Walking into this class 30 minutes late, was the first time I had entered English writing for Humanities and Art. I walked in and saw everyone introducing their selves, and of course I was panicking. Everyone had a partner and they were introducing each other, while I sat their not knowing what was happening. I left this class thinking “NEVER AGAIN!!!”. But of course had to go back the next class, don’t wanna fail if you know what I mean? The second class the professor gave us two hws. One of them was quite interesting. We had to bring an english writing notebook and design with what ever we want. Professor Nivens told us to make present us.
Throughout the whole semester, the professor wanted us to use our voice, in writing and in talking. He pushed us to write our opinions and honest thoughts. To sound like ourselves rather than sounding like a bunch of robots babbling in our papers. The first paper he had made us write was a paper that defined our names. Our names have the show the most who we are. It’s the best description of who we are as individuals. In this paper he wanted us to talk about our past and what has happened in it that helped shape us as individuals.
In all our papers he wanted us to use rhetoric, rather than say he wanted us to show. For example using imegary to allow you reader to be on the same page as you, to know the emotions you had felt in a situation. I had written my rough draft and came to class with it. Professor Nivens allowed us to peer edit. He had gotten to my paper and stated that I had to rewrite it. To add more rhetoric, more feeling to the paper rather than just stating a bunch of sentences. It made the paper more meaningful, more human even.
We were introduced to many readings in this class, some of them you read and not understand a work of it, and think that the writer is either on drugs or there is something really wrong with the way they present their words. But the more we looked at the passages and the more we understood it, we could easily identify the rhetoric used easily. We had read Jennifer Tamayo which when you start reading her poems, you feel like your tripping. The more we read and connected her words to rhetoric, we ended up understanding her point.
This class has taught me how to speak my mind and be more confident in what I say. It allowed me to write as me, not as the summary and analysis of a passage. It allowed me to put my thoughts into words. To be more realistic in my writing, to give it life. To say the least, this was the best class I have had all semester. Thanks to Professor Nivens and my peers.
