ADV COMP Portfolio for Linkedin upload

Kaydee Nance
Dr. Gonzalez
ENGL 371
4-28-16
Author’s Note
Throughout the revision process for each essay I have written I have made many
changes within each draft based off of the feedback I have received and the growth that
needed to occur within my writing. A great deal of the feedback from draft to draft
sounded similar and began to point out my specific weaknesses that I have in writing. I
was able to anticipate what the feedback would be directed to in each essay, but I was not
quite able to adjust my way of writing and the errors I continued to make in order to
eliminate those issues completely. Every professor expects a certain style or way of
writing from their students, and within my drafts I can see myself attempting to adjust to
the style that is required in order to best represent the material within this course. I felt
like my feedback progressed in a more positive way over time as compared to my first set
of feedback for the first draft I wrote for essay one.
In Essay 1, the feedback spoke specifically to my lack of expansion in regards to
my experiences with academic writing in college and how my previous experiences may
affect or hinder the writing that I produce. I explained my past experiences thoroughly
enough, but I did not connect it to the why and how of the present of my writing and how
I have come to see it in a different light. During this essay I was writing in a way that I
was discriminating against, for these same practices and strategies from past teachings
and classes were still ingrained in my writing habits. I now can see this when comparing

my drafts and reading back through the feedback that I had received, but at the time I felt
as if I were making progress. “So essentially I am pushing you toward greater depth. I
also encourage you to rethink the organization. It’s a bit choppy and doesn’t have a
strong narrative line. Are there themes that emerge throughout the essay that lend
themselves to a natural organization? “ (Nance, Essay 1, Draft 1). I had never really taken
the time to reflect back on my past experiences with academic writing and how that may
affect the writing that I produce today and just the fact that I was writing those
experiences down and making connections made me feel like a transformation was
already occurring. In the second draft, I managed to speak more to the depth issue, but
my organization was still too scattered to really appreciate the connections I had made.
Organization was the biggest adjustment I had to make within Essay one, outside of
expansion. As Dr. Gonzalez put it, my essay was a “bit overwhelming”, which was
probably an understatement (Nance, Essay 1, Draft 2). However, I discussed this and
other issues further with Dr. Gonzalez and I believe I have made positive progress as
compared to that initial round of feedback. I worked with organizational issues in the
conclusion as well in order to, hopefully, leave the audience feeling as if a clear point was
made and that they were able to see my journey from the beginning to the current stage I
am in regarding writing.
In regards to Essay 2, the terror of all essays, organization was still a struggle I
ran into, but my content is what initially was the biggest challenge. My hit and miss was
described in the first line of feedback for the first draft; “I think you’re on to something,”
(Nance, Essay 2, Draft 1). I was thinking about the topic in too closed minded of a way
that did not allow me to see the actual point of what I was writing. I was initially stuck in

ancient Greece before realizing I had to enter the real world and connect my discussion to
the modern day. “Bring it into a contemporary context as soon as you can,” was the final
reaction to my first draft and I knew that was the most prominent issue that needed
fixing. I have added in multiple sources that cater to contemporary issues that relate to
my initial topic and I tried to let go of my hold on The Odyssey in order to do so. In my
second draft, the feedback that I received was slightly more positive in regards to my
attention to the contemporary aspect of my explanation, but I still needed to take it one
step further in order to portray my ideas in the best, most logical way possible. “Much of
this needs to be re-framed if you choose to go with that angle (the performance aspect of
waiting),” (Nance, Essay 2, Draft 2). I found this performance aspect of waiting really
fascinating and I appreciated the advice from Dr. Gonzalez to take that route, which I did.
My attempt in my final edits was to speak true to this reframing and to the modern touch
that was needed. I enjoyed exploring this topic and I wanted to portray that through my
writing and the research that I chose to use. I believe that this is an important issue to
bring to light and I also wanted to use that as a lens in which I revised and wrote.
Moving on to Essay 3, I was able to accomplish the task of specificity that was
needed, but I did not quite reach the “a-ha” moment in the end that would make these
examples come alive even more. My use of sources were lacking as well, which could
contribute to this lack of resolution at the end of the essay. I also needed to move deeper
into the point of how English and Communications helps me and others to better
understand literacy and learning. I skimmed the surface of this, but did not view it on the
multiple levels that was needed to complete the point. “You make a connection to the
world, but not to other things. I think that this is where the outside research can be of

some help as well. It’s not just about reading, writing, and knowing. It’s about thinking,”
(Nance, Essay 3, Draft 1). My focus for the second draft was to adjust my use of sources
the most and the rest would follow for my lack of research seemed to be connected to
each problem that I had. It must have worked because I was left the comment “Awesome
second draft!” during my second round of feedback. The editing that I had left to do
involved my repetition, too much emphasis on certain stages of learning, and my
explanation of how my disciplines affect the world and I was still lackluster. I tend to
repeat myself when I am trying to understand the topic at hand for myself and it ends up
just confusing my reader. “I think that you need to be more careful in your explanation of
how literature helps you in the world,” (Nance, Essay 3, Draft 2). In edits to follow I
attempted to address these issues more directly in a more personal and philosophical way
with research and personal experience to sort of flesh out the essay. This essay was a
challenge for I knew how I felt in regards to what I needed to write, but could not always
put those feelings into coherent sentences to make a clear point.
Lastly, Essay 4 was the trouble child of all four essays, as was the revision that
followed the first draft. I felt a similar feeling of being at a loss as I did in essay three for
I knew what to say, just not how to go about saying it. I knew my first draft was going to
get scolded and that I had a much bigger point to make, and it did. “I think you’ve got to
make way more of a point of all this. This is really about a way of being, not just a way
of doing, and you have been doing all the right things without necessarily embodying
them. Spend more time on the philosophical part, ” (Nance, Essay 4, Draft 1). This was
my biggest issue and the main point of focus in revision, but coherence was also
something to keep in mind. When revising, I added in a few more quotes that spoke to

changes I felt like I had experienced within this course and what literacy means for me as
in individual and for others. I tried to address this choppiness in the transition from
paragraph to paragraph by rewording and expanding on points where it was needed.
In each revision that I have done, I have tried my best to adjust to all feedback and
advice I have received in order to create the best essay I can. I would not say that my
work with each essay is done, but rather at a stopping point for time only allows so much
editing. I am very self conscious about turning in mass quantities of writing like this that
I have been working on, for I feel as if my final drafts will not look as if I have made
progress. But alas, I must release my control, for the end is upon us.

Works Cited
Nance, Kaydee. "Essay 4, Draft 1." 15 Apr. 2016. Digital file.
- - -. "Essay 1, Draft 1." 4 Jan. 2016. Digital file.
- - -. "Essay 1, Draft 2." 12 Feb. 2016. Digital file.
- - -. "Essay 3, Draft 1." 1 Apr. 2016. Digital file.
- - -. "Essay 3, Draft 2." 3 Apr. 2016. Digital file.
- - -. "Essay 2, Draft 1." 26 Feb. 2016. Digital file.
- - -. "Essay 2, Draft 2." 4 Mar. 2016. Digital file.

Kaydee Nance
ENGL 371
Essay #1
Final Portfolio
In Crider’s The Office of Assertion, we are introduced to the concept that
academic writing really isn’t as dry and loathsome as students most often tend to view it.
Rather, it is a form of creative writing, that has the power to “lead souls” and has the
“power or capacity of the mind to discover, the actualization of human intellectual
potential that when actualized, releases energy”, (Crider, pg.6-7). Crider is trying to make
the point that academic writing, which is reliant upon rhetoric, has a hidden power to lead
souls due to its’ liberal art-like nature, that is so often overlooked and underused. This
underuse and overlooking often begins in the classroom of the non-college student and
the writing skills that they acquire tragically follow them to college when they face
rigorous writing courses and 10 page essays where the art of persuasion, as Crider
describes, is crucial. This missed phase of writing instruction is due to how and why I
was taught to write when I was first embarking on the writing journey and the varied
reasons as to why the teachers who taught me these skills taught them at all. It began
before research papers and works cited requirements and how I continued to be taught
when it was time to start writing academic essays. Academic writing for me started off
from a basic knowledge of writing that is nothing like Crider describes; it was a type of
writing that brought forth feelings of dread and boredom, not feelings of concern that the
reader’s soul was at stake and it needed to be lead properly. When I compare the way that
I was taught how to write and the reasons in doing so, with those of Crider, an analysis

can be produced that sheds light onto why students may not view academic writing as a
way to artfully and persuasively “lead souls”, but more as a formulaic ritual that must be
performed to get a passing grade.
To begin this analysis, by explaining why most students, myself included, are
motivated to write in the first place, the main reason as to why we write at all stems from
the fact that the essay was a mandatory assignment which naturally led to the desire to get
a good grade out of the deal. I never wanted to write a paper, let alone an academic essay,
the horror, outside of being assigned one, for any reason other than wanting to receive a
good grade for my efforts. Essay writing was a task in which I had to fight through red
ink and mediocre scores for the best work I could produce based off of the academic
writing education I received thus far, to receive a grade that thankfully meant I was done
with the dreary process. Never did I receive any motivation outside of this grade and
curriculum based reasoning from my teachers. Crider states that while the reader may
believe that the main point of academic writing is to earn a good grade, in his view, it
should be to share the intellectual excellence or virtue of understanding with your
audience. (pg. 9) These artful, romantic, and emotional aspects of academic writing were
never expressed to me, but if they were I feel as if my writing experience would have
been a lot different, I would probably be a totally different writer today. If my teachers
had shared and taught the perspectives that Crider has towards academic writing from the
beginning, I believe I would have found my love and my appreciation for writing much
sooner, there would have never been motivation slumps, outside of the common writer’s
block, and this would therefore, increase the effort I put into my work, and the learning
opportunities I would gain from each assignment would have been so much more

meaningful and welcomed. There were empty expectations that the teachers had for us
when it came to writing, which was not motivating in the slightest, so why have high
expectations for ourselves? My teacher was often one with jumbled expectations and
little time to really delve into the grading process; especially in regards to revision and
future improvement. There was either a curriculum to follow, an agenda to keep up with,
a state test that we needed to pass which their yearly bonus depended on, or a new
teaching trend that was to be implemented in the classroom, none of which proved to be
very beneficial in the academic writing department.
This is a big reason as to why writing is so difficult and lackluster, there is no real
motivation that is instilled within us to want to write that academic essay, whether we
like to write or not, whether we are good at it or not, the right approach to take when
writing is not taught, we fail before we even begin. My teachers never expanded the
reason or need for writing beyond the classroom. There was never the explanation that
writing can be used to broaden your own understanding about a subject, that academic
writing was indeed a creative process, or that the use of rhetoric was a productive process
of sorts, for you are quite literally making a product, (Crider pg. 2). The art of persuasion
through rhetoric, which is most commonly found in academic essays, was never
portrayed as that, an art. It was always described as a basic rule that you had to use to
make your point to your reader, that you yourself may or may not believe, in order to
make a good grade and to prove to your audience. My teachers never made writing feel
or look beautiful, powerful, or elegant, something that you could benefit from and
potentially enjoy. Due to Crider’s reasoning, I truly feel like anyone can enjoy the

process of writing, even if it isn’t something they want to do in their time outside of class.
It is all about the approach that is taken.
Crider explains, “rhetoric often helps us discover what we believe about a subject
as well”, (Crider pg. 7). The purpose of writing is not just for my intended audience, but
for me as the writer too, imagine that. That completely changes the game of writing and
the motivation I have for writing an academic essay in class. I am writing this essay to
learn about the sources I am analyzing and to figure out the stance I want to take for
myself. It is a form of soul-searching through sources and argumentation. The problem
with this is that there is no such time in the classroom to get this done, especially when
there is a big state test you have to prepare for. There is no time for writing that is “fun”
or writing that can be used to help you grow as a writer in the most simple and organic
form. The teachers that I had never allowed me to explore my writing abilities through
multiple revisions or abstract writing prompts that deviated from what a beginning
politician may discuss at dinner. I had to solely run my hands like exhausted hamsters on
broken and dingy keyboards, forever enclosed in that plastic cage of forced creativity,
peeking through the cracks and air holes, waiting for the real academic writing to start,
the kind where there is life and expression.
The only writing I ever enjoyed was the writing I did on my own time, which was
not formulaic and full of empty expectations. There were the few teachers who allowed
me free reign when writing, one was a coach and part time teacher in middle school
whose name I cannot recall, we will call him Coach Richards, and Ms. Berquist in high
school, who allowed me to test the skills that I had picked up throughout the years and
was able to have fun with the words that I arranged on the paper; these were the few

sweet moments that I looked forward to. Ms. Berquist spoke about writing with love and
amazement, that writing was never done, she could always make it better and help it
grow into something more, something to be proud of. I almost scoffed at this idea
because it was the first time I had ever heard anything g like that in regards to writing.
However, this motivating strategy of teaching and positive idea towards writing in its
pure simplicity, paired with a prompt that allowed me to explore, caused me to create the
most passionate and emotion driven essay I had ever written. I was in a writing trance, it
was magic. The prompt was one that we could choose from a list of various prompts that
was intended to be molded into a unique prompt of your own. Freedom. My prompt
ended up being how the media affects women and the possibility of eating disorders. This
came from a very raw, sincere, and experience filled place, which only intensified my
writing. It was an essay much like this one, a personal narrative interwoven with sources
as the support. I think I surprised Ms. Berquist with the emotional intensity and steady
handed control of my writing, her comments and my grade said it all. This same sort of
feeling occurred under the middle school coach, Coach Richards, when he allowed us to
write a descriptive narrative, this is where I found my true style for writing and the form
that I enjoyed the most. While he did not teach much of anything in the technical aspect,
and probably did not realize or appreciate my early efforts, I realized what freedom could
do for a writer. These were the assignments that felt like anything but assignments. I
could feel the excitement, interest, and jumbled word frenzy inside, dying to be released
and put to the test; these were the times that I managed to grow as a writer. And the
concernment with grades? Next to nonexistent. Freedom in writing led to the enjoyment

of it, I could feel my soul being led with the words I was trying to create and in turn lead
others with.
The problem that I ran into most when writing an academic paper was the
confining undeviating structure of it. There was a formula that was given to you in
elementary school, the 5-paragraph formula with 5-7 sentences per paragraph, and by
George that is what you better stick by if you wanted to be successful throughout the rest
of your academic career, even life. Of course ever since elementary school my teachers
told me that I needed to know how to write well, using this format specifically, for when
I had to take state issued tests, or when I went to college or entered the real world, but it
was all topical, nothing more in depth than that. In high school, the added motivation to
that short list was that good writing was needed for the preparation of the SAT or ACT
exams or the AP test if you were in AP English classes. The need for writing seemed to
stop once you were able to score what you needed to on those tests, so why commit to
learning how to write well? This “fake it until you make it and then you can stop” tactic
was the way to go for most students, myself included. This unimaginative, inflexible
structure may also be due to the simple fact that my teachers actually didn’t want my
classmates and I to learn to think outside of the 5-paragraph box. Maybe they didn’t trust
us to do so, or think we could do so at all. This goes back to the empty expectations issue.
If my teachers didn’t think that our ideas were valid or important enough to expand upon
in a style that best fit us as individual students, and that the topic given had no creative
potential due to the fact that it was an academic essay, then there was absolutely nowhere
to go from that fact. I was dead in the water. I was not allowed to think for myself as a

human and as a writer who was attempting to blossom outside of a concrete flowerpot of
restriction. The education system has not changed, no matter how many new teaching
strategies are introduced to the classroom. The beauty of writing that Crider talks about is
either ignored or is unknown altogether.
I found myself counting the number of sentences I had rather than actually
paying attention to the ideas I had in my head that had the potential to transform into a
decent academic essay. The big hang up with this is that it gave me absolutely no room to
grow as a writer outside of that 5-paragraph box. I had to write a certain way, the way
that everyone was taught or I would automatically get a lower grade or a good dose of red
ink. My teachers were either never taught what writing was truly all about, like Crider
explains, they didn’t agree with the fact that writing an art form that had the power to
lead souls, or they didn’t care to have any depth with their lessons in how to write. Never
did I see any passion in my teachers’ eyes when they talked about a writing assignment,
or writing in general for that matter, even if it was academic writing. The general idea
that was portrayed to me was that the only thing you need to get out of writing is a good
test score or grade to prove you learned something, which I didn’t, so I could move on to
the next assignment. One of Crider’s points that really relates to this problem is when he
states “The general method of rhetorical investigation is always in creative tension with
the disciplinary methods”, (Crider pg. 8). The potential creativity that students have is so
often smothered and choked by the discipline of writing that is creates a bad taste in the
mouth, especially when it comes to academic writing, which is viewed as one of the least
creative modes of writing.

A prime example is my 11th grade teacher, Mrs. Lang, who taught an AP English
class and was supposed to prepare us for the big AP test at the end of the year. This was
her sole motivation, if she had any motivation at all, in teaching English and it was one of
the sorriest and most unflattering experiences I have ever gone through in regards to
literature and the art of academic writing; this is not for dramatic effect. She was more
focused on annotating the articles and books that we read halfheartedly, for that was her
attitude to doing so, than teaching us concrete ways of how to improve our skills of
academic writing. We needed a beginning, middle, end, and reference to the source that
we used, no detail extended further from that advice. She got up from behind her desk
maybe three times the whole semester to teach us various odds and ends that I cannot
remember. How in the world am I supposed to lead souls with that? Crider’s point of
organization, invention, and style, when making an argument was taught to me, which
was beneficial, but it was not described as components of the art of composition (pg.10).
Again, the motivating factor and appreciation for academic writing in its rawest form was
absent. In relation to argument, Crider does something that my teachers did not do, he
explains why argument is important in the first place and how to go about arguing the
point that you choose to stand behind. It is written in a way that gives meaning to the
process of argumentation that every academic paper needs in some form or another.
“An essays’ substance in the invention or discovery, both of the argument that guides the
proofs, or points, and of the proofs that themselves defend the argument. Though
invention is necessary, it is not, however, sufficient….The discovered matter has to be
shaped, given form. Organization gives form to the argumentative matter, providing a
beginning, middle, and an end to the small universe of the essay. The ordered substance

must then be communicated through the medium of style, the words and sentences that
carry the reader through the small universe”, (Crider pg. 10).
Crider does not just tell us that to write a good academic essay we need a beginning,
middle, end, and an argument, he connects all of these aspects together that portray the
art of writing such a paper, it is given purpose, reason, and understanding. He explains
that you need to lead your reader through this argument that you have so lovingly crafted
because it is meaningful and has a purpose in the grand scheme of human intellectual
potential. This is something I never heard when learning how to write an academic essay,
which is unfortunate and honestly, quite sad.
I would like to focus on the fact that out of the 12 years that I was in school,
before college, I remember very little, if anything, regarding what I was taught in how to
write an essay, and later an academic essay. I think this suggests a lot about the
importance or profoundness in how or what I was taught by these past teachers, for I
cannot recall very much of it. This tells me that the teachers that I learned under since
Kindergarten never stressed the importance, beauty, or art of rhetoric as Crider does. This
may be due to various reasons that made perfectly good sense to them at the time, such as
a preparation for a state issued exam, they truly thought the 5-paragraph essay was the
best and only way to write a paper, or they just wanted something easy to grade.
Nevertheless, these tactics still affected my view of writing and how I wrote, regardless
of the intention behind their teachings. I do not remember specific techniques that I was
taught when we had a lesson on good writing, I simply remember just writing and hoping
for the best; praying that there was enough content to reach the page limit, that my
commas were in the right place, and I used complex enough words to sound somewhat

impressive. I cannot even bring to mind at least five assignments that were memorable, in
either a positive or negative way. Writing before college seems to have been erased
completely from my mind and from my memory. The task of writing was never one that I
looked forward to, which is quite ironic for in college I am now an English major
specializing in creative writing.
So how does my academic writing past affect my academic writing present? I will
be honest and say that I still do not know what I am doing half of the time. What I do
know is that in order to lead the souls of others, I have to first lead my own soul. In order
to do this, I try to find a source of passion in each prompt I am presented with in regards
to an academic essay. That is what I lacked so intensely before and realized I needed
passion and interest if I wanted to be successful. It does help if the prompt itself is on
point in the interest factor, but having a mindset that I can make it interesting and
powerful for the reader, as well as to myself, is key. It is all about building the
relationship between you as the writer with your reader. My teachers did not stress the
building of this relationship in the way that Crider does. This relationship is one of the
main requirements in order to lead souls. I have found what I needed as a writer and have
tried to match that to what my professor expects out of a soul leading academic essay. I
have learned to love writing regardless of the car wreck of a writing education that I have
received prior to college. I learned to love it so much, and thought I had a decent enough
skill at it, that I chose it as my major. I put all of the negative aspects that I picked up
prior to college and I let my enjoyment lead me through each assignment. Even with this
assignment, when I read the prompt I sighed and knew I was destined for procrastination
and writer’s block, yet here I am once again, writing it on time and having fun doing so.

The education system of college has rules and structure, but it also a system of
change and the necessary remolding the form of the student you used to be. My
professors have encouraged and required me to let go of past writing habits for they no
longer serve a beneficial purpose in the academic essay that I am faced with. This shows
that my current professors can see the beauty and malleability of writing and all the
power it can offer to the reader and to the writer. It is a freeing experience that I needed
desperately to be able to produce the work that is required of me. College is nothing like
high school; there is a reason for that. It is all in the approach. However, while I have
grown and relearned how to write, I am still continuing to grow, learning, and trying to
understand what a true academic essay should look like; I don’t think that will ever
change. Thank goodness for revision. And Crider.

Works Cited
Crider, Scott F. The Office of Assertion: An Art of Rhetoric for the Academic Essay. Wilmington, DE: ISI,
2005. Print.

Kaydee Nance
Dr. Gonzalez
ENGL 371
2-28-16
Essay #2
Final Portfolio
Story of the Text Essay
The Odyssey by Homer is a classic story that is taught in college classes all over
the world due to its epic nature, and the heroic and masculine main character, Odysseus,
and his 20-year journey home to Ithaca. He is the long lost husband and war hero who
finally makes it back from a 20 year voyage and conveniently saves the day by
slaughtering 100 plus suitors with the help of his now grown son, Telemachus, and other
fellow comrades from his home town, Ithaca. This masculine, macho man character is all
fine and good in the story of The Odyssey; we most certainly would not have this
infamous tale without this central masculine role of Odysseus.
However, this story would also undoubtedly not exist without the female
characters present in this story, most importantly, Penelope, Odysseus’ wife and spousal
equal in cleverness and wiliness. Penelope represents strength, patience, fidelity,
cleverness, and is the epitome of the wife who diligently and faithfully waits for her
husband to return. Penelope is often portrayed as the role model of how a wife should
wait for their husband, even today in a society that is nothing like that of ancient Greek
societal structure. She is a point of comparison and contrast with women of recent history
and wars who have been in a similar position of marital waiting, for instance, Winnie

Mandela, who waited for husband to come home from prison, which is a type of waiting
that is different than that of waiting for a husband to return for war, especially in the way
she may have been treated negatively by society. Winnie can be specifically compared to
Penelope in the aspect that she faithfully waited for her husband to return; both women
were praised for their waiting and fidelity. This comparing of the two women from very
different time periods for the same role of the waiting woman shows the expectation that
society still had for women when their husbands were away for those extended periods of
time. The big question is, has this expectation that society has for the “waiting woman”
changed or morphed into something different in the modern times when compared to the
role during the time of ancient Greece and the early 1900s, or has it stayed the same,
possibly even digressing in empathetic understanding for the waiting women of the 21st
century?
Before the 21st century, women did not have as much power or as many rights as
the modern day waiting woman. In the year of 2016, I do not see many women sticking
around for 20 years with no word on the status of their husband or choosing to be
completely innocent in the aspect of infidelity while they wait; life goes on. This is not an
attack on the nature of women, but rather the way that society is structured. Life moves
fast and it waits for no one, especially for an incredible length of time that is
encompassed by 20 years. Not only in the aspect of finding a partner, but divorce rates
are already at 50%, which shows an equal chance of committing or not committing to
your spouse within a marriage, and there are enough forms of communication to connect
with whoever you wish to connect with, whether it be your spouse or someone new if
your spouse has not retuned for, lets say, 20 years. This moving on to new mates in the

role of a waiting woman would not have happened in Ancient Greece, or even in the
early 1900s, not without major backlash anyway. You would either be struck down by a
god or by the society as a whole, whoever was more angry at your lack of waiting for
your oh so brave, sacrificing husband to return.
On the other hand, I do see women waiting faithfully today, as long as the
husband is not dead that is, for a significant amount of time due to the love they may and
hopefully do have for their husbands, or because of the fear the may have for the way
they might be viewed by society, friends, and family if they were to decide to move on
from their marriage. If the husband has died before he is able to return, the wife is pretty
much let off of the waiting woman hook, and is able to continue her life as a single
woman would, but even then I believe she would receive judgment or be held to certain
expectations that other single women would not because of this honor and faithfulness
complex that is applied to waiting women. This is the position in which Penelope was left
halfway through The Odyssey after much prayer and contemplation as to whether her
husband was alive and returning, or dead and never to be seen again. 20 years is a long
time to wait without the justified suspicion of if your partner just may be dead and it may
be logical to move on. The expectations for the role of the waiting woman are still
present and prevalent in society, whether that be waiting for a husband to come home
from war like Penelope, or waiting for a husband to come home from prison, like Winnie.
Both Penelope’s and Winnie’s marriages had public or political ties, that forced
these women to wait within their marriages, even if halfway through their time of waiting
they had the feelings to give up and/or invest in someone new. Smit describes Winnie’s
waiting as different from Penelope’s “ She was different because her waiting was in

public. Because of her fame/notoriety Winnie Mandela is a ‘larger than life’ figure and
like many such figures, for instance celebrity’s from the world of show business, she
acquires many of the features of a mythological character,” (Smit, From Penelope to
Winnie Mandela….). However, you do not have to be a social or political celebrity, like
Winnie and Penelope, to feel the pressure of the expectations that society has for you in
regards to being a waiting woman. Common, everyday women are expected of the same
things that a Hollywood celebrity or First Lady would be in the role of the waiting
woman, when you get right down to the nitty gritty aspect of this waiting. There
definitely seems to be a performance aspect to this. The women are expected to play a
certain role, no matter who they are, because their men are the ones who are making the
true sacrifice. The least they can do is sit patiently at home and knit a scarf or two.
In regards to why women wait, there may be various reasons. Either out of
personal choice, obligation to their family, to keep the backlash from society to a
minimum, or to keep up a reputation that they had before their husbands left. But what
isn’t given much attention is what emotional or mental suffering that wives may go
through during the process of waiting for their husbands to return home and this
performance aspect to their waiting. The most common representation of the waiting
woman of the 21st century and which is most recognized, is that of the military wife.
From Australian to American wives, all of these women are playing the role of the
waiting woman because they have been affected by the grief and tribulation of war, with
an attempt to live up to what that role expects of them. With that expectation comes a
whole set of difficulties and emotions that can be just as challenging as going to war. One
of the biggest explanations as to why this waiting woman role is so expected of women

who are left behind to wait, even today, is the symbolism of women and their connection
to war that goes back to the very beginning of this infamous pairing of Penelope and
Odysseus.
This symbolism that is tacked onto women is not what you would call
empowering, but rather it is discriminating and confining in their involvement with
society and their level of independence. “It is well-known that nationalism is unfavorable
to the development of female identity…” (Chang, W.B.Yeats, Cultural Nationalism, and
Disempowered Women). This nationalism implication can be applied to any group or
nation of people, but an example of Ireland explains this pairing between war and women
and the symbolism that goes along with that almost perfectly.
For centuries Ireland’s traditional bards had been glorifying women through
idealized, mythopoeic woman-figures which misrepresented actual women. They
had done this in order to urge their countrymen to help liberate their nation and
reclaim their land, their “Mother Ireland. (Chang, W.B.Yeats, Cultural
Nationalism, and Disempowered Women).
In this article, the role of the woman is explained to be that of “a helping maid of Irish
nationalism”, a caretaker, preserver, in the role of motherhood to their country, aid in
cultural preservation, and this cultural nationalism was used as a “force imposed upon
women in order to exclude them”. This glorified woman in war role is actually a way to
keep them separated, secluded, and controlled through this form of patriarchal
estrangement. This can apply to any war that has ever been fought, no matter where or
why. The women have been viewed as a prize to be won, an object or being that needs
protecting, or they are deemed the sole reason as to why the war must be carried through

and won; whether the women want this responsibility or not. In the poem Easter by W.B
Yeats, this point is further exemplified due to the clear distinction between male and
female roles in war. We are still working with Ireland here, but again, it works all across
the board. “While men’s sacrifice in war and their bravery and persistence are pervasive
in the records in modern history, women are attached to the idealization of virtuous
housewives,” (Chang, W.B.Yeats, Cultural Nationalism, and Disempowered Women).
There is clearly a differing in importance of both genders, but the women are the ones
who are stuck with the blame of why war happens, as well as with the waiting woman
role, and the social backlash that is attached. The women, in every sense of the word, get
the short end of the stick. The woman in relation to war is supposed to be this powerful,
raging symbol of fearlessness and faithfulness to their country, but are given none of the
power and all of the rules as to how they should act. Shall I make an Ancient Greek
connection?? Yes, so glad you asked. Remember Helen of Troy? Need I say more?
Women appear this way in books, movies, propaganda, commercials, and even in real
life. This conditioning to act properly in this waiting woman role appears everywhere.
The women are expected to wait in a docile and honored manner for their sacrificing
husbands to return and nothing more.
To examine the role of the modern day waiting woman more closely, we look to
the Iraq war and an interesting group of women who seem to be defying the odds and
expectations of what a waiting woman should do. While many women suffer from the
hardships of the waiting woman role, there are certain women who choose this role as a
way to be more active in this waiting position. The group Code Pink was created in 2002
in order to oppose the Iraq War. Both women who had family and husbands in the war

and those who did not participated in various forms of opposition. What is interesting
about this group is that they have taken the qualities that women have been targeted with
in society and in relation to war and use that symbolism to their benefit.
This call for action draws on materialist terms implying that women as the
“guardians of life”, are more peaceful than men. They call on women in their
roles as caregivers and nurtures. In framing their mission this way, they have been
able to attract women who identify as feminists and those who are wary of the
term feminism but are confident in their roles as mothers and caregivers. ( Kutz-
Flamenbaum, Code Pink, Raging Grannies, and the…).
These women have flipped these traits that normally are associated with the weakness
and passivity of women into qualities that are their strong suit and allow them to project
their voices and opinions to the public regarding war and the role they can play in it. This
group participates in both peaceful and disobedient forms of opposition, rather than just
purely peaceful. “Code Pink’s use of civil disobedience and aggressive trailing of public
officials confound and challenge normative gender expectations of women as passive,
polite, and well-behaved,” ( Kutz-Flamenbaum, Code Pink, Raging Grannies, and the…).
This is not to say that this strategy works better than conforming to the role of the waiting
woman, but rather that it shows that women are starting to notice the social norms that
have been thrust upon them for centuries and they are getting tired of conforming to
them.
Looking to a more socially “normal” reaction to war, we look to a different part of
the world. I am quite sure there is some Code Pink action going on here too, but a study

that was conducted within this area of the world shows the hardship aspect of the waiting
woman. American women were not the only ones who were desperately waiting for the
return of their husbands, Australian women were also victims of the negative effects of
being in the role of the waiting woman. In a study on the effects of being a waiting
woman, seven Australian women were interviewed on the struggles they encounter
within this role and how they manage these feelings. The burden of sadness, fear, anxiety,
loneliness, and dread turns into emotional enemies that these women have to battle
against everyday while they wait for their husbands to return home. “These women
struggle with their emotions. It’s left many of them at the breaking point. It is a hellish
trial,” (Niewenhof, Women who wait…). It can be so stressful that women have been
tempted to quit their jobs and it has caused women to admit that they should have known
better than to get involved with a military man, for they knew the life full of struggles
that it would entail. The media only increases these feelings with the footage that is
shown from wars abroad and the commentary that goes along with it. Many women
cannot help but watch it, even though they know it most likely will only increase their
anxiety and sadness. One of the wives, Kirby, says “The worry is always background
noise. Then again, I put it on myself. Some of the other wives and partners refuse to
watch the television news, but I have to,” (Niewenhoff, Women who wait…). They blame
themselves for their own worry, this goes back to upholding the proper persona of the
waiting woman that they are expected to perform, that if they did not watch the news then
they would not be so worried. The women say that it is their fault because they continue
to watch the media. This self-blame is devastating and scary, for it seems that it stems
directly from societal conditioning. This could possibly be due to the expectation that

waiting women have to be strong, calm, and seemingly unaffected in a dramatic way.
One woman was described as one who was “fighting a losing battle at maintaining a
façade of stoicism” (Niewenhoff). This is what is expected of women who wait, to cover
up and fake their feelings, because the opposite reaction is not what society wants to see.
Their husbands are sacrificing their lives so they can at least act happy about it is the
mindset that the majority of society seems to have.
I do not agree with this fake it until you make it tactic in the slightest form. Even
if the wives knew this life is what they signed up for, that does not mean they are not
allowed to show valid and real emotion in the position they are in. The husband is not the
only one sacrificing, for the wives who are left behind are sacrificing as well, and this
needs to be given attention. Society should not ask women to hide how they feel simply
because they are not the ones in combat. They have to fight with their own struggles too,
and all of these struggles are just as valid as the struggle of their husbands going to war.
Many women also find themselves suppressing these negative feelings, not only from
themselves, but also from their husbands when they do get a chance to communicate with
them. “All my husband gets is that the roses are smelling beautifully,” says wife Tracy
Rowe in a brisk and tightlipped manner (Nieuwenhof, Women who wait…). They bluff
this show of happiness and sense of calm, even if this is nowhere near to what they are
actually feeling. The wives often keep out sentimental information that is only natural to
share with your spouse, like the death of the family dog, or trouble at work or school, but
they choose to spare their husbands the stress and sadness and burden it all on their own.
This relates once again to the big reason behind wars themselves and the drive
that often keeps men fighting; the symbolism. Women play a very significant role in why

men go to war because often times, they are what the men are fighting for; women and
their country. This automatically connects women to the strong patriotism of war and
nationalism that is connected to the country that is being fought for by the men.
Essentially, the women are being fought for just as much as the land is, both can be seen
as property for the protecting and for the taking depending on the outcome of the war.
This fact extends all the way back to Ancient Greece and the time of Odysseus and
Penelope. This is a sacrifice that the wives who are waiting are forced to make during her
husbands absence, to play a role that they may not believe in or want any part of, while
the husbands get to choose the life of a military man and makes heroic and honorable
sacrifices for his country. “You get harder without realizing it, but sharing him with the
Army has never been without anguish,” said mother and wife, Kereama, (Nieuwenhof).
Women seem to train themselves to push down emotions, no matter how painful, because
it is easier to feel nothing at all. This hardness can also come through when their
husbands do return and have a hard time adjusting with the family because the wife has
leaned to no longer expect or need the husbands help.
This is an enigma created by the society that has forced themselves upon this
woman who waits. Society tells her to be strong, empowered in her husbands sacrifice,
and lacking of negative emotions, to the point that she is able to completely take over and
no longer needs the one that she misses and loves so much. This is performance turning
into reality and my guess is that this is not what society had in mind. I believe all of these
aspects are due to how society conditions women to think they should feel and act when
their husbands are away or it is simply that they feel as if their feelings are unimportant
and they do not need to add stress to the sacrificial battle that their husbands are

embarking on. Both options and modes of thinking sound equally unfair and dismissive
to how the wives and partners who are waiting at home may be feeling and what they are
going through; war does not just affect the soldier.
The hardships that these waiting women face does not stop with their emotional
and mental state or with what they see on television. Waiting women also have to face
the insensitivity and hostility of other people in society. This is the exact same society
that says that they are supportive and will be praying for the women while their husbands
are away. But wait, they will also scorn them for this exact same reason. People in
society may go after the husbands who are abroad in a malicious way, saying that they
are only in the military for the money or making comments that make them seem as if
they are selfish father’s or husbands for purposefully leaving their families behind. This
is usually extremely embarrassing and hurtful to the wives who experience this kind of
treatment, not only to them personally, but it is an offense that can hit deep; it is just one
less form of support that they are confronted with. Krysti Neale described it as “I made
the mistake of telling” when she explained her confrontation with a naysayer in public
(Nieuwenhof, Women who wait…). She turned the blame on herself, that she should not
have shared her life and feelings with another human, if she hadn’t, she could have saved
herself the pain and hurt. Once again we see women internalizing and blaming
themselves for reactions and standards that society has for the waiting woman role.
Moving on to the options that women have while waiting, we are able to examine
further consequences of this waiting woman role. If a waiting woman chooses to divorce
her husband while he is deployed, or her husband, her, there is a whole new set of legal
and societal standards that are attached. One interesting thing is that in order to obtain no-

cost health coverage after a divorce from your military spouse, you must have been
married for 20 years also known as the 20/20/20 rule for the 20 years of marriage and
service may overlap. There is another 20-year amount of time that is familiar as well…ah
yes, the time that Penelope waited for Odysseus to return home. Direct correlation? Most
likely not, but it makes for a good story. It shows that unless a waiting woman gives
away enough of her life and proves faithful for at least 20 years, she cannot reap the
benefits of this military marriage. However, if the woman remarries before the age of 55
to a new husband, her free health insurance benefits drop away (Stateside Legal). This to
me says that after 55 she is too old to be jealous over if she remarries, so might as well
give her the insurance. But before that? Oh forget it, if she is getting free insurance she is
not allowed to be happy with anyone else. Penelope would have gotten that free health
insurance no doubt. There is also legal protection within the divorce process specifically
for those who are deployed, the service member, not those who are waiting at home,
usually the wife. This is known as the Service Member’s Civil Relief Act. This protects
the service member from having to make a final decision on the divorce while deployed
(Stateside Legal). So the wife may be waiting at home, but the husband, who is deployed
abroad, still has all of the power in the potential ending of the marriage. This is a way that
husbands evade child and spouse support, regardless of their deployment status. Still
worthy of our praise and everlasting devotion? Food for thought.
To sum this all up, as nicely and coherently as I can, yes, there are still societal
expectations that the waiting woman has to adhere to. It may have started with Penelope
in ancient Greece, but that is most definitely not where it ended. As a society, we still
expect something from these waiting women and the role that they have been forced into.

They continue to stand as a symbol of the damsel in distress who is deserving of a long,
hard-fought war, of patriotism and honor, whether they want to be this symbol, or not.
These women may have chosen sacrifice when they married military men, but they suffer
even further due to the expectations and pressures that are forced upon them by society
and the standards that have spawned from antiquity. These women are given the order to
not ask questions, show some sadness, but not too much sadness, and to praise their
husbands all the time that he is gone, to not bother him with your whining, for he is the
ultimate Odysseus figure, sacrificing for them and for their country.

Works Cited
Ames, Keri Elizabeth. "The Oxymoron of Fidelity in Homer's Odyssey and Joyce's
Ulysses." Joyce Studies Annual 14 (2003): 132-74. Print.
Baig, Mirza Muhammad Zubair. "The Suitors' Treasure Trove: Un-/Re-inscribing of
Homer's Penelope in Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad." NUML Journal of
Critical Inquiry 12.1 (2014): 65-85. Print.
Chang, Tsung-chi. "W.B. Yeats, Cultural Nationalism, and Disempowered Women."
Tamkang Review 43 (2012): 51-65. Print.
Clark, Frances M. "Forgetting the Women: Debates over Female Patriotism in the
Aftermath of America's Civil War." Journal of Women's History 23.2 (2011): n.
pag. Print.
"Family Law." Stateside Legal. The Legal Services Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
<http://statesidelegal.org>.
Hortwitz, Linda Diane, and Catherine R. Squires. "We Are What We Pretend to Be: The
Cautionary Tale of Reading Winnie Mandela as a Rhetorical Widow." Meridians:
Feminism, Race, Transitionalsim 11.1 (2011): 66-90. Print.
Krog, Antkie. "What the Hell is Penelope Doing in Winnie's Story?" English in Africa
36.1 (2009): 55-60. Print.
Kutz-Flamenbaum, Rachel V. "Code Pink, Raging Grannies, and the Missile Dick
Chicks: Feminist Performance Activism in the Contemporary Anti-War
Movement." NWSA Journal 19.1 (2007): 90-105. Print.

Marcellus, Jane. "'It's Up To The Women' Edward Bernays, Eleanor Roosevelt, and
feminist resistance to shopping for patriotism." Feminist Media Studies 12.3
(2012): n. pag. Print.
Smit, Betine Van Zyl. "From Penelope to Winnie Mandela-Women Who Waited."
International Journal of the Classical Tradition 15.3 (2008): 393-406. Print.
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. "Progress of the American Woman." The North American
Review 171.529 (1900): 904-07. Print.
Walsh, Margaret. "Gendering Mobility: Women, Work, and Automobility in the United
States." Gender and American Automobility (2008): n. pag. Print.

Kaydee Nance
ENGL 371
4-28-16
Midterm Reflection Essay
Final Portfolio
As I have learned in the past readings, both in “The Maker’s Eye: Revising Your
Own Manuscripts” by Donald Murray and Chapter 5 and 6 in “The Office of Assertion”
by Crider, revision is a process, often a very long and complicated process, and an essay
cannot be done in one draft; at least not well. In regards to essay one and two, I have
gone from a shitty draft, to a not as shitty draft, and hopefully will be able to move on to
an even less shitty draft in revision number two. I have truly learned how bad my drafts
can be, but also how helpful a bad first draft potentially is to the overall writing process
and the finished product. However, before I reach the final stage in this process, there are
quite a few larger issues regarding content and organizational adjustments that need to be
made in order to move on to the minor editing stage that involves basic grammar and
punctuation. The feedback I have received from Dr. Gonzalez has greatly helped in the
my inspiration for these revisions and many topics and issues have been brought to my
attention that I otherwise may not have even connected with my prompts for both essay
one and two.
To begin, I will look at essay one, for thus far it is the essay that seems to have the
most technical and content based issues wrapped up in it that need to be sorted out. These
issues need to be fixed first before anything else because the form and structure are now
one of, if not the most, important thing in this stage of revision. In the first draft of essay

one, I was attempting to get down as many memories and experiences that matched up
with Crider’s philosophical ideas as possible, for there were very few I could fully recall
to begin with. This was the most difficult part of the essay as a whole, remembering
enough instances of how I was taught to write an academic essay, so I thought, that
correlated with Crider’s ideas. My lead for the essay was the philosophical standpoint
that Crider presented to me in regards to academic writing and the goal of leading souls
through the writing that you produce. The main goal I was trying to accomplish was
include Crider as much as possible, for I was writing with an academic essay mindset. I
also tried to keep in mind who my audience was and attempted to relate my experiences
specifically with Crider, rather than just listing off a bunch of stories that may or may not
have any purpose or meaning; for I thought this is an academic essay after all. I then
filled in the gaps with correlating experiences and ideas about my own teachers, writing
assignments, and positive and negative moments in regards to academic writing. During
the first draft of essay one I was not thinking too much about organization, but rather
getting it on the page, for I would rather rearrange and cut than add in a whole new set of
information. In the second draft of essay one I made sure that I reorganized all of my
paragraphs extensively in an attempt to make it easier for the reader and for myself. I also
tried to go more in depth with the prompt, to take it farther than past memories to how
those ways of past teachings affect me currently in college and the courses that I take.
However, I still did not accomplish the level of organization needed in order for there to
be total consistency and coherence after this revision for the problem lied within my own
perspective on the prompt for this essay.

The reason I had such a hit and miss with essay one overall in both drafts was the
mindset I had when writing it; it was way off track when compared to the true intention
of the prompt. When writing my first draft and revising my second draft, my goal was to
write more of an academic, research based essay and would fill in the gaps with my own
experiences and stories. This mindset threw off my organization and content because it
was not properly aligned with the actual goal of writing more of a personal narrative and
need to use Crider as merely a referential framework that acts as the bones for my
experiences. I was using Crider as the main point of the essay, when in fact he should
barely be present in comparison to how present my experiences and I as the spokesperson
should be.
In order to deepen my analysis and move closer to the goal of this essay, I need to
move beyond the impact that this academic writing experience will have on my college
career. I need to change my direction more toward using Crider as an inspiration for
further progression towards the abstract and theoretical side of what my past experience
with academic writing really means in the grander scheme of things. Starting out with
Crider sets up the whole essay towards a different end point as compared to opening with
my own narrative story and experiences with how I have been taught academic writing.
Adjusting my mindset to what this essay is really supposed to be about and how it is to be
written and formatted will greatly help my revision for this essay in all aspects, both in
organization and content. It would be helpful if I not only looked at how this method of
teaching academic writing will affect me in the future, but also others who may have
been taught in the same or similar ways that I was in middle school and high school.

In my second draft I hardly touched on how my past teachings affect me now and
in the eventually in the future, but this is potentially one of the most important pints in the
whole essay. Expanding further into how this is the true injustice of the overall method of
teaching will take the meaning of the essay to a much higher and more complex level. I
need to work through all of the topical information, which is what I have thus far, and
further pursue just how twisted this education system is in regards to academic writing. In
other words, I almost need to look at the bigger picture with a much more fine-tuned lens.
In regards to the much-needed revision of the organization aspect, I think this will
help once I adjust the balance between my personal examples and my discussion, due to
the inspiration of writing a personal narrative rather than a research paper about Crider,
that I included in this essay. The content will automatically adjust once I do this and
begin writing from a personal narrative standpoint. Dr. Gonzalez commented that I saved
too many examples for too late in the essay and discussed too much up front. Once I
move more of my examples to the beginning and rework my introduction, and break it up
into a smaller paragraph to make it less overwhelming and more coherent, to
accommodate the changes, the rest of the essay’s organization problems should fall into
place much easier. More simply, I need to rely more on my own experiences and less on
what Crider specifically says in order to revise this draft into more of a personal narrative
than a research paper.
Moving on to essay two, my organization and overall structure in this draft was
not as faulty and scattered, but once again I need to move deeper into my analysis and
remove or rearrange a few sources and points currently in the draft to assist in the flow of
ideas for both the reader and myself. Since my structure and organization were fairly

solid, it will most likely be simpler to transform this essay than essay one, but there are
big questions I have not yet paid proper attention to. Some of these questions include the
relationship between women and war and the complications that go along with war itself,
for no war can be seen in a completely distinguished black and white way; there are a lot
of gray areas. To get more specific, I need to focus more on the performance aspect of
being a waiting woman and how they are not only performing in this role for their
spouses, but for their country or state as well. I have already covered the emotions that
these women may feel and I need to move farther to the abstractions of this waiting
woman idea and what this means for society and the women within this society. By
examining how women are always caught in contradicting positions, due to how they are
usually one of the main reasons as to why wars are fought and are also spoils of war, they
are viewed as both traitors to their country and their men if they did not remain faithful or
in the proper attitude of a waiting woman. Women were, and in some views still are,
viewed as property and were taken and cultivated as such. This specifically alludes to
rape that often has been and is still used as a weapon of war because it affects all parties
that have this horrendous act perpetrated upon them, both the women, men, and society
as a whole. All of these aspects are entangled with and connected to the role that the
woman plays in war, especially the waiting woman within this essay. This is our history
as a country and as a world, and especially as one who has a war-filled past and present.
This burden of fidelity can be present whether women choose to be faithful or not
due to the stigmas and associations that women have with the war that culture and society
has created over centuries. While these burdens may be subtler in modern times of the
21st century, they are still there nonetheless and attention needs to be drawn to the

specific effects of this, especially in this essay. These are just a few examples of how I
need to go into more depth throughout my essay in order to reach the true goal of the
purpose of this essay. It would be helpful to research more recent wars and issues that
correlate with them to add to this perspective of the performance of a waiting woman to
husband and to country. During my next revision I also need to remove or swap out a few
sources currently in the essay that do not fully connect with the purpose of the essay. For
example, the one source regarding the Nepalese wives and mothers who are waiting.
All of the current ideas and conjectures that I have simply need to be expanded
upon and reworked to help the flow of the overall essay due to this more specific
viewpoint that needs to be taken on the performance of the waiting woman. I think in my
first few pages of this essay I expand way too much on the connection between Winnie
Mandela and Penelope when the reader may not need to so much background information
in order to understand the rest of the points that are made in the essay. It would probably
be helpful to cut back on this introduction phase and get to the point much quicker, to
make the transition of ideas smoother and more understandable. However, I do not want
to toss out these women completely from the essay. I want to bring them back in during
this conclusion to make one final point or clarification, for they are the inspiration for
writing this essay in the first place, especially Penelope.
While there may be a lot of revision that needs to take place both with essay one
and essay two, the feedback I have received will assist me immensely in making these
changes. Following the feedback is the best course of action to take if I want to keep
myself organized and working towards the goal of a well rounded and thought through
essay. All of the comments that I have received have made perfect sense in relation to

what I am writing about and I look forward to delving further into these revisions in order
to make my essays even better.
Works Cited
Crider, Scott F. The Office of Assertion. Wilmington: ISI Books, 2005. Print.
Murray, Donald. "The Writing Process." The Maker's Eye: Revising Your Own
Manuscripts. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 58-63. Rpt. in The Writing Process. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N.
pag. Print.

Kaydee Nance
ENGL 371
Advanced COMP
4-28-16
Essay #3
Final Portfolio
Literacy Connection Essay
Before taking this Advanced Composition course, I never once thought about how
I would become critical in my knowledge of the English or Communication Studies
disciplines that I was planning on majoring in. Sure, I may eventually earn a degree in
both of these areas, which would hopefully lead to further education in graduate school,
but that was as far as my thinking went in regards to how I would be becoming literate in
each of these disciplines or the process of becoming literate. The fact that English and
Communications could apply to my way of thinking or learning in other disciplines and
even in life did not necessarily occur to me. My main goal was to be able to learn and
retain enough information that would allow me to be successful in a job position.
Due to the readings and discussions that have been the foundation of this
Advanced Composition course, I have learned that there indeed is more to learning within
a discipline than just earning a degree and passing exams to the point that I would be able
to apply this knowledge in a future career. I subconsciously have realized this fact the
deeper I have gotten into my two majors over the past year, but it didn’t fully and
mentally register with me until I read “What Video Games Have to Teach Us About
Learning and Literacy” by James Paul Gee. Gee explains to us that the way we learn

things, read, and write, is determined by the social group that we interact with and what
they as a group believe and what their social practices may be. The social group that I am
currently immersed in is an academic one, specifically one related to English and
Communication Studies, and this has an affect on my learning process and stages that I
experience in regards to the English and Communications Studies disciplines. “These
groups work through their various social practices, to encourage people to read and think
in certain ways, and not others, about certain sorts of texts and things,” (Gee 2). The way
that I learn the content within my major is not completely due to my own brain function
and thinking process. The social group that I am interacting with mostly, if not
completely, influences this learning.
After reading the work by Gee, I have been able to reflect back, as a student and
as a writer, to where I began in my academic journey and my level of knowledge about
both English and Communication Studies that has grown throughout each stage of
learning. I have moved through the passive, active, and the beginning stages of critical
learning, to where my level of literacy and knowledge is now within this academic social
group in relation to my English and Communication Studies majors in college. These
various levels of literacies have also contributed to my understanding of the role of the
humanities in the world and why they are so important. The humanities are not only
crucial contributors to my success within a job, but also within the social construct of our
basic existence in the world. They are a major influence on the way that I think about and
process information.
In the first and passive stage of learning and literacy in regards to my English
major, I would describe this stage as being encompassed by my enjoyment of reading.

For me, reading was a hobby, reading for the sake of reading more so than reading to
acquire new information. This can include being read to as a child, my mother taking me
to the public library once a week and allowing me to fill up my bag as much as I possibly
could, buying books just because I liked the cover, memorizing basic vocabulary and
story plots, or even being told what to think about a certain book or poem by teachers
without getting to feel the words and make a first impression without any prior
explanation. I was passive during this beginning period of literacy and unaware of the
higher, grander power that English could have on my naïve way of being or thinking. I
was a very malleable student in how I viewed the purpose of books, in the style that I
read them, and what they really meant for me and society as a whole in the grand scheme
of things; which at the time was not that grand. I would read books, poems, or articles
and would interpret them in the way that I felt it was supposed to be interpreted; it was
strictly an emotional process and experience.
The profound connection and realization that I now have with English had not yet
made an appearance and this was largely due to the social group that I was influenced by
at the time. I believe this connects directly with Gee’s explanation of why you can’t
really read anything as you want to, but rather how you were influenced. “Does this mean
you are not “free” to read and think as you like? No- you can always align yourself with
new people and new groups-there is no shortage. But it does mean you cannot read or
think outside of any group whatsoever. There are no “private minds” either,” (Gee 2).
There was no concrete evidence or analytical thinking going on in an attempt to
understand what the author was truly trying to express to me as a reader and as a learner.
During this passive time, my view on literacy, from what little I knew of what this term

meant, was that it defined someone who was able to read and write, and could probably
understand what they are reading; nothing more, nothing less. In the words of Gee, I
viewed those who had literacy as being “print literate” and that was the only form of
literacy (Gee 18. It was not until I took my first COMP course, English course, and
Communications course, Ethnography, that I realized that there was something I had been
missing for the first 18 years of my life in regards to reading, writing, communication,
and the level and meaning of literacy that is involved very deeply with all of these
necessary skills and disciplines.
During my first COMM course, much of the same realizations occurred in regards
to literacy. My assumption of Communications was that in order to become literate in this
discipline, you simply needed to be able to speak in front of others, which was a very
passive way of thinking. I felt that the only active thing you would be doing was the
actual speaking and there was no further action that would be involved. I had to first
dwell within the passive learning position so I could learn what being a Communications
major even meant and what kind of work such majors do. The jargon, terms, and
vocabulary that goes along with this discipline, and the basic ways of speaking and
presenting in front of an audience all were related to the passive stage. I believe that
Communications is definitely a “multimodal” discipline that forces you to work with all
forms of information and find a connections between, often times, extremely different
modes and sources of information. (Gee 14)
This realization spurred me into the active stage of learning that I am still
currently in the majority of the time, save for a few glimmers of critical learning. During
this stage, I am able to completely relate to Gee in his video game realization of a new

way of learning. “Oddly enough, then, confronting what was, for me, a new form of
learning and thinking was both frustration and life-enhancing,” (Gee 6). When I realized
that there was a whole new and untouched realm of learning that I was not privy to, I felt
frustrated and defeated, at ground zero. I had gone my whole life of being sheltered in a
passive learning environment and I felt as if I were behind or was not as smart as I should
be as a current college student. But, this realization was also life enhancing for it almost
came as a relief. A “thank goodness there is more where this came from” attitude quickly
replaced my feelings of frustration and despair.
In regards to literacy in COMP 131, I realized that in order to be literate in
writing, you have to be knowledgeable about the world and society in order to draw
important connections and to take on various stances as a writer in order to be critical of
your own writing when given a prompt. I could no longer count my writing literacy in
regards to a 5-paragraph essay or to how good my punctuation was. I was hit right
between my passive learner’s eyes with what being literate really meant and what I
thought being literate meant did not even come close to this. This change happened most
definitely due to the social group I was in, in regards to writing. I upgraded to the big
leagues and was able to see what really happens when you are writing, researching, and
revising, and how you do each of these aspects in an active way. In college, literacy is
viewed in a different, broader, and more intent way and being literate does not rest solely
on how you can form a sentence, properly place punctuation, or meet a word count. I
began recognizing patterns and specific strategies that I would need to use in both reading
and writing that would prove to be helpful time and time again.

This body of work argues that humans don’t often think best when they attempt to
reason via logic and general abstract principles detached from experience. Rather
they think best when they reason on the basis of patterns they have picked up
through their actual experiences in the world, patterns that, over time can become
generalized but that are still rooted in specific areas of expertise. (Gee 8).
This view has only expanded and intensified in the following writing courses I have taken
during my college career, such as COMP 132, and currently, Advanced Composition.
The way that I viewed reading, previously in a passive state, changed into an
active state when I took my first college-level English course; ENGL 279, American
Literature: The American Dream. Before, when I would read books, I would read them
quickly, not stopping too long to ponder over puzzling words, dialogue, or topics, but
interpreted it in the best way I knew how or in the way that I thought it was intended to
be read. This was most often not in a way that the author intended the book to be read or
thought about, which is the point in understanding and reading a book in the first place. I
had the ignorant notion that literature could mean whatever I wanted it to mean, and that
was the beauty of it. In a sense you can do this, but that is not appreciating literature for
its true intention.
One can know a good deal about a social practice…. without actually being able
to participate in the social practice. But knowing about a social practice always
involves recognizing various distinctive ways of acting, interacting, valuing,
feeling, knowing, and using various objects and technologies that constitute the
social practice. (Gee 15).

I felt as if I knew the social practice of reading, but in reality, it was just from a view
from a non-academic social group and my personal success with reading books that gave
me this jaded way of thinking. During this American Lit course, I realized that reading
goes so much farther than your own interpretation, that in fact, you should never stop at
your own interpretation, for there is always more to be uncovered and understood past
that point. The questions that my professor asked us and the various connections that she
helped us to make as a class made this very clear. I was so appreciative of this push to
think on our own, to make our brains connect with that of the author, and to come up with
our own critical questions. This helped me grow immensely as a student, reader, writer,
learner, and thinker. My brain was firing in ways I never knew were possible in relation
to reading and how this new way of thinking was able to translate to other classes I was
taking. I did not allow my brain to stop where the period did when reading, but to travel
to experiences that I may have had or other things I may have learned in other disciplines
or conversations that would help me to better understand the material that we read in the
course and the point that the author was attempting to make. I began to make connections
between English and the rest of the world, past history, the levels of society, and how
everything links together in unison. For example, in the book “The Street” by Ann Petry,
I was able to see how the characters that were plagued by race, class, and gender related
issues in the 40s-50s, could apply to many issues that are still happening today. Through
the analysis that I was able to do on each character I gained a deeper and more active
understanding of America’s history and the history that many people are still living. It
caused me to become more aware and attentive to my surroundings and my way of
thinking. “Three things, then, are involved in active learning; experiencing the world in

new ways, forming new affiliations, and preparation for future learning,” (Gee 23). I
could feel my thought process being transformed in order to prepare for future
disciplines, no matter what they may be, and the future learning I would need to engage
in, in an active way. However, I knew I was not yet to the critical stage for I was not yet
able to be innovative in a new and unique way on my own.
For learning to be critical as well as active, one additional feature is needed. The
learner needs to learn not only how to understand and produce meanings in a
particular semiotic domain that are recognizable to those affiliated with the
domain, but, in addition, how to think about the domain at the “meta” level as a
complex system of interrelated parts…also needs to learn how to innovate in the
domain…novel and unpredictable. (Gee23).
Currently, my active learning has only increased throughout my courses, both
those directly correlated with my majors and those that are not. I have had a chance to
become critical on certain occasions due to transitional and eye opening courses that I
have taken in college and the natural accumulation of knowledge and skills as I have
progressed through the semesters. I am able to see now that each course that I take,
whether it be English, Theology, or Art, connects to each other and how I am able to
become an active learner within each discipline. I mention other disciplines because I
have experienced directly how different literacies can intertwine and overlap due to this
changed way of thinking I have in regards to literacy. For example, I have been able to
connect specific works of art and their meanings during past centuries, as well as today,
to works of modern literature. This was a really exciting time because I as able to

experience first hand how my knowledge in completely different disciplines could come
together to make a new and abstract point that I was not aware of until that moment.
English professors are notorious for dipping into other fields and thinking that
their ken sketches over the whole intellectual domain. …suffer from an endless
appetite for exploration. They are less condemned to specialization than many
other colleagues in other fields. Delighting in the fact that they always have more
books to read and more ideas to engage, they also seek to reach out to the social
sciences, sciences, and even professional studies… said Guzy ( Honors
Composition: Humanity Beyond the Humanities).
In English, I am able to read the material in a way that does not leave me
satisfied, it raises questions and often times I may need to read the material again, or even
pursue personal research to better understand what it being discussed. I am able to make
connections to modern day works and issues in society, even politics. An example of this
is an article I read regarding one of the presidential candidates whom a hash tag was
created about basically saying if you vote for this person, women will not date you. This
concept was related to, and most likely arose from, the play Lysistrata, where women
withheld sex from their men in order to end the war that was currently going on and to
talk some sense into the community and leaders. The dialogue I am able to have in
regards to the various readings that I may be assigned has increased and has moved to a
very active level, borderline critical at times. It takes practice, just like an other major,
but the benefits of such practice keeps on giving for you only grow in your active and
critical stags of literacy and the skills of being involved in such literacies.

“Courses in the English major are specifically designed to teach higher order
thinking skills, to demand understanding and integration of rich content, to require
proficiency in assimilating and evaluating data, and to strengthen those areas of reflective
intelligence that can be rapidly improved with practice,” said Hiner (The Viability of the
English…). I have become literate in the fact of knowing what English needs in order for
you to truly understand its purpose in the world, even if I have not become completely
literate in English as a discipline yet. I view English as the recording of real events in
history in either a fictional or historical way and these events can be expressed in a
multitude of genres. The authors of each time period were able to observe society and the
social groups that they were a part of and often took inspiration from this to produce
some of the greatest works of all time. Literature is extremely influential not only for us
as readers and critics, and learners and workers, but from author to author as well. The
literature of Ancient Greece for example was to Shakespeare what Shakespeare is for
modern times. All literature and reasons for writing are connected, not always directly,
but there is a thin thread that runs through every word that has been put to a page. But,
even this thread is not all there is in relation to the importance of literature and writing. It
connects even further to the thinking skills we needs as people who are expected to
innovate, deliver, and grow.
While the English major, in particular, often suffers from the perception that it is
not relevant to the needs of the current economy, it consistently fosters classroom
environments demonstrated to produce a distinct skill set consisting of critical
thinking, verbal communication, written communication, and analytical skills that
are highly desired in today’s economy and that have been demonstrated in

numerous research studies to result in job promotion and advancement, said Hiner
(The Viability of the English Major).
That is big reason as to why English matters. Why is British and Irish poetry from the
19th century important to an American student in the 21st century? Knowing where
literature began helps me to think in a more open minded and educated way about events
and literature that arise in the modern times. I draw on this knowledge of the past in order
to think critically and actively about the new information that I acquire.
In her 1999 report From Thinking Skills to Thinking Classrooms, Carol
McGuiness, professor of psychology at Queen’s University, Belfast, identifies
nine core concepts necessary to develop thinking skills in students. Some of these
core concepts include seeing ”learners as active creators of their knowledge and
framework of interpretation”, understanding learning as “searching out meaning
and imposing structure”…. The typical college literature classroom, with its
discursive format, its open interpretation of texts and concepts, and its student-led
discovery, argument, and analysis, consistently reflects ad cultivates all of
McGuinness’s core concepts, said Hiner (The Viability of the English…).
Literature broadens your mind to reach realms and ideas that you never knew were
possible. The world relies heavily on reading and writing because without it we would
have no past, present, future, language, communication, or way of life. The humanities
hold the world in balance and keep it and the minds of those who live within it at a
constant state of active learning, and hopefully, eventually, critical learning. Literature
challenges you and teaches you to both rely on and reject it all at once.

Senior thesis is a perfect example of my potential transitioning out of this active
stage of learning into the beginnings of the critical stage of learning. The critical stage is
one that you are able to challenge the material that you read and write and potentially
create new material based on these findings and ideas. You are able to move closer to the
role of your professors and the academic knowledge and abilities that they posses than
where you previously were as a student in this critical stage. In English I have had a few
glimmers of critical learning that I was able to come across through my own doing and
through the help of the influence of social groups that are in class. An example of critical
learning can be found during an essay that I recently wrote regarding the love letters
between Helen of Troy and Paris. As I was writing, I found myself making connections
and discovering ideas that I never had thought about before and I was able to take a
critical stance as to how the author write these letters the way that he did. I realized this
process and was fascinated at the outcome. “If we want to “break the rules” and read
against the grain of the text, for the purposes of critique, for instance, we have to do so on
different ways, usually with some relatively deep knowledge of how to read such texts
according to the rules,” (Gee 14). I had previous knowledge on Ancient Greek literature
and was taught the basic terms and names of the characters that create the Greek history
and what to look for when reading this text. This allowed me to be more critical in my
way of thinking to the love letters when I had to read about and write about them on my
own. In Communications, I see this as being able to adapt to any situation and to be able
to have an opinion on any issue because you have background knowledge and
experiences from reading and writing.

There are three definite stages to learning that Gee presents us with and I am able
to see these three stages of learning in my own attempts to become literate in multiple
disciplines of learning. These three stages may intermingle with one another over my
time of learning, but the end goal is always to reach the level of meta-knowledge. The
process of learning to reach this stage teaches you how to appreciate the discipline you
are leaning and what place it has in society and social group you may currently reside in.
This is what has happened for me in both English and Communication Studies. I have
learned the place of both of these disciplines in my own life and in the world as a whole.
They do not belong in my life simply because I enjoy and am good at them, but they are
part of the bigger purpose and meaning of the world. The humanities as a whole make me
a more aware, educated, and prepared person in life and in college. They open my heart,
mind, and eyes to topics and stances that I would be ignorant of without the wisdom that
they share. “Therein lies the humanity within the humanities: the kindness, the sympathy,
the compassion; a good person speaking well,” said Guzy (Honors Composition:
Humanity Beyond…) These disciplines hold the answers to the big questions and tell
stories that will live forever. They make me literate. They make me human.

Works Cited
Andrews, Larry. "The Humanities Are Dead! Long Live the Humanities!" Kent State
University (2014): 3-11. Print.
Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Literacy. N.p.: Palgrave
macmillan, n.d. Print.
Guzy, Annmarie. "Honors Composition: Humanity Beyond the Humanities." University
of South Alabama. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 37-42. Print.
Hiner, Amanda. "The Viability of the English Major in the Current Economy." The CEA
Forum (2012): 20-52. Print.

Kaydee Nance
Dr. Gonzales
ENGL 371
4-28-16
Essay #4
Final Portfolio
“This I Believe” Essay
Ahh, literacy, I have found myself to be in a committed relationship with you and
it looks like moving on from our time together once this semester ends is just not an
option. You have taught me how to become a better person and you have increased my
knowledge in various disciplines and ways of life that I never knew existed, as a good
significant other should. You have built me up in knowledge and confidence, rather than
tear me down with rules and dead ended definitions. You were able to help me get past
my fear of commitment with the abstract side of yourself that extends beyond reading and
writing, and you have become a meaningful and important aspect of my life and college
career that I can no longer live without, for my eyes have been opened and there is no
return to my past of literary naivety and ignorance.
Yes, I just compared my growth with and through literacy in this Advanced
Composition course with a human relationship. But in reality, this is a very real
connection that has been made between the true definition and meaning of literacy and
my understanding of these aspects in both my writing, and in the bigger picture of life.
My relationship with literacy has progressed from awkward, unknowing glances, to a
sincere and reliable commitment that I believe in whole heartedly, due to the diverse and

connected nature that this concept offers to those who learn from it and puts its tactics
into action. Literacy requires growth from those who choose to learn more about what
this term entails and what it expects from you as a forever learner and as a person, myself
included. Throughout this Advanced Composition course, I have been able to track my
growth within literacy and my understanding of what literacy really means in relation to
me as a student, and as a person, who soon has to enter into the real world of innumerable
literacies that I undoubtedly will be coming into contact with. This is, most definitely,
something I believe.
This current connection and understanding of literacy has not always been the
case for me, even though I truly wish it were, for like any good relationship, it is life
changing. When I first started this Advanced Composition course, I was still stuck in the
mindset of literacy being solely having the ability to read and write, nothing more, and
nothing less. This ignorant mindset I had begun to transform during the first reading of
this course and this more philosophical approach to literacy was introduced. The reading
included “The Basics of Good Writing in Any Form”, “Getting Started”, “Shitty First
Drafts”, “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics”, and “Introduction and What is
Literacy?”. I began to see the light in the dark and mysterious world of writing, rhetoric,
and this word called literacy that everyone seemed to know the importance of, but me.
My first journal in correlation with this reading shows my surprise, confusion, and relief
towards the content in these readings as I realized that I did not know even a fraction of
what literacy meant and how it should and can play a very important role in my life
further than academics are concerned. The myths and rules of writing began to be broken

and replaced with new, updated information that would soon pave the way for an even
deeper understanding of literacy.
It was during this first journal that I realized one of the biggest and most
important points about literacy, that “Literacy should be focused on social practices”,
(Journal 1, 19 Jan 2016). I came to terms that these social practices and groups were
actually the influences that expanded my language and literacy, not a teacher. I no longer
had to depend solely on a teacher or professor to teach me all I needed to know about my
chosen discipline or literacy. They were to act more as a guide, to take me down the well
worn paths, but it was up to me to take in information from all other outlets of learning,
no matter where they arose. This understanding also broadened with the newfound
definition of discourse that I noted in Journal 1, “Ways of being in the world, forms or
life which integrate words, a sort of identity kit” (Gee, Journal 1). It was surprising that
there were multiple steps into becoming literate and acquiring various and ever-changing
discourses were one of these steps. I now was able to see literacy for the academic and
lifelong, never stagnant journey that it truly is, rather than a one-time skill that we all
learn in grade school. In one of my early journals, a response to the quote by Gee
“Discourses are resistant to internal criticism and self-scrutiny” sums up where I was at
the beginning of the journey quite perfectly; “When we feel as if we have mastered
something, we do not like to examine ourselves in that regard in case we see any flaws.
We like to master and move on” (Journal 1, 21 Jan 2016). This is exactly what I had done
with my understanding of literacy in the past. I felt as if literacy was an object that I
could take and fit into my academic life and I would no longer need to pay any attention
to it; it was not something that I realized you have to continuously and consciously grow.

When writing that journal I was preparing to master writing the journal about the topic of
literacy so I could get credit and move on to the next topic, little did I know that literacy
would be following me all the way until the end.
In regards to my first essay regarding academic literacy, I was writing more for
my audience and the grade I hoped to receive, rather than to find the true understanding
of what academic literacy was in regards to my past and present writing, which reflected
my premature notions of what literacy was. I was timid in my exploration of literacy and
was hesitant in seeing how literacy affected me in the grand scheme of things, rather in
just writing that essay, for that meant I could potentially see flaws in my way of thinking
and the writing that I produced. A comment given by Dr. Gonzalez on the first draft of
the first essay suggests the point where I got stuck in my exploration and understanding
of literacy during this beginning stage of the course. “So the question is, what would have
to happen now? What would you personally have to do to undo all of this? What would
you have to let go of, and is it possible to do that, or does the system prevent you from
doing so?” (Nance, Essay 1, Draft 1). I do not think it is the system, so much as my
reluctance to accept this new understanding of what literacy really meant as I have come
to know it. I did not want to be literacy, but rather I wanted to do what literacy required
of me in a step-by-step sequence. This goes back to how I was allowed and taught to
write previous to college and this mindset is still causing reluctant in a more malleable
and philosophical way of writing that literacy provides. In this first essay, I was more or
less just repeating what I had learned about literacy in relation to my past experience with
academic writing, rather than actually taking the next step and applying literacy to my
past and present writings and feeling my way through how it called me to be as a student,

writer, and learner. I was focusing very literally on the concept, rather than moving into a
more abstract way of thinking that connects literacy to life as a whole.
This brings me to where I am now in this course and the changes that have
occurred within my understanding of literacy and how it applies now to my college
career, my life, and in an even broader sense, in my way of being, not just thinking. In
my second journal of this course, based off of the article by Rodriguez, I received
feedback from Dr. Gonzalez that already showed signs of a transformation in the works.
“I’m glad Rodriguez’s experiences resonated with you and made you think about your
own responses to your education. Lots of good material for that final essay here,”
(Journal 2, 2 Feb 2016) This comment shows me that I had begun to think more critically
about more topics that were able to fall within this newfound meaning of literacy and that
I was realizing that I could be within literacy, not just use it as a tool to think in different
ways. From Penelope in the Odyssey in Essay 2, to my experience as an English major in
Essay 3, I have grown with each prompt, with the help of the readings, journals, and
feedback, to help me slowly grow in my understanding of how literacy is something that
you grow into for the rest of your life as a learner and as someone who is working
towards mastering a discipline. Literacy is really a process of learning in which you
cannot only be passive in regards to what you learn about, but you also need to reach a
place to where you are able to become critical of this literacy and apply this knowledge
you have acquired. This is completely different from the literacy I once knew that just
meant I knew how to read and write and that is where the literacy process stopped.
In journal number nine, I wrote down a quote from the reading Learning to Read
Biology, that really resonated with me in regards to this critical aspect of literacy that I

am presently still coming to understanding in regards to my own writing. “Be critical of
everything you find delightful. Just because you admire it, does not mean that it cannot
use some critique. You must become your own reader. Begin passionately and end
critically,” (Journal 9, 24 March 2016). When reading back through this quote, I realize
that I have slowly made progress from being solely passionate in my understanding of
literacy and writing, and have moved more towards the necessary critical stance. For
example, I no longer view poetry as just flowery and beautiful, I have learned to curb my
passions if you will, while reading poetry, in order to broaden my examination of it in a
more critical way to make connections, for I know that is what true literacy encompasses,
and not just passion. One of my responses to the reading in Journal nine exemplifies this
transition in literacy from passion, to a more critical point of view.
The more you learn, the more you see how everything is connected. Literature,
society, the past, present, art. You can see the patters that people make in their writing
over the years and this is where literacy comes in. You may read am interstitial fiction
short story one class and are able to connect it to a piece of art you learn about in another.
This to me is literacy. To be able to understand various subjects well enough to draw
connections and catch on to patterns. (Journal 9, 24 March 2016).
This particular transformation is important because it has moved me out of the
beginner to the intermediate stage in my learning process and understanding of literacy. It
has helped me to realize that literacy is being able to appreciate the passion, but to be able
to put aside those passions in order to be critical of the material you are examining in
order to further progress in your literacy journey. This is a big point that I am leaning
currently as someone who understands what literacy means. This separation of passionate

and critical thinking is required not only in college, but in any discipline or career you
embark on in life. I think this is also what it means for me as an English major, and I
think I missed this point in Essay 3. A comment that Dr. Gonzalez included in the second
round of feedback shows this. “Studying literature isn’t just about learning and the past or
others. It involves learning how to think about stories and people in particular ways,”
(Nance, Essay #3, Draft 2, 4 Mar 2016). I became too caught up in the beauty, fun, and
usefulness of literature, but did not I did not expand further into more critical ways of
thinking that shows how literature applies directly to life and how we think.
As an English major, it is really easy to stay caught up in the beginning stage of
literacy when you are learning the ground rules and are overwhelmed by the beauty of
literature. But, to make the journey to understand literacy, this transformation into
criticizing your passions must take place. This is what I struggle with the most in regards
to literacy and I think this has shown in each essay that I have written in this course. I
stay stuck in the literal translations and past connections, rather than connecting ideas and
conjectures to my own life and to the lives of others. I believe that everyone should view
literacy in this way and would benefit in all areas of life and learning because of it. For
literacy is a skill that you need in order to connect with all aspects of life. It is like
revision. Nobody likes it, but once you understand its true purpose and the benefit that
goes along with it, you learn to love it and lean on it heavily to assist you in more ways
than you thought possible.
I believe this understanding of literacy and the distinction I have made between
the passionate and critical spectrums of it, is something I will hold on to in my writing,
during the courses I take throughout college, and also during my future experiences with

literacy. In order to become literate in anything, you first have to understand what literacy
means. For most, like myself, this realization and transformation within literacy does not
happen when you first learn what this term may mean. I am not sure I would have ever
learned the importance, significance, or “real” understanding of what literacy means if I
had never taken this Advanced Composition course. It is not a topic that students or
teachers give much thought due to the common misconception that literacy is only being
able to read and write. I believe that once you learn the truth, your opportunities are
endless in regards to what you want to become literate in, for your truly can become
literate in anything. It is a freeing and liberating experience that I have been waiting for. I
am no longer crammed in this box of regulations in regards to my passions or interests;
there is a significant process that I can follow in order to become literate in all of my
passions, I do not have to choose just one. I believe this is how literacy applies to and
influences life in general. Literacy is liberation, literacy is transformation, and literacy is
what I believe.

Works Cited
Gee, James. "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction and What is Literacy?"
Journal: n. pag. Rpt. in NA. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Nance, Kaydee. "Essay 1, 2, and 3." 19 Jan. 2016. File last modified on 28 Apr. 2016.
Digital file.
- - -. "Journal 1, 2, 3, and 9." 19 Jan. 2016. File last modified on 28 Apr. 2016. Digital
file.

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