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Marisa McKay Presnell Eng 1102 April 29th, 2014 Final Reflection

As I approached my inquiry project, I wasnt sure how it would compare to other research papers Ive written in high school and even middle school. Ive never been able to choose my subject, which was so surprising to me. Well, I was able to choose euthanasia of animals for AP English during my junior year of high school, but my research turned out to be depressing and it had to be argumentative. Im not proud of my prior research papers. But this inquiry...Im extremely happy with how it turned out. I feel that I actually made a difference in the way that our class thinks about Hawaii and hula dancing. I was looking to break some of the Hollywood Hula stereotypes, and I think that I succeeded. What really helped a lot is that I felt like I could actually insert my personal voice into the project. Hawaii is part of my heritage as is hula dancing, so to write this inquiry in third person would have been torture. I know I breathed a sigh of relief when Barbara told us this research paper would be completely different. I have to admit, though, it was really difficult at first to let myself express my true thoughts on the matter; I think my tone in the inquiry definitely has a little anger built in. Im thankful that we were introduced to this kind o f writing, because its strengthened my inner voice. My dad even commented that it sounded like I

copied the paper from a published novel, which really boosted my confidence (after I got over being offended that he thought I would plagiarize). On the researching side of the inquiry, my mind has been blown. Not only could I include my own thoughts and opinions, but I could use prior experiences and personal anecdotes! I can honestly say Ive never enjoyed researching as much as I did for this project. I kept my one book sources for another three weeks after I was done just read more about Hawaiian history and culture. For past research papers, Google was my first stop. But then again, in high school, we didnt have the library resources we have now. I probably had a total of 8 or 10 databases to choose from in my high school library; none of those would have had the content on hula dancing that I easily found through Atkins online resources. I even found video clips that were educational and informative, which is something Ive never found other than through Youtube (which can be treacherous). In short, the researching for this inquiry has opened my mind about researching in general; it has made me thankful this obligatory English class, and I have learned more about my ancestry and my writing capabilities because of it. Although my inquiry is not directly related to my letter in that dogs and hula dancing are not really connected, they are connected to my personal journey through life. Although my boyfriend did not accept my request to adopt a dog, I learned that maybe I was trying to convince myself of the impossible. Through my inquiry, I discovered so much about hula dancing: the different styles, costumes, and stereotypes, and my research renewed my interest on the subject. My heart is set on finding a hulau (hula dance company) here in Charlotte, and starting to take lessons again. In a way, my letter and my inquiry both bettered my life,

because they both directly relate in one way or another. They both have helped better my writing while also teaching me many things about myself. I dont think that my writing style itself has changed that much this semester. I say that, because I struggle to keep the number of clauses in my sentences to a maximum of three. I am still going to write above the minimum number of pages for every writing assignment; thats just the way I write. But I will say that I think this class strengthened my writing as a whole. In past years, Ive found it difficult to get my informal first person voice to come through in papers, mainly because it simply wasnt allowed. The laid-back nature of our English has made me realize that I can write things for class, but I can better myself through them. The letter allowed me to express my true feelings about adopting a dog, even though the outcome may not have been the one I wanted. But I learned, and I truly expressed my feelings in a grown-up way. I think the pre-writing steps, such as speed dating really helped my inquiry project as well. I was surprised at how well I knew some of my sources, and how little I knew about others. Also, the talking EWC was a new thing for me as well, and I loved it! I think being familiar with your sources is key to having a good research paper. Group work was probably my favorite part of our English class, because my group was so insightful. We were all familiar with each other by the inquiry project, so our comments became more critical while still constructive. I think discussing each persons paper in detail was key, because I got to see their first reactions to my subject and how their ideas on it were altered as they read through it. However, some of my group members werent completely finished with their drafts on the day we discussed, so that may have hindered the level of help

the other members were able to provide them. I think we could have utilized Google Docs even more than we did for the inquiry. Even though, this will most likely be the first, last, and only English class of my college career, Im not overjoyed that its coming to a close. I have really enjoyed getting to the know the people in our class, and of course, our teacher. Seeing other peoples writing styles and how theyve grown has in turn helped my writing grow. I would describe myself as a thorough writer, someone who knows what they want to say, and is able to elaborate (sometimes too much) on her opinion. I can only see my writing growing from here. Its not like Ill just stop writing after this class. Ive graduated to the 3000 level of Spanish here at UNCC, and Ive begun writing essays completely in Spanish, which is new for me. The challenge will be to push my personal rhetoric through in my writing in all different languages. I hope to continue whether its for other classes, resumes, or possibly for a company after I graduate. Im thankful for all this class and Barbara have taught me about writing and life in general.