Blog 5: Alex Cameron

English 110.01 has been a very beneficial and helpful class for me. Over the past 10 weeks I have learned a lot about myself and writing. Coming into this class writing was easily my least favorite class. I hated writing papers and would much rather do something else. However, my view on English classes has changed. I now enjoy English class and essay writing is no longer such a huge pain for me.

One thing I will be able to take away from this class is how to write an effective thesis statement. I learned how to answer the questions of what, how, and why I am writing the paper in my thesis statement. In addition to this, the secondary source analysis proved to be very helpful. It allowed me to think more in depth about animated films and why some characters look and act the way they do. Before this class I would have simply just watched the movie and only understood what was literally happening in the scene and not what the meaning of their actions were. It was also helpful to sit down with Tory and talk about the direction my secondary source analysis was taking. Although it was a very long paper that took a lot of time to work on, it was nice to feel accomplished when it was finished.

Along with this, the Commonplace essay made you really think in depth about something that was timely, relevant, and compelling. It helped you realize what was both good and bad in our society today and how it can be applied to us as college students. It also made me think about what can and must be done in order to fix these problems in our society.

Overall, I will take a lot away from this class that will benefit me throughout the rest of my college education. Most specifically, the correct way to write thesis statements and the critical thinking needed to write the primary source analysis, secondary source analysis, and Commonplace essay will become handy in writing future papers.