Empowerment through English

Let me start off by saying that this is one of the best classes that I have ever taken, and no I am not just saying that to kiss ass. As I probably stated before, I was scared to death on taking a second year English class because my English 114 instructor was very challenging. I mean do not get me wrong, I feel like I am an overall better writer from last semester of English and really helped me prepare for this class and all future classes that require me to write. Now that I am almost complete with my second year English class, I can say that I am an even better writer than I ever was before.

This was the very first English class that I had taken, that did not have the same structures as every other generic English course. From the beginning, my classmates and I were given the authority to create the rules and regulations for the semester in terms of grading and tardy policies. I remember the confused expression on almost all of our faces when Caitlin gave us that power because we did not know what to do with it. In most cases the classroom is ran under a dictatorship (especially in college) and they have strict policies for their class. But when we were given that freedom to help make the syllabus, it seemed like the coolest thing in the world. Later on,I had my moments when it drove me completely crazy to know that our professor was not going to be the one grading us - the students were going to be the one grading us. Now it is a good thing that no one in our classroom has any tension with each other so we knew that the grade we received it was based off the quality of work we put in, not out of retaliation.

To this day I still vividly remember when Caitlin stormed out of the classroom because no one had read the article from the night before. It was completed unexpected and I was left at a loss for words because I did not realize the importance of the ONE article that I decided to let slide by, until the next day of class. That particular article, Education by Poetry, by Robert Frost was the key component for the syllabus English 214: Metaphors of Oppression. As soon as this incident happened, it lit a spark in my head. I would overhear other students that they did not understand the objective behind the class, but I did. It all made sense, addressing all of the oppression that happens from one of the most universal languages used for communication. I am now structurizing every hidden message that advertisements and the media is telling to the viewer.

Within the course I was able to look at my writing and break it down to simpler terms and stop trying to fit to a certain standard of academia. I learned that just because people articulate their thoughts and opinions through other languages other than standardized English, it does not make them any less of a person. Before I used to subtly laugh or comment on the way people spoke or wrote but now I know that that is wrong of me. This course has given me my voice back and now I am just able to write all of my ideas without over thinking about things. Even for this simple assignment, knowing me I would have probably tried to sound all formal and what not. Throughout this entire course, I was able to notice all of the injustices happening in the world today. Currently with what happened to the officer in Ferguson and all of the riots happening in response to that. This class has empowered me to not only become more aware as a writer but as an individual who is passionate about health equity and social justice for all.