Murray 1

Owen Murray
Instructor Haak
English 1510
3 May 2019
Open Your Mind

This class provided many opportunities for individuals to obtain a different thought
process. Through class readings, discussion boards, and interactive conversations with both peers
and our instructor we were able to diagnose a situation from several different perspectives.
Personally, I struggled with being narrow minded when it came to issues that were more
important to me. I would remain stubborn and would not allow for other opinions to sway my
own, believing that it enabled me to be stronger when having an argument. As we moved farther
into the semester, I began to understand that developing an argument and creating a solution to a
problem is most effective when seeing it from every perspective possible. I allowed myself to
give up ground when interacting with others in order to understand where they were coming
from and finding common ground in both of our points. This class helped me sharpen a skill set
that I will use for the rest of my life, both inside and outside of my desired profession of being an
attorney.

As I look more and more into what being an attorney entails, I am beginning to
understand that I will have to be very open-minded when it comes to working with several
clients at the same time all from different walks of life. This classroom allowed me to work
closely with several individuals who had far different views on world issues or certain topics
than I, but it allowed me to gain respect and be further educated due to the vast amount of
knowledge that these individuals had to offer. I am beginning to believe that we miss many
critical lessons due to being stubborn and arguing our point while not really hearing what others
have to say. Every week we were able to interact with one another and grow, and it completely
changed the way I carry myself while conducting serious conversations with others. Much of this
is due to the fact that our instructor had a very well-planned way of getting us to interact, and
even the nerve-racking peer review sessions were bountiful and invaluable. Our work was
bettered by the minds of our peers, and we were together to achieve success.

An aspect of the class that I experienced which I believed to be surprising was that I had
not reached my potential when it came to being a writer. I have learned how to make my essay
flow, and include ideas form several different areas but have them all linked through common
themes. As stated previously, I was a very narrow-minded individual who would harp on one
point and it would seem to drag all throughout my paper. Through the assignments of this course
and their variety, I have grown exponentially as a writer and an academic. I have a new-found
confidence when it comes to my writing style and the subjects that I have chosen to write about.
This mindset would not have been possible if it wasn’t for going through this English class with
Sarah Haak as my guide! This class has inspired me to continue with more English courses,
which had been in the back of my mind due to a lack of great experiences with the subject in the
past. I can now confidently say that my passion for reading, analyzing, and writing is back again.