critical analysis of 104 course

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Zakiya Muhammad
Professor Atkins
ENGW 104-039
December 9, 2015
Almost Done
In my experience with my English 104 course and the development that I undertook in
my writing and thought process, the only aspect that really needs to be focused on are my essays,
the readings in class and how they both contributed to my development as a critical writer and
thinker throughout this semester. Coming into this English class I was already very nervous
about what was to happen but as I gradually became more comfortable in the class I progressed
as a critical writer and thinker.
I never actually focused on critical writing and thinking, I do not really see myself as that
type of writer. Participating in a college English course helped me realize that as a writer being
critical is an aspect that is important in almost every field. As I began working on different
assignments, the essays were the main works that I could see my progression as a writer
critically. I gathered new techniques and skills from my professor and peers in my classroom, I
was not a critical person before but as the class progressed I did as well. I began to understand
the true definition of being a critical writer and thinker; I allowed myself to go deeper into the
readings and assignments than before. I am a good writer but there was definitely room for
growth and the main aspect that I really want to build on would be with my critical thinking and
writing. Since moving on from this course I have continued to progress as a critical writer and
thinker and I still practice the skills I have acquired in my 104 English course.

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In the beginning of this semester we were assigned our first essay, my first essay was
absolutely awful and almost everything was completely wrong with it. When I first began
writing it I thought it was really good because I was trying to be artsy with the words and making
everything sound nice. I was also very nervous, I put so much pressure on myself because it was
my first college essay and I felt like I had to do it on my own. I had the thought in my head that I
could not ask for help because I was in college; I was an adult and adults do not ask for help.
There were so many issues with my first essay, the formatting was wrong, there were spelling
errors, along with other problems. I think the main reason for my essay being so awful besides
me not wanting to ask for help was the fact that I wrote the essay the same day it was due. I
thought if I had everything written down then I could just type it all the same day and that was an
awful idea, I had no time to review it and find flaws or reword sentences that I did not like.
While this was a devastating experience it also really helped me as a writer and a student. I met
with my professor and she gave me advice on what I should do in the next essay and reminded
that I was still a student and it was okay to ask for guidance, this was the beginning of the steps
toward becoming a better critical writer, I would not say I developed as a critical thinker with
this but there was some growth.
The aspect of this class that helped me as a critical thinker had to be the readings and the
class discussions that would follow. The text in this class were nothing like the novels or short
stories I was required to read in high school, I was more in tune with the writers in this course
and felt connected to them in a way that led to a deeper thought process within myself. Our
discussions as a class would show me new perspectives and shed light into my classmates
thought processes and this was a key point in my development as a critical thinker, I began
thinking more deeply into topics and trying to understand how point A relates to point B while

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using the readings as a string to tie them together. I started out this class with an ambiguous
understanding of what critical writing and thinking actually meant, throughout this semester I
have gained an understanding of what these actually entail and have been able to apply it to my
own work and become a better writer and thinker. As for my future as a writer, I will continue to
learn from my mistakes and gain new skills and abilities through professors and peers.
Works Cited
"Muhammad Ali – Shortest Poem Ever Written." Genius. Genius.com, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
<http://genius.com/Muhammad-ali-shortest-poem-ever-written-
annotated?referent_id=1296328>.