Reflections on Writing-140

American poet Charles Bukowski once masterfully stated, “These words I write keep me from total madness.” Writing 140, once seen by many as the steep Golgotha of our education at this prestigious university, now becomes a treasured remnant of a semester filled with new beginnings, new obstacles, and new accomplishments. Before stepping into GFS 212 on Monday August 22, 2011, my experience with writing was that of pathetic outlines, generic introductions, Wikipedia searches, and unpersuasive body paragraphs. During the past 15 weeks, my writing has evolved to include such tools as the Topoi, Proquest, blogs, and the Sheridan Baker method. The nine different floors of Doheny Memorial Library, once intimidating and unapproachable in nature, became a new home for my curiosity and research. Beyond sharpening my writing skills, with each paper, Writing-140 disciplined me in the art of rhetoric and persuasion. More than anything, this class has taught me that, with enough persistence and willpower, anything is possible, even a seven page paper on the Chinese Massacre of 1871 (A3).

Writing has become, not a chore or a compilation of assignments, but, as Bukowski states, a mode of reflection and sanity. As a Biological Sciences major, writing and persuasion were not my special talents. However, through Writing-140, papers and essays turned into straightforward assignments. The skills and knowledge I learned in this class will guide me in my future classes and career as I have learned the valuable lessons of careful reading, editing, and organizing. To excel in any career, one must be fully articulate and comprehensible. Through Writing-140, USC has cultivated a new generation of thinkers, writers, and speakers prepared to excel in any field.

I would like to take this opportunity to, once again, thank Professor Caroll-Adler for her support and patience. Whether it was the long line of frustrated students during office hours or the 15 minute conferences for each assignment, you were always there to answer all our questions and see our potential as great writers. Thank You for Everything!

As first semester of our freshmen year comes to end, we will always treasure Writing-140 and look back upon it with pride, joy, and achievement. Writing-140 has been a worthwhile experience.

Write On!

Reflections on Wikipedia

After reading many different articles and discussion boards, I have come to the conclusion that Wikipedia is an unreliable, biased, and grossly inaccurate source of information. In my essay, I argue how Wikipedia disseminates misinformation through the use of faulty sources and the presence of bias within the articles.

Personally, I used to use Wikipedia just to gather background information or to get a general overview of a topic. But, now, having studied the astonishing implications of using Wikipedia, I doubt I will ever go back to using that site. In Writing-140, we were taught different research techniques and different sources of information far more reliable and accurate than Wikipedia. In the future, I see myself using those sources, such as Proquest or Google Scholar, to find academic content.

I do not plan on contributing to the discussion boards simply because I do not consider myself an expert on any topic and do not find it suitable to publish my opinions or ideas on a public forum.