Katie

2 May 2015
Reflection Letter
As this English course comes to a close, I cant help but notice how much I have
grown and have become better aware of my strengths when writing. Unfortunately, as a
scientist, composition definitely doesnt come easily to me, as it is not something I
partake in religiously. In fact, often times, the act of composing feels rather inorganic and
cumbersome to me. Although, I must clarify that I do read, as a scientist; however, the
works are often set in a different framework or medium.
So, I must admit that for the longest time, I harbored so many negative feelings
about writing. When I realized this fact, I couldnt help but allow the words of Alan
Watts, one of my favorite philosophers, resonate within me. When we make music we
don't do it in order to reach a certain point, such as the end of the composition. If that
were the purpose of music then obviously the fastest players would be the best. Also,
when we are dancing we are not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor as in a
journey. Ultimately, having known that writing isnt necessarily about the quality of the
end product or knowing that the project is completed and I will never have to touch this
topic ever again, its about the self-awareness as a writer that I have gained through the
experience of writing as well as the several different course outcomes that accompany it.
For the first major writing assignment that we were presented with, I immediately
knew which topic I wanted to complete, which dealt with the prevention of pharmacy
robberies within the Albuquerque area, as it has become a recent problem. As a pharmacy
technician who has dealt with this first-hand, I noticed that I was able to complete this

assignment rather fast. The only part that really took quite a bit of time for me to
complete was the research aspect. I found that gathering the research in a timely manner
was rather burdensome as some of the information wasnt available to me through the
Internet. However, in the end, I was able to get my hands on it and incorporate it into my
position paper. From there, I felt as if some of the citations for the reader or grader
seemed slightly confusing. Well, to be perfectly honest to you, they still remain confusing
to me as well and let me explain why I think that is. First of all, finding the information
on such a controlled or closely watched topic was difficult I found myself running into
password troubles over confidential material that can only be accessed from someone
with an National Providers Identification number. Secondly, several sites cited several
other sites; so finding the primary site took some time. In fact, there was a study put out
to the public by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control about prescription abuse
and overdose by state, but was cited by several other sites, which is why I decided to cite
them in my sources instead. I feel as if this was more proper, giving those that performed
the study the credit, rather than the site that sited another site credit for the information
that was explained. When writing an annotated bibliography, I was taught to site the
primary source when using their data to support the overall annotation. By having run
into this problem, I have clearly identified by weaknesses as a writer as well as my style
for writing given my specialized field of studies.
A course outcome that I found quintessential for the objectives of this class dealt
with the several major dialects and tone. In other words, this tactic can ultimately change
the audiences understanding of the assignment given the tone, which is what I chose to
do when completing my major revision on my rhetorical analysis for Paper Towns as I

decided to take a different angle on it entirely. For the original paper, I argued how the
authors incorporation of ethos, pathos, and logos were effective in selling the movie.
However, in the revision, I chose to argue that the author fell short of selling the movie
because of his excessive usage of pathos throughout the film. I decided to do this
because it is common thought that if an author forms his argument on the basis of
emotion; its probably not going to be a sound argument. In order to affectively do this, I
did incorporate some bias into the paper and change some of the flowery language in
order to create a more critical tone. For example, in both of my papers, I analyzed a quote
from the movie trailer that said, Everyone has a miracle. Mine was living next to Margo
Roth. In my original paper, I said it was a form of pathos that effectively allows the
audience to empathize with the author because this is how everyone feels when falling in
love for the first time. However, in my revised product of the second major writing
assignment, I explained that it seems to fill the outline of a generic and boring teenaged
love story that weve all seen before. Both arguments relate to back to the audiences
experiences, however, they are polarized views in which are enhanced by the descriptive
language I chose to implement. Thus, as a result, I found it quite easy to argue with
myself. Maybe this explains why Im such an indecisive individual.
The third major writing assignment asked us to form groups and make a
documentary on an urban legend of our choice. Our group decided to make a
documentary about Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico and inform our audience through
technological means while understanding the importance of tone, music, and lighting.
This relates to the course outcomes of G and C, which deal with technology in order to
solidify our thesis, as we are able to see, hear, and better relate the topic into real times.

Through this process, I found that some information that we must learn inherently could
fall through the lines of black words on a white paper as its lost in translation. In other
words, some things cannot be read, but rather experienced. In our documentaries, we
were able to bring our viewers to the exact place where the UFOs crashed and to the
exact place where we kept our alien. Even though some rhetorical situations could be
described through means of an essay, often times it cannot depending on how dense of a
topic the author chose to write about. From a philosophical standpoint, some philosophers
refused to write their thoughts down on paper as they felt this decision would be
beneficial to their audience, which is why they record their lectures instead. The emphasis
of certain words, elongation of certain syllables, and the pace of their lectures hold just as
much weight in their argument as their words. This parallels with our documentary
because we decided to be informative while also incorporating some bias as well. Our
decision to attack this project at a parodic angle followed a group conversation about how
our urban legend fell into a New Mexican stereotype. We all concurred that whenever we
leave the state to visit another, people have tendencies to ask certain situations about our
state. Alongside with the questions do you speak Spanish? or oh, youre from
Mexico? Do you have to travel with a passport or green card? and Does everyone do
meth out there? I watched Breaking Bad! we have also been asked, Have you ever seen
a UFO? After finishing the project, we realized that we probably couldnt have
completed the project any other way because naturally we think its ridiculous topic. All
in all, I found this way of teaching a course on composition quite interesting and
unconventional, which I liked because it makes you notice your strengths in a different
light.

In order to conclude this reflection, I find it quite necessary to quote Alan Watts
yet again as it parallels my personal experience throughout the course, You have to
regard yourself as a cloud in the flesh. Because, you see, clouds never make mistakes.
Did you ever see a cloud that is misshapen? Did you ever see a badly designed wave? No,
they always do the right thing. As I reflect on this journey, I find it extremely difficult to
find that in every essay assignment, there is no wrong way to attack it. Without fail, those
are your thoughts, your way of expression and no one can deny that. And in turn, no one
can deny the growth that one has made through the exercise of composing. However,
with the expertise of others, they can guide you by providing new ways of writing and
composition from their own personal experiences. When I stepped into this class, I never
realized that the agenda for the course was going to unfold in such a way. In fact, my
ignorance led to believe that something such as making a documentary myself would
help understand the importance of rhetorical situation or how citations could strengthen
an argument as I continue to pursue a career in the sciences. In short, the objectives and
knowledge gained will are not bound by the eight weeks of this course.