Final Semester Reflection

Jane Watson

English 201

12-14-12

As I reflect back on this semester, I'm glad to have taken another vital step towards reaching my academic goals. As has been the case since I can remember, english has been my easiest subject and the most enjoyable. I learned a long time ago that the best way to become a better writer does not come through taking english courses, but through reading, and through writing. Over and over and over. It's also not a skill that can ever be completely mastered. You can always do better, as is the case each and every time a piece is re-written. One of my favorite examples is J.R.R Tolkien, who re-wrote Lord of the Rings...how many times? I don't believe he was ever completely satisfied.

The most important piece to accomplishing english 201 is getting through it. Without getting through it, you can't continue to progress through an english degree. Therefore, english 201 is as valuable as any other english course that can ever be taken on a higher education level.

Furthermore as this is a research writing class, it's been a greater struggle than english classes I've taken previously, as I do not enjoy doing research writing, it's a bit of a taxing go through. I've always thought this kind of forced writing takes the fun out of writing almost entirely, and turns it more into a chore. I've never done particularly well at chores, which I guess explains why I sometimes struggle as a student!

I suppose the greatest successes achieved this semester is getting through the essays in one piece, particularly the analysis essay, as I thought I was going to die as I wrote it. I've never written an essay that took longer time preparing beforehand without even having typed a single word. It was like trekking through a muddy field with 50 pound bricks tied to each leg. In the dark. It's probably quite sad, as I'm sure they'll only get further and further taxing. I'm glad to have the experience tucked away in my writing folder.

As I just mentioned, I'm still vigorously working on the entire concept of research writing. I don't know how to make it an enjoyable time of writing, and I'm beginning to think that it never will. We all have those things in life we just don't agree with and mine might just be research writing. I'd love to figure out ways to get around that so that the rest of my college experience isn't so miserable!

I've definitely learned that essays going forward won't be as easy as they have been in the past, and to give myself more time to get through them. It can be difficult to find good resources, and I found that the scholarly options available at the library leave much to be desired. I'm glad to have the foundation laid by this class to launch from in ongoing classes.

As a blog and article writer outside of the school environment, all writing I do contributes in a positive way to my work. As I mentioned previously, writing is an art that requires continual improvement through the action of doing. Practice does make perfect, and writing is no exception to this rule.