Reflection On Identity And Discourse

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December 9, 2013
Breanna Whittemore
English 101
Section 0006
Critical Reflection
I went into English 101 knowing that there would be a lot of writing. I was never very fond of writing and I was never that good at it. I wasn’t very excited for this class. When I found out how the class was going to be graded I was shocked, I didn’t think I would be able to pass. I didn’t understand what any of the terms on the final portfolio assessment rubric (PAR) were. As we went through the semester however the idea of turning in a portfolio became less daunting. My writing improved and I knew that if I kept revising I would be able to pass.
When I started the semester I went in with a very different way of writing essays than the way that we were learning in this class. I had learned to write short essays that answered prompts, the essay writing that I learned in English 101 was, putting two essays in conversation with each other. In my essay Identity and Discourse, I compare one author’s writing with another author’s writing and how they relate.“Your home Discourse also gives us a good foundation of what our identity is” (Whittemore, 3) In that line I was able to show that I found a connection between identity and discourse. That is what the purpose of the essay is, to put James Paul Gee’s theory of discourse in a conversation with Robert Brooke’s theory of identity.
When it came to the purpose of my essay, I was never very good at expressing what it was. This course has really taught me how to express purpose. It also taught me how to find purpose in others writing. “What I am going to be talking about in this essay is the purpose of Jean Anyon’s essay, Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work.” (Whittemore, 2) That is the purpose o...

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...g of the kind of writing that you do for specific occasions is acceptable as well, and sometimes needed in order for you to get your message across.
I came into English 101, a little afraid of what it was going to be like and if my writing abilities were strong enough for me to take it. Once I started the semester though things got a lot easier and I was able to really enjoy writing. The terms on the PAR do not look as discouraging. I am able to put works of literature into a conversation now and find how they connect. I also know what lines of inquiry are and I am able to find them in others essays and put them into mine. I can also find passages from texts to support my statement. Overall, I believe that English 101 has made me a better writer and I think that I have improved tremendously in my writing skills since the first day of class.

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