Dear reader,

This semester has been different, in many ways. The Writing and Rhetoric course has been a lot of work, but it has also helped to pique my curiosity in many subjects. I learned about curiosity from different cultures and because of that it made me want to also learn about these cultures. I have done that in all my assignments, small or large.

During presentations in the first half of the semester, we were given a topic to research with our group mates. My group’s topic was body art. This was the first assignment I remember making me want to research different subjects and objects, not just needing to. Each groupmate had to research about three to four different types of body art. We were first given some inspiration pictures, to begin with. One of the pictures was of lotus feet and that made me curious about the work that went into the shoes so that was one of the topics I researched. I remember I did not want to do something simple like tattoos; I wanted to go all out. That is what I did and because of it, I learned about scarification and the indigenous groups with which it was practiced. I wanted this one to stick out among the rest so I had (like I’ve done with many of my projects) opened a Google Doc to start brainstorming what to put in the slide and a picture that would hopefully make others curious about the topic as well.

Brainstorming and outlining, for me at least, are like rollercoasters. There are many ups and downs. Some of the ideas are so good and well thought out that they stick throughout the entire session. Others do not have a plan at all and usually get cut in the final project. Even with these unplanned ideas they help in the making of the final project because they are like a salad. Some ideas are great and get showcased, like the lettuce. The other ideas I am talking about are the croutons or cucumbers. They may not get showcased and you may not always like them, but they are there in subtle ways. No matter if the ideas I have while brainstorming are horrible, I do not ever delete them. This is because they may help to further other ideas.

I remember when I was researching my cultural analysis essay, we were to find an object that we liked and wanted to write about. I first started with Greek Magical Papyri. I hated it; however, I never deleted it. This had the effect of choosing incantation bowls in the end. Now while this example of research skills may not be the best, I like them because it helps to show me where my roots were and why I wanted to start these projects. Other research methods I used were to bullet down quotes and page numbers that would be helpful during my essay. I made sure the articles I was reading were peer-reviewed and scholarly. The images I showcased also took some time because I wanted the reader to get a nice little break, but I also wanted the images to stay on topic. For example, if I was talking about an incantation bowl with a specific demon, I would research images until I found a bowl that was about that demon.

The areas of research I have grown have been anything I have mentioned so far, like finding good sources. I have also grown in writing an annotated bibliography and critical reading. I am glad about this because I know I am going to be able to use this all throughout college now and will not have to stress about it later. The area I still need help with would most likely be my thesis and conclusion. My brain never stops talking so it can be hard to stop the essays, but I manage. As for the thesis, it has helped me to see the structures, and think I have done better this semester than last in ENG160 but still feel like I could use some more work. This is mostly because of the thesis I had written for my “major project one”. I do however feel that I have written other theses well in my other classes because of the structure given to me in this class. This is why I am ending this letter by saying I do indeed feel I am ready to move forward in college and will meet any writing expectations given to me.

Sincerely, Briana Jones