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Zaber Malik
Instructor Hankerson
English 1010
November 30, 2015

English 1010 Reflection

English 1010 has taught me quite a bit over the course of the semester. Instructor
Hankerson has showed many ways to write essays, find new ways to brainstorm, and to think
outside the box. The progress I have made from when I started English 1010 was night and day.
The course was to help build my skills as a writer. Now that I have finished a semester of English
1010, I feel ready to take English 1020. I am glad instructor Hankerson taught me new methods
of writing different styles of essays. In high school my writing skills were decent, but after
instructor Hankersons teaching in college my fears of writing essay are gone. Our class did
assignments ranging from writing informative summaries, interpreting the media, and article
summaries.
Literacy narratives are narratives written by the author to convey a message or to show
their standpoint. Sometimes the challenge may be tough so implementing your own experience
might make it much less difficult for the writer. Literacy narratives can also be about a piece that
you read about teaching something. Literacy narratives usually have a powerful message and that
is why the writer usually picks that certain topic. The topic of literacy narratives do not always
have to be one way. An author can make them depending on what they would like to put in it.
You can make the message about being scared or even charismatic. There are many different
ways in typing a literacy narrative, it can be written as a letter, song or as an essay. The vital

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points to contain in a well written literacy narrative is a thorough story that contains specific
details and indications of the narratives importance. .
Informative summaries were one of my favorite assignments because the writer has to
grasp the concept of the piece he is summarizing. Before instructor Hankersons class I would
use my own opinion in the summaries. She taught me to not take a stand and just convey the
ideas and arguments made by the author. The idea of informative summaries is to reiterate the
standpoint of the author; however, do not be biased and try to leave your opinion out of the
summary. One of the pieces we covered in this is James Baldwins article which was about how
African-Americans are portrayed in todays society. I learned how to identify key points that
James Baldwin in his article without using my opinion or being biased. African-American
literature is a part of history and to relate my work with that is wonderful feeling.
African American literacy has taught me quite a bit about the English language. The
English language has been greatly influenced by Black English, from our sentences to our word
choice. African American literacy has taught me that everyone has a voice and that every person
should be heard. When African Americans were thought as of slaves, there were no opportunities
for them to learn English. However, through a rebellious spirit Black English was created so that
the slaves could communicate with one another. I now know this because of instructor
Hankerson.
I enjoyed the fact that this class was not mainly based on grammar and punctuation but
more so the style of the writing and how to write papers. Many classes that I have taken in the
past focused on minor details instead of teaching me how to improve my writing skills. I also
enjoyed how the class included discussions and readings on topics such as African-American
literature and media. Afrobellas piece, An Open Letter to Hip-Hop, was one of my favorite

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pieces to write about because the message she was trying to send to artists in todays society
spoke volumes.
Media analysis assignments in instructor Hankersons class has given me quite a lot of
insight on the message of artists and advertisements. If you actually sit down and read the lyrics
to comprehend them every song, poem, story, and etc. have a meaning and purpose. It usually
takes an active listener to understand the underlying message of the artist. Also if you take a look
at T.V commercials they have certain approaches they use for the viewer. Color and different
phrases give you hints. Ethos, pathos, and logos are used in all medias; it gives media purpose.
Media usually tries to draw in the masses and tell you what you want to look, hear, and feel.
When writing essays I learned that it is important to determine the purpose and audience
of my writing assignment. If I can identify my audience and the purpose of the writing
assignment then the piece becomes much easier to write. Failure to identify the purpose of the
assignment and the audience it is for your paper might end up unorganized. I also learned when
to use the rhetorical styles of Logos, Pathos, and Ethos in order to strengthen my standpoint.
Logos is best used when using facts, statistics, and logical reasoning to support an argument, and
this rhetorical style is what I will be using in my psychology courses. When completing other
courses, I am convinced that I will be able to use different genres and styles to better present my
arguments to my audiences.
Finding the purpose of my writing and who I am writing to was one of my difficulties in
this English course. When I was in high school my English teachers would make us write a paper
with all the help they could offer. This was beneficial to an extent because it did not give me the
opportunity to learn how to write efficiently on my own. Independent writing was one of my
weaknesses in high school because I felt that I could not do it without one of my English teachers

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holding my hand. In college it is very different, the teachers can only help you to an extent and
beyond that you have to take initiative to learn how to write the piece by yourself.
Instructor Hankerson taught a hybrid English 1010 class. This was my first semester at
college and I had never taken an English class half online and half in class before. This was a
new experience for me because I just graduated from high school and I am thrown a curveball. In
structure Hankerson made herself available in class and online if we needed any assistance with
our writing. My peers and I had to develop our writing skills that way we could apply them
future endeavors. Instructure Hankerson never ignored an email or neglected to help us on our
writing. She helped me personally by giving my advice on the papers I submitted. With those
pieces of advice I made edits to my papers and learned from my mistakes.
Taking constructive criticism was beneficial to me in this course because it helped
become a better writer. My peers would point out mistakes or flaws in my paper and I would go
revise it. I learned how not to think of it as them bashing my paper but actually helping me write
a better one. This classs sole purpose is to produce and sustain a successful writer. We were
assigned by our instructor to review and edit our peers papers. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of
the class because it opened my eyes to see how other authors think and write their paper. I
realized there is more than one way to do something. Taking notes on writing tools and noticing
certain appeals and styles others used in their paper were all part me of absorbing that as writer.
The resources at Wayne State are helpful not only to writers but almost anything. The
writing center that Wayne State has helped me a couple times when writing my essay or to just
give me advice on how to start on my paper. When college first started I did not know where to
go to get help besides my instructor. I could ask my instructor for help on the writing
assignments but I had to go out myself and actually figure it out. No one in college is going to

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hold your hand; therefore, you have to make it a priority to learn to do things independently.
Resources such as the writing center, the Wayne State library, and off hour tutors were on
campus to help you with your writing. I even had one of my other instructors this semester to
proofread my assignment for instructor Hankersons class.
In conclusion, English 1010 with instructor Hankerson has been a beneficial learning
experience. The fact that I know I grew as writer and better critical thinker means that I have
accomplished my goal. Learning how to use Logos, Pathos, and Ethos contributed to my essays
strength. Using rhetorical devises, learning how to create my opinion, and finding out the
standpoint of another writer. Developing a solid thesis statement to give an overview of my
essays was one of the biggest things I improved on in English 1010. I not only can identify the
audience for a paper but I can also identify the purpose of the writing assignment that way I will
not be unorganized. Hard work and dedication were instilled with me since I was young. I knew
going to into the class that it was going to be difficult. However, I knew that it would be doable
and my writing skills will improve collectively. With the informative summary I know I did my
best on it because instructor Hankerson complemented me on it. The satisfaction of someone
validating your work was very enjoyable. English 1010 has set me up for future success when I
take my next English class. I have grown as a writer and now English 1020, here I come!