought about this aspect while writing before. I liked how my professor always added a part of the prompt that said, “Who are you writing to?” and “Who cares about this topic?” Asking myself those questions before and while writing my papers definitely made my writing better because I thought about the details that were most important to my audience, and what I wanted to prove to them or what I wanted them to understand about my topic after reading my paper.
This class was also a fresh take on ethos, logos, and pathos for me. I learned about these rhetorical terms my junior year in an AP English class, but to be honest I did not really connect to the ideas and forgot most of what I’d learned anyway. After this class, I feel like I completely understand these terms and can use them correctly in my writing. I can use ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to my audience and persuade them to agree with or at least respect my opinions. I’ve definitely learned that picturing your audience and actively appealing to them throughout is of the utmost importance in writing.
I learned a lot about my new home at Penn State, too. First of all, I learned that it’s important to explore a new place and try new things. If it wasn’t for this class, I may have never perused the Palmer Museum, saw a student production, or went to readings on campus by professional writers. These were great experiences and I’m really happy that I got to enjoy them in my first semester here. These are activities that I plan on keeping up with during my time at Penn State, and after Penn State, too. I hope to keep up this new relationship that I have with the arts. I learned that you could find art in almost anything – that it can be any form of beauty, creativity, and self-expression.
I also grew in another way that was completely unexpected. I wrote my memoir piece about my grandfather, who has Alzheimer’s disease. It’s very difficult on my family and I, and it’s near impossible for me to talk about. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to write about it, but I tried, and it ended up being very healing for me. It brought out a lot of emotion and feelings that I have been avoiding for a long time. I didn’t want to get all mushy on here, but in all honesty, writing this paper really helped me deal with what I’m going through.
I couldn’t be happier with everything that I’m taking away from my English 15 class. Thank you to my classmates and Sheila for making it such an enjoyable experience, and I’ll miss you guys!
