Linguistic progress can be measured by one’s reading and writing skills. In assessing one’s skills, it is important to gauge the ability to comprehend, analyze situations, think critically, and write plausibly. In my present situation, I could say that my linguistic skills have improved a lot, from half to full. That is, taking the course English Composition II has elevated my level from being half-knowledgeable to being fully knowledgeable. The literacy that reading can bring is far more important than what other media can provide.
As a young student before, I got hooked up with watching TV and reading teen magazines that informed me of the latest trends in fashion, electronic gadgets, computers, and internet lingo. My magazine collection boasted of “cool stuffs” for teenagers, and a wide resource for ideas on making friends, decorating my room, and overcoming a heartbreak, but when I attended English Composition II, it seemed like a sudden epiphany occurred to me, like a wise man or agent of truth started offering gifts of wisdom the day I started attending the course.
The agent of truth (my professor) taught me how to read intelligently, react logically to what I read, and express my idea in style. In addition, he made me exert effort to weigh ideas of other people whom I ignored before, whenever I dropped by a bookstore to grab my favorite teen mag. Going to the library meant finding a textbook assigned or recommended by our teacher while surfing the Internet was more of a feed-your-curiosity pastime and not a chance to do an intelligent research.
The Essay on Improving Reading Skills
Reading can be divided into three categories, pre-reading, reading, and post-reading. In pre-reading, you will have to collect and define vocabulary terms from the text. This will help you to understand words that otherwise disturb your reading. It will also help you with the increase of vocabulary words and meaning. You can also record the terms in the margins of the book or in a writing journal. ...
As I step on to a higher level led by the agent of wisdom, I learned to value the power of language in my everyday speech and understanding of others’ point of view. The readings that we had in class offered me a broader background of literature and social realities. Specifically, the book I read titled, Kite Runner by Hosseini gave me perspectives on how people—young and old alike—are affected in different ways by war. The soulful writing that Hosseini displays in this novel provides reminiscences of old friendships I myself had, and how historical events sometimes push people to believe and act the way they do.
In the same way, the graphic novel Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi made me delve into the insights of a young Iranian girl who deviates from the traditions of her “veiled nation” (Naficy 2004).
This work particularly opened my eyes to the disheartening reality of the past, and its existence in the present system. Indeed, by reading these two great works, I came to formulate my own views of the world which I have expressed in one way or another in our writing tasks in this course. Aside from learning how to read intelligently, I also improved a lot in terms of writing.
From the simple sentences with which I expressed my narrow views, I leaped to a higher level of writing skill, one that considers logical arrangement, paragraphing, unity, and coherence. The way I write seems a lot better and more sensible after the exercises we had. In particular, I learned the value of words and their denotative as well as connotative meanings. This knowledge, however, eventually affects my way of listening, in that I have become very sensitive to the connotative meanings in my conversation with friends.
Now, I can easily sense feelings they try to hide from me, which in a way diminishes the surprise in their stories. Nonetheless, I love the idea of reading between the lines. English Composition II also prepares me for the challenges I am going to handle in other courses that would require research. With a clear understanding of how to develop a thesis statement, find resources to support statement, and draw out a conclusion from gathered information, I believe I am prepared to write a meaningful research.
The Essay on Writing Skills Part
What three things should you copy from the card so that you know how to find the book? A. The call number, the title, and the topic B. The call number, the topic, and the date of publication of a book C. The call number, the author's name, and the date of publication D. The call number, the title, and the author's name 2. The position from which you write about your subject is called your A. point ...
The learnings I gained from the course and the guidance I received to be fully articulate are priceless. However, the urge to attain higher levels of literacy (i. e. , critiquing) does not stop in learning how to read and write well. Neither does it stop in getting a good mark from one’s professor. In my view, one should strive to keep updated with knowledge of the present age in order to survive in this society. In other words, literacy for me has become a basic need for survival.
This need was sufficiently addressed in the course, but still, a lot of efforts should come from my end to keep on improving. In order to attain my goals, I must read and write further, take time to generate ideas, and practice what I learned from my professor even without intervention. As of now, the prodding of furthering my skills is probably at its best because of the requirements my professor has given us, but later on, I must strive on my own to attain more progress. Improvement of one’s linguistic skills neither occurs overnight nor can it be attained by just learning how to read and write well.
One needs to be supported with a good working knowledge of how to apply the acquired skills, and be able to evaluate individual progress. If I were to weigh my linguistic skills now, given the assistance provided by my professor, I could say that I have not reached the maximum potential that I want for myself. However, given the progress and effort that I have manifested in my papers for this course, I believe that I deserve a good grade for I started half and now became full.
Works Cited
Gaines, Luan. “The Kite Runner: A Review. ” Curled Up with a Good Book. 2003. 18 December 2007 <http://www. curledup. com/kiterun. htm>. Jones, Vanessa. “Persepolis: A Life in Graphic Detail. ” The Boston Globe. 4 October 2004. 18 December 2007 <http://www. arlindo-correia. com/200405. html>. Wax, Dustin. “Advice for Students: Ten Steps Toward Better Writing. ” Lifehack. org. 27 July 2007. 18 December 2007 <http://www. lifehack. org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-10-steps-toward-better-writing. html>.
