Kateland Joseph

Professor Albuerme

Reflection Paper

This semester, I learned a few new concepts as well as unlearned certain ways of thinking about my writing and how to write. One thing I learned was that all styles or ways of writing are correct, and there is no “correct” way to write. I learned this through Young’s “Should writers use their own English?” I applied this by writing the language and literacy narrative and completing the rhetorical worksheet to analyze the two texts and see the messages behind them, and how these authors write from “standard English.” This was insightful because I was able to see how these authors were able to break from using standard English and find their voice using their own voice. It taught me that my words are much more powerful when they are written in my own language and something that I understand, rather than trying to conform to English connotations and conventions that may take away from what I’m trying to convey. At the beginning of the semester, I wrote my first narrative with the theme of language and literacy. Learning and writing my narrative showed me that I don’t need to conform to standard English to tell my story and get a message across. I applied this by writing my language and literacy narrative without worrying about writing in a certain style. This was insightful because it allowed me to reflect on a time I thought I didn’t do as well on a project. After all, I didn’t speak the language very well and used the new concepts I learned from class to share that experience with my peers and professor. 

The “brainstorm” activity for the LLN:

During this course, I also learned how minority groups are oppressed and impacted by prejudices that others have against them based on their language. I learned this through Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and June Jordan’s “Nobody Means More to Me Than You.” I applied this by completing the rhetorical worksheet analyzing these texts and the discussions we had in class. This was insightful because I learned how people suffer from the negative perspectives of others who think speaking “proper English” is the only way that is correct. They have struggled to get basic human needs or rights because they speak “broken” English or may have been looked down upon. In my synthesis essay, I wrote about how the standardization of English has impacted minority groups in institutionalized settings like hospitals. A quote from my essay is “In settings like a clinic or hospital, these patients may struggle to get timely help or proper treatment when a translator isn’t readily available or when staff ignore their concerns due to their language barrier.” I applied this by using this quote in my synthesis essay to show my reader how the globalization of standardized English can impact ordinary people trying to get healthcare. This was insightful because I didn’t know much about this topic before I started researching it, and learning about this issue has made me more aware of the issues that minorities and immigrants face as they seek out care. 

The “purpose” section of my rhetorical situation worksheet:

Towards the middle of the semester, I learned how to use rhetorical writing in my work and make my writing specific to certain audiences or a purpose. I learned this through the rhetorical class presentations and discussions of rhetoric and rhetorical situations, and reading specific works like “Mother Tongue,” “My assignment for English B,” and “Nobody Means More to Me than You.” I applied this by writing my synthesis essay and focusing my topic and essay on a specific audience and purpose. This resonated with me because I usually just write to fulfill the prompt and don’t think much about the audience or my purpose in writing. So being able to learn and apply writing with rhetorical strategies was really helpful since it allowed me to focus my words towards a specific audience and address them directly. In my translation 2 assignment, my audience was healthcare workers and people who are lawmakers. For example, I made a poster that healthcare workers can easily glance at whenever they are working or may encounter an LEP patient or a non native English speaker. This illustrated the miscommunication or issue some medical workers may encounter with an LEP patient and gave them a few solutions on how to help both the patient and the healthcare provider. This resonated with me because learning about how language barriers can impact LEP patients’ comfort and care at a hospital struck me, and I wanted these issues to be reduced or avoided so they can have proper care and access to the services they need.

My Translation 2 assignment:

Part of Rhetorical analysis practice:

I learned how to revise and edit my work and synthesize multiple works to make my writing stronger and improve it. I learned this through the lecture on synthesizing sources and the editing and revising lecture. I applied this by revising and editing my work, whether it was my LLN essay or my synthesis essay, I made changes based on the feedback my professor and peers gave me. This was insightful because I learned a few ways I can improve my assignments or make them clearer to the reader. It also helped me improve as a writer, expanding on my ideas and making my paper flow more smoothly. In my LLN assignment, I received feedback from my peers, professor, and from the writing center on campus. For instance, I went to the writing center, and they showed me that I need to expand on certain ideas more and make some ideas more concise. My professor also advised me to expand on the setting details and details of the moment I was describing, to give the reader a better idea of what I was experiencing in the moment. I applied this by using the feedback given and applying it to my essay. For example, I expanded on how the classroom looked in my LLN essay, stating, “The large class was decorated with colorful flags, plastered with those ‘elementary’ style posters containing the basics of Spanish.” This was insightful to me because I learned how to apply feedback to my writing and learn ways to make it stronger and improve in certain areas. It also showed me to be more descriptive and detailed when describing certain ideas or moments.

In conclusion, English 110 helped me learn a lot about writing, including writing in my own voice and style, learning how language can impact others, revising and editing my work, and applying rhetorical situations. This class also helped me become a better writer, who has more attention to detail, has the mindset to write freely instead of relying on standard English, and has a goal or purpose when writing. In the future, I will keep all of the concepts and feedback I got from this class in mind as I write other papers in other classes and in general.