Final Blog Post

I feel that this class has improved my writing over the course of this semester. This is not to say that I felt that I was a bad writer before this class, it just opened up new ways of writing to me. I had never before thought about writing as molding content and form, I always thought of essays as a piece of literature that is just there to be written and read, not so much being an active, engaging piece of writing.

I feel like this class has made a significant impact on me as a writer, it has, as I stated above, changed the way I view writing, but has also made me think outside of the box. When I approach a writing assignment now I look at all of the different approaches that I could take on the assignment, whether it be a more observational or more reflective approach, I see writing as a more active task now, not just an assignment. I don’t see myself a as a writer that is just going to start writing down random thoughts when I have them, I will probably just stick to writing for assignments, but I do think that I have improved as a writer.

I realized that when I write a paper I don’t start out with the introduction and then work through the conclusion, rather I start out in the middle with my main points and then go back and write my introduction and conclusion. I find that it is easier for me to write reflectively because it is my own thoughts and feelings.

Doing peer reviews definitely helps to improve my writing. Sometimes after staring at the piece of writing that I have worked on for a long time it’s hard to find mistakes and flaws, until someone else points them out. Having suggestions for your writing help, because sometimes you have a writer’s block and those suggestions really help you out and get you back on track. Not only do the peer reviews help out tremendously, but so does meeting with my professor. Sometimes I am confused as to what exactly the parameters of my writing are, and meeting with my professor definitely helps to clarify this.

“Good writing,” to me is one that effectively translates the author’s point to the audience. It really depends on what the authors stand point is and what type of writing they are working with. I really do not like rhetorical writing, I still am a little confused on what it is, and therefore would not be a good judge of what good rhetorical writing is.

I actually have used my knowledge that I learned in class and applied them to other papers that I was assigned. I can easily recognize the different types of writing now. I think that this class really has made me a better writer overall and will help me in the future.

Graduation Gift

For my graduation I received lots of gifts, ranging from a vacuum cleaner to a miniature trash can, to the standard congratulations, we are so proud of you, card. Out of all these gifts, there was the one gift that I will forever keep with me, the gift that my Grandmother Rentschler gave me, my cozy quilt.

The quilt is pink with black forming the star pattern that makes up the quilt. In the center of the black stars is a white panel with words of wisdom on each block. The back of the quilt has a crazy pink and black material that keeps the plainness of the back interesting. On the bottom right hand corner, there is a very small label stitched that reads “Made with Love by Grandma.” The edge of the quilt is lined by two inches of black material with dainty white polka dots on it. The black material that makes the stars comes from various scraps of cloth, some of the black cloth was used to make a dress for my Mom when my Great-grandma died, and some was used to make the black undershirts that my uncles wore to their proms. The quilt is a mixture of old and new cloth that meshes together to create one blanket.

Looking at the quilt is always inspiring to me with the words of wisdom that are always useful in time of need. The blanket can warm me both physically and emotionally. Wrapping it around me I can almost feel the love that my Grandma put into making this gift for me. I will always be able to take this useful and sentimental gift with me no matter where I go in life.