If nothing else, English 104 definitely cured my absolute hatred for writing objectively, and taught me the correct way to research. Both of those are huge changes for me. Before this semester, there was nothing I hated more than writing objectively and researching. When I was in middle school and high school, I absolutely dreaded English. It wasn’t because I was a bad writer, or even the fact that I saw writing as a chore. I hated writing because I was always forced to write about extremely boring topics that I was never able to choose for myself. This semester however, I was finally allowed to choose a topic of my own to research. I was also given articles about a few exciting controversial events in history, as well as recent years. These included psychological studies that questioned the natural morality of the human species, as well as real life analyses based on some inconceivably immoral acts in a U.S. prison. The class didn’t feel anything like the English classes I had become accustomed to. Rather, it was more like a debate; usually more of just putting an argument on paper, but it was exciting!

The excitement had to be contained for a brief period, as I had to do an objective analysis on some of the controversial topics we had been covering. Given my extremely outspoken nature, I often had to bite my lip in my writing in an effort to contain the overwhelming opinions and arguments brewing inside me. After learning how to hold back the temptations, I was able to understand how to properly create an objective analysis. I wasn’t as thrilled about writing without contributing my own opinions, but I still found it to be a potentially crucial writing tool for the future.

The next big challenge for me this semester came when we had to write a synthesis relating to some of the topics we had covered earlier. This proved to be quite difficult when I found out that, although I could argue my views, I had to do it using someone else’s points. What I mean by this is that I had to take two articles and connect them using one lens. I chose two articles and tried to argue that humans are naturally programmed to follow orders. This was a very hard argument to establish, as no one wants to accept the fact that they could have been one of the Nazi soldiers in the concentration camps. The assignment taught me a lot about adjusting my argument to better appeal to my audience. I knew virtually everyone who read my essay would disagree immediately, and completely shut himself or herself out to the possibility that what I was arguing could be true. I structured my essay so that my arguments would start off relatively neutral and slowly build up into the somewhat extreme main argument.

The second half of the semester was primarily spent focusing on the research essay. I decided I wanted a bit of a challenge, and an original idea—something I could be almost positive no other English 104 student would write about. To fulfill these goals, I chose to write about the growing economy in China and India, and the risks they might pose on US economy and security in the future. This topic was an especially challenging teaching tool, but I definitely feel more confident about writing future research papers. I started out knowing virtually nothing about the topic, while understanding that it was my goal to make myself sound like a credible expert. After hours of research, preparation, writing, and revising, I think I actually have succeeded in becoming an expert.

The final step in 104 was to create an ePortfolio. That was something I have mixed feelings about. While I love to build a website, especially one in which I can express myself, I don’t think English is the right class to do it. In all honesty, I think it actually takes away from the subject. I spent a countless amount of hours simply working on the structure and design of my website, when I could have spent all that time working on the bulk of my grade—the writing. It seems pointless to spend so much time and effort getting a website up and running, when we are still required to make a paper portfolio. It makes me wonder what the website is even for. I agree that it’s a very creative approach to English, and can potentially make it more fun. However, I also feel that it is a waste of time and an inaccurate gauge of how well a student really does in English. If an A student gets a B in English because his ePortfolio links didn’t work, how can we say any less about his English?

Of all the English classes I have ever taken, English 104 helped me the most. It may not have taught more, or had more important lessons for English students, but it undoubtedly focused on my largest weaknesses. It was the first time I have ever gotten to spend an entire semester practicing something I’ve never been good at.