Daniela Aracena

Engl 210

Prof. Andrew Heerah

May 5th, 2023

Throughout all my years of school, English has always been straightforward to me. It usually only consisted of simple reading and responses that followed them. However, this semester introduces an entirely new aspect for me. Throughout all the phases, I was able to learn something that helped me examine English in a more critical and social lens. Doing so made it possible for me to achieve some learning outcomes, though there’s always room for improvement. 

During phase one, I was expected to thoroughly examine the English language/dialects and how they’re standardized. At the end, we were asked to write an argumentative essay on language and literacy, arguing how important they are. I’ll admit, initially it was difficult for me to argue either side, but with the course learning outcomes I was able to achieve a lot. Phase one taught me how to, “formulate and articulate a stance through and in your writing” through the revisions that were made with the L&L essay. When writing my argument, I spent more time focusing on sharing my opinion, yet not really adding any analysis behind them.

In figure 1 we can see how I use evidence to “support” my argument, however my analysis lacks meaning as it simply restates what Baldwin is doing without connecting it to my thesis. At this point in my writing, I had not achieved the course learning outcome. But like most lessons, you must start somewhere in order to improve. Once receiving feedback from my professor and peers, I was able to accurately prove my argument and thus strengthen my ability to articulate my stance and explain why that is.