Reflections on English 111

 

By Joanna Andrade

 

I haven’t written an essay in years.  I was glad that our first essay in English 111 was a narrative essay.  For this, I wrote “Fifteen Years in the United States” where I described my experiences when I first came to the United States from the Philippines in August 1990, as well as the changes in my life since then.  In the essay, I wrote, “It is exciting to think how my life has changed over the years since I first arrived here.”  I enjoyed writing this essay the most because I wrote of memories that were so personal to me.  I did not realize until I was writing the essay that they were still fresh in my mind even though 15 years had already passed by. 

What helped me with this essay was just examining what happens to me on a typical day.  Then I reflected and compared them on what and how I did these activities when I first arrived here in the United States from the Philippines.  Examples are my ability to drive a car, the food, and my family.  In the essay, I also wrote, “I’m sure that when I visit the Philippines someday, I will experience culture shock when I see the changes, as well as the constancy of life and the people there.”

The most challenging writing assignment was the argumentative/persuasive essay on a debatable community-based topic.  Although I am aware of many community issues happening around me, I felt that even with research, I was not knowledgeable enough to be able to persuade anybody.

To help me select a topic, I examined what was going on in my life then.  I have learned in the past essays that it is always best if I write about something that relates to my own life and experiences.   I knew that I was going to write about the real estate situation in Virginia Beach since we were selling our house at that time.  My topic came to mind one day when my husband and I found out that we could not even view our own property listing online if we don’t subscribe to the online subscription fee, or e-pass.  Because of this frustration, I realized that this would be a good topic for the argumentative/persuasive essay.

I discovered that I can write easier and with more confidence when I write about things that I know about, or about issues that are close to me.  It also helped me to write a list of possible points or topics to include in the essay.  This way, the ideas are already there and all I have to do is to elaborate on each item in the list.  Having a word processor also made it more convenient to revise my work.  Sometimes, I just typed whatever I have in mind, and just edited them as I go along.

I enjoyed reading the various reading assignments we had in English 111.  I especially enjoyed Maya Angelou’s “Champion of the World” and Ramon “Tianguis” Perez’s “The Fender-Bender.”  I also had fun reading my classmates’ essays and their comments in the discussion boards.  I liked reading about personal experiences because it gave me a chance to view the world on another person’s perspective. 

I am a very passive reader and I accept the face value of what I am reading.  I don’t usually criticize the author’s opinions.  But in English 111, I was able to exercise my critical thinking when I gave peer feedbacks to our classmates’ essays.  I learned to analyze a composition using the guidelines on focus, organization, content, style, conventions and usage.

.   I really had fun in English 111.  I enjoyed the interaction with my classmates through discussion boards and peer feedbacks.  I learned a lot from my classmates, and also through the guidance and patience of Professor Marits.  I now have skills that will help me with my future reading and writing responsibilities.