Looking back on the assignments for LHSP125 thus far, I would have to say that the hardest paper I’ve had to write for this course has been the one we are currently working on: Essay#3. While with each writing assignment I’ve gotten more accustom to writing and a certain style of writing that is more advanced than in high school, Essay#3 is challenging due to how it demands an in-depth analysis of not only one observational subject but of three, and then it asks to synthesize them in a way to connect to a thesis. I struggled the most with choosing the three examples of advertisements that I wanted to discuss; the original three I decided to write about were far too different to thoroughly analyze in the way this particular assignment requires. Therefore, I had to keep adapting my idea and in doing so ended up with three entirely different advertisements to write about for the final product. The writing process is not OVERLY complicated from what I have found, but synthesizing the three ads is a new and thus challenging task which makes this paper that much harder to write. However, something that I have been focusing on improving throughout my short writing career --- and now especially in this class — was creating and sticking to a solid thesis. My ideas tend to be all over the place, and thus it is reflected through the majority of the writing I produce. While my writing quality has consistently been improving, developing a piece of writing through a solidified thesis was something I never focused on improving in high school but is also something that this class demands of me. At first, I found this difficult, but finally, with Essay#3 I was able to achieve my goal of centering a lengthy, densely informative and analytical paper around a strong, clearly identifiable thesis. This is something this class has taught me and that I will carry on throughout the rest of my academic career.
I also wanted to use this blog post as an opportunity to briefly talk about what happened last week with the presidential election. I appreciate that we took time in class to maturely and respectfully discuss our reactions to the shocking election of Donald Trump late Tuesday night. I believe that the University should be a place where we go to learn and grow as people, not merely prepare us for a money-making career. However, I’ve gotten the sense that most people go to college today because it is “the norm” and do not take the time to truly value what we learn, but rather come to just get good grades, a degree, and a stable job. The discussion we had in class reassured me that I choose the right school, because we did not ignore what was happening in the world we live in to just talk about writing and stay in an isolated bubble. This is important part of the education I came to get at the University, and I enjoyed hearing and discussing the election results with my peers. I sincerely value classes like these — we all need them, too.
Bella, I agree that essay number three was challenging, but I think, for me, essay number two was the most difficult. I have always been much better and more interested in analyzing writing and not visual art. In fact, writing the second essay was my first time formally analyzing any visual arts. At first, the task of filling 7-8 pages seemed extremely daunting. But, once I got through it, the prospect of filling 10 pages with three different pieces of visual art, or advertisements, was much less terrifying. The third essay also had another element than just analysis: comparison. Since we used more than one advertisement, we were able to explore similarities and differences between them, which is something that we could not do with just one piece of art alone. While my three advertisements all depicted the same product, each was very different from the last even though they also had many similarities. It is amazing to look at an advertisement and analyze all the subliminal messages and subtleties that it contains. I really see how advertising is barely about the product itself and so much about the manipulation of the consumers. Also, I agree that it makes me extremely glad to go to a University, or at least be in a class, where I can talk about current events instead of just the curriculum. This was something that many of my high school teachers emphasized, and, coming into college, I was scared that it would be something that would elude me. Fortunately, however, the election was actually discussed extensively in all of my classes except for one, and, even in that one class, it was mentioned.
ReplyDeleteBella, I can completely associate with your concerns about your various theses as every single time I have found that I hardly have a single identifiable one. Before I wrote the rough draft for my third essay, I too, was unable to choose three ads, which effectively connected to each other. I have always been unsure of the strength of my theses, but on the other hand, I am sure I am learning how to get there. Adding on to what Ethan said, I faced the same struggle with essay number two, which was way more difficult for me to write than the third one because I have never analyzed any sort of visual arts before. Approaching the third essay seemed much easier after the second one. I am seriously so fascinated by advertising and marketing now that I am considering a communications class next semester.
ReplyDeleteI share your views on "university education" and believe that solely academic education was something which we all received in high school. But what is going to set us apart is a holistic education, which we receive at university, one that enables us to grow and think in a way which is very different from the one we usually have. I enjoy classes which encourage free dialogue and sadly it is just this class where I can participate in conversations like those. I wish I could say the same for my other classes.