Irish Medina
English 1213
Professor Hammett
Reflective Essay
28 November 2023
Word Count: 461
Reflective Essay
Initially, this course truly intimidated me. I wasn’t certain of what to expect since I had skipped English Composition I. I had limited knowledge from my AP Literature class in high school, the only English class I’ve taken remotely close to college-level English. Through this course, I expanded my knowledge beyond MLA format, discovered the absurd genre, and had fun researching and further expanding my knowledge of depression.
The essay that I truly enjoyed and that benefited me the most was the rhetorical analysis essay. In this essay, I used evidence from Camus’ works and philosophy to find an explanation of his perception of depression. In the essay, I argued that Camus would agree that depression is a social epidemic that spreads throughout the population due to the absurdity of trying to find a connection with an indifferent world. Through the essay, I was able to expand my knowledge of Camus, his works, and the absurd genre. I was also able to gain an understanding of how depression is seen by some people, which broadened my understanding of depression.
I learned to properly use the APA format, which I was unaware existed prior to this course. I struggled with the differences between MLA and APA. I found myself struggling to figure out APA. In my argument proposal essay, I did not properly cite various sentences in APA, such as using the section name instead of the page number. An example would be the “Risks section”. I assumed that because there was just one page, I needed to be explicit and name the specific section of the website. I saw it in one of the resources, but I may have misinterpreted it. To correct my error, I put page 1 instead of the section. I also struggled with dropped quotes, which I corrected by adding a signal phrase to introduce the quotation. The writing assignments have helped me improve my writing and sharpen my APA skills.
Overall, this course and the writing assignments improved my English skills from high school level to college level. I became acquainted with APA, the absurd genre, Camus, and his works. I've improved and learned valuable lessons from this course. I don’t mean just English lessons, but life lessons as well. The writing assignments have impacted my perspective on the world. I have no regrets about taking this course because it has allowed me to grow and learn. I’m glad I decided to skip English Composition I because I might have struggled a bit, but it was definitely worth it. If I didn't pursue nursing, I would absolutely pursue writing, which I had never considered prior to this course. I truly did enjoy this course, and I couldn’t be more thankful for Professor Hammett’s help and patience!
