Author: Shaan

Reflection Letter

Enrolling in this class has surpassed my expectations for a first-year writing class at Emory University. I first thought enrolling in this class would just mean this was a class just to get my freshman credits out of the way, but throughout the semester, this turned into one of my favorite classes and one that I looked forward to throughout the semester. The various projects, sketch assignments, papers, and other work did not seem like a “burden” to complete; instead, I enjoyed the work, as it acted like a breath of fresh air and a stress reliever from the tension of my other classes this semester. I also feel that, in a way, this class helped me break through the box of high school and middle school writing skills and helped me evolve into a better writer, which also helped my performance in other classes this semester.  I learned to think critically and develop a more creative approach to my writing. I also better understood the importance of writing and how it can be used to convey complex ideas. The supportive and engaging atmosphere of the instructor and fellow students significantly contributed to my positive experience. Collaboration and paper interaction throughout the class improved my writing skills and created a sense of camaraderie that enhanced learning. Overall, this class has been a stepping stone for my academic journey, providing me with new writing skills I will use throughout my academic career.

The first “significant” assignment we had was the literacy narrative, and its three parts helped enhance my writing and helped me analyze the type of reader and writer I am and why I am this way. This was unlike any assignment I ever had to perform in high school because it helped me find the root cause of my reading choices and writing techniques. For example, “I discovered that my mom reading me and my twin brother’s bedtime stories while we were in elementary school contributed a lot to my love interest in fantasy during quarantine,” demonstrating how this helped me understand how my past experiences shaped my reading preferences, and how this experience was eye-opening and has changed the way I think about my reading habits. In addition, I also analyzed that my writing interest and ability come from writing about myself because I believed that I had a “different” upbringing because I was one of the few Indian students in my high school. Still, when I got to Emory, I had to rethink my writing interest because many students here share the same upbringing experiences as I did. Another significant part of this assignment was turning my essay into a comic. The main difficulty or difference of creating my literacy narrative in comic strip form was that I had only to include the “important” parts of my essay in the comic, as I felt like I had more limited space to work with. Overall, this was a great experience because it taught me to think critically, condense my essay, and let the figures and pictures in my comic do most of the storytelling.  The third part of this assignment was the revisions part of the first part of the essay. The main changes I made were making sure my essay did not have a “happy ending,” I did not have to discover a liking for reading magically, and I did not have to act like reading was now one of my favorite hobbies and passions. In my conclusion, I could just be true to myself; I broke free from a formulaic resolution and encouraged a broader understanding that personal growth can be unique and different. 

Another essential skill I learned throughout this semester was analyzing text better, looking at the methods the author uses to express their narrative or viewpoint, and what each page and drawing does for the author’s argument. The primary assignment that honed my skills was the tracing pages assignment, in which we took a closer look at the pages from Spinning and Stitches. We analyzed the rhetorical situation of these texts; we discussed the intended audience, the message, and the impact of the text. We also discussed how the texts were structured and presented. Finally, we discussed how these elements worked together to create a successful text. This assignment was a lot different from any other assignment I did in high school, given that it was a comic. I was able to redraw the pages from the text and analyze the comic panels closer, looking at the overall structure of the page, the types of panels that the author used, the facial structures, the objects the author chose to draw,  and why the author decided to take up space on the way page the way they did. I learned a lot about the comic book language and the author’s purpose through this assignment, as both the authors of these novels used minimal text and made more use of drawings and expressions to develop the mood and argument. 

Furthermore, this class, as a whole, was a lot different than any other class I have taken so far and that I will probably take here at Emory. It completely changed my viewpoint on comics, as initially, I thought comics were a bottom-tier way to express stories and emotion; I felt that they were meant for children telling stories about superheroes and saving the world from ending. I saw comics more as a light-hearted genre and dismissed them as “fun reads.” However, this semester completely changed my viewpoint on this comic genre and the fact that they can be used. I discovered that comics are a powerful tool for converting characters’ emotions and serve as a great way to enhance character development. In addition, through this class, I have also discovered the diverse range of styles and genres within the world of comics, transforming my stereotypical view of comics as superhero narratives. Novels of this genre can captivate me by portraying historical events, challenging childhood memories, societal issues, and various other profound subjects. 

Lastly, the sketch assignments we did in this class were also unique and helped me develop as a writer, and some of these sketches helped me in other courses. For example, I still use the tactics of the visual note-taking assignment in the topics I am struggling with for other classes. In addition, these sketches taught me a lot of critical thinking skills as well; when creating the triptych, we had to create a beginning, middle, and end in only three panels, meaning we had to create a brief story, making the problematic part limiting myself to only using this space and not going into too much depth for each part of the story. Similarly, for the quadriptych, we had to create a story using only four panels, which, in my opinion, required more critical thinking skills because we had to add another panel and make it so this panel has a use in the story, and was not just thrown in to elongate the beginning, middle, or end. 

Most of the sketch assignments were also very enjoyable, such as when we had to recreate a scene from our favorite movie, where I chose to do a Darth Maul scene from Star Wars. This assignment brought back a lot of nostalgia from my elementary school years when the Star Wars series was one of my favorite movie series, and it was fun to recreate a scene from my favorite characters in Star Wars. Another famous sketch was the Data Viz assignment because it was interesting to change a small part of my life to see if it affected my productivity. I study best by listening to Hindi music.  

The last major part of the class that helped develop my writing and reading skills was the Halfa Kucha presentation. This presentation was just an alternative to writing an essay, in which we had to create a 10-slide, 20-second per-slide presentation, demonstrating how the pieces we read this semester show trauma and healing. Providing a compelling and concise argument for the time constraints was challenging. Still, overall, it was a good learning experience that taught me the importance of being straightforward and efficient with my writing and helped me with my

Public speaking skills. 

In addition, throughout this class, I was also taught many technological skills, including creating our website, photo editing skills, and image and text citations.  These skills were invaluable, and I am confident that I will use them in the future. Understanding how websites work and being able to navigate content management systems contributes to overall tech literacy. This is increasingly important in a world where technology plays a significant role in personal and professional life. 

In conclusion, my first-year writing class at Emory University has been a transformative journey, surpassing the initial expectations of a mere freshman credit requirement. The diverse projects, from the revealing Literacy Narrative to the insightful tracing pages assignment, propelled me to think critically, break free from high school writing constraints, and approach writing with newfound creativity. The class revolutionized my perception of comics, demonstrating their emotional depth and ability to address profound subjects. The sketch assignments, such as visual note-taking and the triptych, honed my critical thinking skills, providing practical tools for other courses. 

Image Credits

Icebery Image: Antonio Damasio, https://www.the-scientist.com/reading-frames/opinion-being-feeling-and-knowing-our-path-to-consciousness-69306

Darth Maul Image: Shaan Jani, https://shaanjaniengrd.wordpress.com/2023/11/05/darth-maul-scene/

Public Speaking Image: Iyla Somin

Link to class website

This assignment was a lot different than any other one I have done at Emory so far and throughout my high school career. This process was not more difficult than writing an essay, but it was different. For example, I knew I only had 20 seconds to get my argument across, so I could not be as descriptive as I wanted when writing an essay; I had to ensure I didn’t leave any essential parts out during those 20 seconds. I had to be clear and concise in my argument, while still ensuring it was persuasive. Providing my argument was compelling and concise enough for the time constraints was challenging. Overall, it was a good learning experience that taught me the importance of being mindful of time constraints when speaking. I also decided to use three books we read the semester because I did not want to make my argument sound repetitive by just using two books, which would cause me to “waste” time on my slides—conveying an argument I had already previously stated. 

The organization part of the presentation was already laid out for me, as I had 20 seconds to decide what information I wanted to convey to my audience. This assignment reminded me of the comic we had to make for our literacy narrative. Going from writing an essay to writing a comic meant that I had to be more concise in my argument and pick the more “important” parts of my argument, and I could not be as descriptive as my essay.  Similarly, in this project, I could not write down every thought and argument that came to my mind about trauma and healing through the book we have read this semester, I had to pick out the more critical parts of my argument and make sure I was being practical at the same time as well. 

For the visual part of my presentation, I decided to include pictures of the argument I was describing. The argument and the picture on the slide went hand in hand so the audience could follow my argument much better.  The slide was clear and concise, and it provided a visual representation of the points I was making. This allowed the audience to stay focused and engaged throughout the presentation. I enjoyed this type of presentation more because it enabled me to keep on track with my argument, not get too repetitive, and stray into another topic.  It also allowed me to emphasize the most critical points of my argument. Furthermore, it allowed me to provide the audience with a better understanding of my message. After watching my peers presentations I would change my to have more images from the text of the books that I analyzed, rather than finding most of my images from the web. I also liked how some of the presentation focused on one or two characters development throughout their presentation, while mine analyzed the book as a whole.

Link to presentation

Reading was not a prominent pastime during my childhood, often taking a backseat to more exciting activities. I was never the type of child to establish a daily reading routine, participate in school book clubs, or set yearly book-reading goals. Instead, my formative years were primarily devoted to sports, outdoor adventures, academics, TV shows, and socializing with friends and family, leaving little room for reading. The only instances where I would engage with books were when they were required for school or when reading religious texts for temple rituals. I admit I didn’t find reading enjoyable; I always believed there were more entertaining activities I could be doing.

However, everything changed when quarantine hit in the spring of 2020. Having exhausted all my other entertainment options, like YouTube videos and Netflix shows, I decided to give reading another chance. To my surprise, I discovered a genre I truly enjoyed: narrative and fantasy. During quarantine, I finished about 6-8 books in this genre, a testament to the sheer boredom I was experiencing. But beyond merely passing the time, I genuinely cherished this period of my life where reading played a significant role, filling the gaps in my day. My interest in short stories and fantasy can be traced back to a cherished childhood experience: bedtime stories.

I vividly recall a cold December night, with snow falling outside during the 4th-grade winter break. My twin brother and I were playfully engaged in a pillow fight and mini-hoop basketball, eagerly anticipating our mother’s arrival to tuck us into bed with enchanting short stories. Restless at 9:30 p.m., we couldn’t imagine falling asleep within the next 30 minutes. However, when our mother finally entered the room, she turned off the ceiling lights, leaving only a tiny nightlight and the warmth of a portable heater to illuminate our shared space. As the lights dimmed, my brother and I fell silent, transitioning from restlessness to rapt attention to the stories our mother was about to weave. Nestled under our blankets by the heater, we eagerly absorbed the tales of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Good Night Moon, Jack and the Beanstalk, and more. Despite hearing these stories countless times, each felt like a unique and magical experience. We were fast asleep within minutes, eagerly anticipating the same enchanting experience the following night.

Throughout elementary school, my mother’s nightly storytelling sessions introduced me to fantasy literature. These early encounters with heroic adventures and imaginative tales laid the foundation for my later interest in the genre. During quarantine, my reading preferences aligned with those childhood stories of action-packed narratives featuring heroes conquering evil. This inclination led me to books such as “The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes,” “The Alchemist,” “Treasure Island,” “The Siren Depths,” and more.

The way I approach writing is closely tied to my reading journey. I have often drawn from my unique heritage and upbringing, thanks to my status as a second-generation Indian. My experiences growing up in a culture distinct from my American peers provided a wealth of material for my writing. From Hinduism and vegetarianism to Indian foods and holidays, my daily life was distinctly diverse, making it a natural and compelling topic to explore in my writing.

Additionally, having a twin brother, a rare and exciting experience, offered another rich source for my writing. This aspect of my life is further connected to my heritage and upbringing, highlighting the stark differences between my experiences and those of my friends and peers.

This writing approach extended to my Common App essay, which revolved around my experiences as a twin. While many of my peers agonized over choosing unique and compelling topics for their college application essays, I had no such struggles. I settled on “Growing up with a Twin Brother” almost immediately after the essay prompts were released. I even completed a rough draft before others could decide on a suitable topic. My teacher’s approval of my essay topic only added to its appeal to the admissions committee.

In conclusion, my journey with reading has been unique and evolving. Throughout childhood, I never considered reading a significant part of my life, often prioritizing other activities and interests over books. However, the unexpected circumstances of the spring of 2020, notably the boredom from quarantine, prompted me to revisit reading. In retrospect, my reading journey and my writing experiences have been intertwined with my early exposure to bedtime stories and my distinctive upbringing. These elements have shaped how I engage with literature and writing, making them hobbies and essential aspects of my identity and self-expression.

Reflection Post

The literacy narrative as a whole has helped me reach a lot of the leaning outcomes of the class especially “practicing the writing as a process, recursively implementing strategies of research, drafting, revision, editing, and reflection.” Revising my initial draft of the narrative helped me use more powerful language to help get my point out in a more appealing manner, and helped me edit my essay where it was rushed as well. In addition, the revision process helped me correct my ending, making sure that i was honest with myself, and not having a happy ending to my reading experiences. I just through that transition back to the written narrative made me describe each part of my narrative has more detail than compared with my comic, and there was more freedom for me to write, as I was not limited to the picking and choosing the more “important” parts of my narrative like I did for the comic. I do not see the story any different through the revisions and comic book process, but I did find that I believe that some reading moments were more “profound” in my development compared to others.

Link to playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/gym-time/pl.u-e98lGL5TzgKzBX4

Reflection:

The playlist I chose to make involves going to the gym. I just started going to the gym regularly when I got to college, and I enjoy it, but it is challenging to get into the gym mindset and maintain high amounts of energy at the gym as well. So, I made a playlist to help me conserve energy and remain in a good mood throughout the gym session and to make me push myself to fail every set that I do. A slight twist that I made in the playlist is that each song has to contain only two artists, which means no solo songs and no songs with any bands. I did this because I like to go to the gym with one “gym partner,” so I made the songs I picked have only two artists. In addition, I also enjoy listening to different types of music, so I made sure to make the playlist reflect my musical taste as a whole and not only stick to one genre. But the order which I made the songs did not have much of an influence, as most of the time i am in the gym, I don’t have a set order of music which I am going to listen do, instead usually just shuffle the songs in the playlist, hence the oder of the songs not playing too much of a role.

The main difficulty or difference of creating my literacy narrative in comic strip form was that I had only to include the “important” parts of my essay in the comic, as I felt like I had more limited space to work with. Also, I believe that my literacy narrative essay was a lot more descriptive than my comic because I feel like I can go into more depth with my writing skills compared to my artistic/comic-making skills. I believe I was just now as descriptive with my journey of reading and writing, and I think my journey with these skills is better portrayed in my essay. I chose to do my comic in the more traditional paper and pencil way because I felt I could express more of myself using this method. The pictures I chose and how I expressed my character’s dialogue would have been much simpler with the paper and pencil method. If I had the time, I would hire an illustrator for my comic because my drawing skills are minimal, and the illustrator would better understand the point I’m trying to prove and how to keep my audience more engaged. 

Comic Link