Enrolling into this FIQWIS 10103 course I had minimal expectations, at a first glance I figured this would be any regular English class with intensive writing. However, now reflecting on this course I can confidently say that this class had passed my expectations. Through tasks like the LLN, Synthesis essay and translations I have strengthened my analysis and critical thinking skills. In this essay I will go over the moments I grew as a writer and how it strengthened my skills. 

The assignment was to research a topic that interested you, once you narrowed down your pick you had to have 8 or more sources that support your essay’s message. For my topic, I picked the topic regarding immigrants and the barriers they face because of language. At a first glance, I figured this topic was a strong choice because of the discussions I’ve had in Johnathan’s Class. However, after researching and reading articles relevant to the topic I realized that this issue was so much more than just not understanding one another. It represented oppression and inequality in so many other ways that just speaking, actions speak louder than words. While I was in the process of researching and brainstorming I reflected back on previous class lectures where we discussed how to find reliable sources and how to avoid summarizing instead of analyzing a piece of evidence. This helped a lot, but the most effective exercise was peer review. This was because talking out loud about my idea made me brainstorm in real time. Also, hearing my peers show me areas of improvement I hadn’t noticed was really helpful because I wouldn’t have noticed if they hadn’t said anything. I balanced my own writing goal and my audience’s expectation by finding a way to keep my audience engaged while still staying on topic. An example of this was using real evidence from my research because it’s attention grabbing for my audience to see real numbers of how wide this issue is while also spreading awareness, which was my goal. I struggled with being up to date, I never had a one on one meeting so I went into this topic without a full grasp. I understood what was talked about in class but having a one on one discussion specifically about my work would’ve been more effective. Another thing I struggled with was avoiding sounding repetitive, although this topic is multilayered there’s only so many things to bring up without repeating yourself. While writing the assignment I learned how to think more in depth with regard to my evidence. Not just bringing surface level analysis to the table but digging deep into how language barriers affect more than immigrants ability to communicate with others while reinforcing my essay’s message. An example of this would be when I mentioned how language barriers don’t only affect immigrants’ job opportunities but also their mental health, discussing how isolation can play a big role in deteriorating mental health. I wanted my audience to fully understand how deep this issue went and I feel like this assignment taught me how to bring more to the table when it comes to analysis. Similarly, for the LLN assignment I was tasked with writing a personal narrative about my experience with language and literacy. It was meant to be 2-3 pages in length, with imagery and other literary devices to talk about a specific moment in my life having to do with language and literacy. I wrote about how in 3rd grade I failed a reading literacy test and how deeply it affected me. But in the end I passed it after practicing a lot and how barriers can be overcome. Overcoming this challenge taught me persistence and the value of learning from failure.  I picked this topic via brainstorming, after narrowing down a list of 3 ideas this one stuck out to me the most. The reason behind it is because I felt like people can relate to it more since reading literacy tests are common and I also wanted to convey a message that made people understand it’s important to do your best.  The peer review for this assignment was equally as helpful to the synthesis essay because it gave me so much more perspective on my writing that I wouldn’t have picked up on alone. Drafting and revising helped me narrow down my word choice and literary devices to convey my message more cohesively.  I made decisions on my writing based on personal struggle and growth with the word “Wednesday”. I felt like the audience would understand my story more by connecting it to a day of the week.I used figurative language and storytelling to help readers understand what I experienced.  Some of the struggles faced with this assignment was starting it, and trying to show the readers everything I had felt in the moment of my story comprehensively.  After completing this assignment I learned that literary devices are really important when trying to encapsulate how you feel to readers. An example of this was when I talked about the shame I felt after failing the reading exam. I used a metaphor to show every step I took out of the exam room weighed heavier and heavier with shame. At first I had really struggled on how to show I felt shame after failing the test but after brainstorming, I learned that literary devices are strong tools to encapsulate how I feel to readers. 

Moving on to translation one, this assignment had students encapsulate the messages written in their LLN assignment into the form of a poem, video or song. I picked the option of a poem, at first the biggest challenge for me was figuring out what kind of approach I wanted to take. I wanted to show the emotion that carried in my LLN assignment. This assignment strengthened my critical thinking skills because it pushed me to rethink the same message in a different way of delivering it to an audience. Additionally, in translation 2 the assignment had expanded my critical thinking skills as well by encapsulating the message of my synthesis essay into a poster. I had brainstormed different ideas and symbolisms to express that would most accurately portray key points in my synthesis essay. For instance, in my poster I wanted to portray a difference in language in the dialogue to showcase a language barrier which is a topic discussed in my essay. 

The process of this assignment showed me how creative expression can be used to express what an essay can with a poster. 

All in all, my experience from this FIQWIS 10103 course opened my perspective in a more creative light. This course has taught me valuable skills as a writer and as a student that I intend to apply to my next English writing class. As I continue through college, I am looking forward to using what I learned from this class in future classes to develop my skills as a writer.