Over the course of the semester, I have grown so much as a writer. I have improved not only my ability to write but to understand my writing as well. I have done this specifically through understanding the importance of re-reading and editing my work as well as negotiating my writing goals and audience expectations regarding conventions of genre, medium and rhetorical situation.

Earlier in the semester, when we had just started to focus on our subcultures we had a free write on cultural artifacts. In this free write of mine, I very clearly wrote quickly and without thinking too much as it is vague and repetitive. I wrote “A cultural artifact that may be important in my subculture would be a bagel. Of course, employees are constantly around and working with them. There are many kinds and they can tell the difference between each one without even blinking an eye.” I go on to explain that there are not many other artifacts but do not go further in-depth. More recently in the semester when we were more invested in our subcultures we had another free write about cultural artifacts in which we were to write about general and specific artifacts to our subculture. I wrote “… the Greek pastries they sell due to the fact that the owner is Greek and refuses not to include pieces of his own culture in that of a regular bagel shop.”, in this quote, I feel I elaborated more and explained myself better which shows that I took more time with and put more effort into re-reading and editing my work. This specific example also shows that I was focused on the goal I was trying to achieve, I also visibly added more detail and description as to why the item was considered a cultural artifact for my specific site which shows my awareness that the audience may not know my specific site. If I did not include the description that I did, the audience would have thought that it may be odd that a bagel shop is selling spanakopita and baklava. I have learned that I must always take into consideration the knowledge that my audience has of the topic at hand. This has improved the overall quality of my work, particularly in the subculture assignments.

In addition to these course objectives helping me with all the assignments I have completed in this class, they will follow me and aid me in becoming a better writer overall.  I will not only be able to use these skills in further English classes but any of the other classes that I may encounter in different fields throughout the remainder of my college career, as most courses — especially at City College — have professors who set high expectations for writing capabilities of their students. I never expected to come out of this class with the new writing techniques and knowledge that I will be leaving it with. I will forever be grateful for the time that I have spent and for what it has taught me as a whole.