The perspective on language in this class was unlike any other English class I’ve come across. It was very interesting to think about how different types of English can affect how one interacts with society, because I had never thought about it before. I also reflected on how language can oppress individuals in the same way. Non-standard English can cause people to take you less seriously which is something I’ve seen with my own family, but not something that I’ve truly given thought to before. This course allowed me to reflect on that and express my own experiences relating to my language. For example, in my Written Language and Literacy piece, I wrote, “It felt as though I was dealing with a totally new language, one far distant from the usual Bengali I was raised with. At that time, I questioned my own skill in Bengali. Did I genuinely know the language, or was I only skimming the surface?” This shows how this assignment made me reflect on moments where my language was challenged. It was an opportunity for me to sit down and think about how I speak and write. This in turn allowed me to reflect deeply on myself. In the same essay, I wrote, “In reflection, my relationship with Bengali is a mirror of the problems of identity and culture in a worldwide world. I straddle two worlds, handling the difficult intersection of Bengali roots and American schooling. My language journey, marked by informal immersion and rare meetings with its complexity, fits the changing nature of my identity.” I would consider this “linguistic standard” topic to be the main idea of this course. It is the main overarching idea that connects every piece of writing we’ve done.

This course did have a significant amount of different genres and rhetorical situations to look at. This rang true even on the first day, when we received the blue packet with different writings. Every single one of those writings were of a different genre and rhetorical situations. Some were essays, some were videos, and some were poems. These different genres all provided different ways to interact with one big overarching idea. The different rhetorical situations for each writing also meant that we saw different perspectives on the subject matter, because each author had different life experiences that they drew on to address the specific group of people they were trying to address. This variety of genres was also apparent in our writing assignments. There were a few different genres we wrote in during this class. Our first, the Written Language and Literacy essay, was a regular narrative essay. This was then further extended into a new medium: the spoken portion. I thought it was nice that we had so many options to present our narrative. While I myself chose the basic option of simply reading it out loud, it was interesting to see the different mediums that my classmates used, such as audio or video.

Revisions were also a major part of every single one of the writings we did in this class. I liked the peer revisions, because it was nice to get a second pair of eyes to look at my writing and simply see if what I’m writing makes sense, let alone grammar or other things. This course, in essence, heightened my awareness of the critical role that revising plays in the writing process. What began as a seemingly routine step evolved into an indispensable tool for self-improvement. The act of revision, especially with the added layer of peer collaboration, transformed into a holistic approach to refining and perfecting my writing. This experience not only emphasized the importance of revisiting and revising but also underscored the transformative power embedded in the continuous refinement of one’s work.

I think the way I grew the most from this course was in analyzing rhetorical situations. Rhetorically analyzing every piece of writing or source was a very good way for me to understand the writing or source and use it in a more effective way. This was most evident in my research essay because, rhetorically analyzing every source I had made it so that I could introduce the sources more effectively and connect their own ideas to mine. I never thought about it before, but having the rhetorical situation for a certain piece of writing/media can be very helpful when trying to analyze it. Previously, I would just try to analyze parts of a source and simply connect it to my ideas. However, with rhetorical analysis, I can connect the author’s purpose or the author’s audience to corroborate my own ideas. An example of where I do this is in my research essay. I wrote, “Joanna Joy Bryson, a professor at Hertie School in Berlin who works on Artificial Intelligence, ethics and collaborative cognition, outlines in her paper, “The Past Decade and Future of AI’s Impact on Society,” several concerns about AI and how those concerns may be received in the future. Bryson’s purpose is to inform readers about social and economic changes brought about by our use of AI so they can stay educated about the future of our society.” This analysis provided more information on why this source would be helpful to me. Introducing the source in this way was a good way to introduce the author and show why they are a good source to pull information from. Since Bryson’s purpose was the same as mine, it gave my argument more credibility. Rhetorically analyzing, is therefore an important skill and something that can be employed in all forms of writing.

I think using digital technologies to address a range of audiences is very important. While we did practice doing this in this course, I did feel I was already adept at doing this. Technologies like Google Slides and Google Scholar have been staples in my education already and using them in this course wasn’t very difficult, which did mean that I was able to do this fairly effectively. I think it’s important that we use technology, because that is where our world is going to end up. Already, technology is ingrained in almost every aspect of life and having the skills to implement technology to further improve our writing/speaking is an important skill to have and one that should be practiced in English classes.

In conclusion, this English course has been a transformative journey, delving into language exploration, diverse genres, and rhetorical analysis. The theme of linguistic standards prompted introspection on personal language experiences, while exposure to varied genres and rhetorical situations broadened my perspective. Revisions, particularly through peer collaboration, became a crucial tool for self-improvement, influencing not just correction but a holistic refinement of my work. A significant area of growth was evident in the nuanced analysis of rhetorical situations, enhancing the credibility of arguments across different writing contexts. The course underscored the importance of digital technologies in addressing diverse audiences, aligning with the trajectory of our technologically-driven world. As the course concludes, the lessons learned about language, rhetorical analysis, diverse genres, and the role of technology in communication will undoubtedly shape my future endeavors in English and beyond.