Final Writer's Memo: 

When I first signed up for an English class at the University of Washington I did not know what to expect. In high school there were many times when writing felt like continuous rambling until you hit a specific word limit. After ENGL 131 my conceptions of writing is completely altered. The course structure was very interesting to me and seemed more applicable and relevant to aspects of my life. I thoroughly enjoyed critically analyzing works of humor that commented on serious issues. The day we listened to Tig Nataro's stand up comedy, I realized how powerful comedy can be. She implemented so many strategies as a stand up comedian such as, audience awareness to diction, in order to take a series of tragic events in her life (cancer, death in the family, break up) and turn it into a piece of comedy. I was awed at her ability to effectively connect and communicate her ideas across to an audience.

This class gave provided me with opportunities to acquire skills and strategies in writing so that I too, can connect to my audience and persuasively argue my claim to a targeted audience. The four outcomes in this portfolio demonstrate my mastery of important skills in writing. I have added to my writing "Pokedex" a heightened awareness for different writing strategies, a increased accuracy in critical readings of text, and improved my ability to generate and revise a complex claim. 

Outcome 4 particular stands out to me when I reflect on the growth and experiences I had as a writer in this class. In the past I had never written any paper that talked included a high/medium stake claim. In doing so for preparation for Major Paper 2, I realized I did not know much about how to incorporate sources smoothly. But after countless revisions I truly began to get a grasp. I learned to quicken my skills of analysis and pull out key evidence that I know will help drive my point home. It also taught me to questions the decisions I make as a writer and ask myself, "Is there any other way I could say this?" Because I found out, that sometimes making just a slight change, impacts the paper greatly and  connects deeply with the audience. Writing Major Paper 2 pushed myself as a writer because not only did it require me to revise, and edit. But it took all the skills I had learned from previous papers written and use them. Especially tools of analysis, proof reading, and writer's awareness. These tools helped me select sources, analyze if a source was worth using, and also implementing different strategies as a writer such as anecdotes or diction to help support my claims. 

Overall, I am grateful to have taken ENGL 131 because not only did it equip me with a new skill set to help me better communicate through writing, it also taught me ways I can apply these skills to a context outside the class. I appreciate the way Safiya Karmy-Jone's structured her class because it highlighted interesting issues such as race, equality, and fairness through a comedic lens all while teaching students essential writing skills.