Final Reflection

Throughout this course, I was able to strengthen my writing abilities through the multiple assignments we’ve had. From one assignment to the other I have noticed improvements in my delivery, usage of rhetorical strategies, citations, and organization. I was able to differentiate between writing a lot, and writing just enough, in which I express everything precisely, but at the same time concisely, not using too much space. I was able to make specific rhetorical choices that would strengthen my argument, knowing what piece of evidence would be the most effective towards my argument and how to organize all of this information into one paragraph that is uselessly stretched out. 

Looking back at the assignments we have done in class, I can say that I have been exposed to a huge variety of content and genres. Starting with poetry through writings of Ta-Nehisi Coates to Langston Hughes, I experienced many forms of poetry from odes to haikus and sonnets. Then I was able to experience the process of writing poetry myself in the second major assignment. We were also exposed to The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, which is a slave narrative explaining the African American enslavement experience through the eyes of Cora. We also read many articles and narratives relating to the African American experience.

Throughout the course. I always also able to increase the usage of rhetorical strategies when analyzing something. For example, at the beginning I used to just simply talk about things such as tone or imagery such as me saying “Harper uses pathos to appeal to White American’s emotions by using personification and tone” in my first poetic analysis essay. Now, I dive more deeply into the rhetorical essence of what I am writing about, not just addressing what strategies are used, but also their purpose. For example, when I said “This shows how Cora, the protagonist in Whitehead’s novel who was enslaved since her birth, lost all hope in ever maintaining that momentary happiness, knowing that it was inevitable that she would wake up the next day back to the torturous cycle she is forced to live through” to explain the quote “sometimes a slave will be lost in a brief eddy of liberation . . .Then it comes . . . the reminder that she is only a human being for a tiny moment across the eternity of her servitude”  in my final Critical Analysis essay, which shows that I go beyond just stating strategies, but explaining their effects. 

Before this course, I never really focused on making an outline or organizing my ideas in a cohesive manner before writing, but now I do. I used to just sit down whatever comes to mind and go through with it, but now I’ve realized the importance of organization and drafting. Doing so plus editing and revising my writing multiple times has helped me ensure that whatever I am writing makes sense and is grammatically and punctually correct.

During this class, I have made great use of technologies offered around me to assist me in my work, such as the CCNY Database and articles and essays that my professor had assigned to me. I have learned that all information is valuable information and that I have to make use of all of it. I also learned the difference between a credible, trusted source and a regular source. Through the CUNY database, I had access to credible, scholarly information that is more accurate than something I would find somewhere on Google.

Something else that I really gained more knowledge on during this semester was citation. I already knew the basics about it but there were multiple things that I discovered this year. For example, I didn’t know how to format the Works Cited page itself and how many lines should be between each citation or if things should be underlined or bolded. I also learned some punctuational tips when it comes to citing. For example, I learned that the period for the sentence has to come after the parenthesis. I also learned that we use brackets to take out or include words in quotes.

Through my “My Community” assignment, I was able to include my identity and community into the literary canon. Thinking that there is no correlation between Arab Americans and African Americans, this essay was an eye-opener in which it enabled me to connect my culture and experience to the African American one. It also forced me to explore much more about my community and gain more knowledge on their demands and the way they are being treated in the United States. Also, through the Schomburg event, I had the opportunity to share my “My Community” essay and maybe bring a little more light onto my own community and their struggle in the United States. This lead to me engaging more in the African American experience because I have learned how everyone of color in the United States is being a victim of discrimination and hatred. This revelation shows that we all share the same pain, motivating me to wanting to speak up more about our situation as people of color in the United States.

Finally, I have had the opportunity to build myself as a person. I was able to realize my struggle as an Arab, Muslim American, enabling me to connect to the African American struggle and feel for them. I was able to understand more about why the situation between African Americans and the Government or White Americans is full of tension. And, that is because they are being treated as inferior, a threat to society, while they aren’t doing anything that deserves such treatment. I have learned that as a student and writer, I have the ability to engage myself in my community and other communities, demanding for equality and safety. I have learned that only through engagement and empathy, you are able to achieve much higher than your potential.

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