I have finally finished making my own website which focused on my work that spanned

approximately one semester. The thought of having my own website centered on me always did

seem very intriguing, and I must say that enrolling in this class made my dream come true. This

website, in some ways, helped me discover aspects of my personality as a whole which I never

ever discovered in high school.

Whenever I look back at the first essay I wrote, I am always amused given how mediocre

my writing was back then. The vocabulary was akin to that of a middle schooler’s, and there was

no connection between any of the sentences I wrote. After four months of extensive writing, I

must say that I have seen a dramatic amount of improvement in my writing now.

The various assignments you assigned us to write on, had played a major part in

improving my writing. Examples of such skills I developed, were basically investigative and

analytical skills. I also did learn how to detect fallacies in writing as well as several speeches of

eminent personalities such as our very own President Donald Trump through the clear use of

newly acquired skills related to logical thinking and analysis.

The ten Studios that were assigned in class, were basically related to analysis of various

pictures, and it was these respective studios that played a crucial role in enhancing my analytical

skills. The studios, which usually took approximately an hour to get them done, basically served

as quizzes - which were surprisingly absent in this class -, and in some ways, besides trying to

test my memory and my power to retain whatever I learned in this class, also challenged me to

think as well as write harder. I used to struggle with describing what was exactly in a single

piece of art, but then as soon as I got exposed to various forms of art over the semester, I learned
how to deeply scrutinize every small aspect of art, especially the birds in a portrait. This, besides

making me more tuned artistically, also helped me form analyses that required a certain amount

of deep thinking which also required a certain amount of mental stamina. An example of such an

activity is the studio that required me to search for several library databases online. Now, this

does seem like a menial task when first reading snippets of the description, however, for an

impatient person like me, this was indeed quite a herculean task, given how deep into the

database I had to go, just to search for a single valuable source of information that would help

me with my inquiry project. Nevertheless, these studios really challenged me and opened several

areas in my brain I never bothered to use back in high school.

The three major writing assignments that were assigned in class, had somewhat improved

my creative skills. Looking back, I had never ever imagined myself being able to write pages of

work that would probably be considered exceptional, especially after analyzing most of my

previous works in grade school. However, I must say that I had a tough time writing the first

assigned essay, given the absurdity of the topic. I struggled to write a clear essay on my least

favorite teacher given that I could not take the topic seriously. The last two assigned essays, were

however in a different level, primarily due to the intriguing nature of the topics. People used to

lie either playfully or deliberately to me, and I would easily get led on for majority of the time.

However, Assignment # 2, clearly changed all of that given that this assignment required me to

detect fallacies in writing as well as speeches. The last assignment, besides proving to be

interesting, merely served as a nostalgic reminder, given the days when I struggled to socialize in

elementary school. Rough drafts, helped me realize that it was perfectly fine to fail, especially

when you were working towards developing a stellar product in the end.
 This class and its assignments definitely played a great deal in helping me with self-

discovery as a writer. It was through this class that I finally began to understand the type of

writer I am as well as my respective strengths and weaknesses. I learned that when given the

chance, I could be brilliant when it came to the art of detecting fallacies in people’s work. The

discovery of this strength alone could be attributed to the extensive amount of time I spent

working on the Extended Inquiry Project. However, no writers are known to be perfect, and I am

no exception. I still, at time to time, struggle with structuring all my thoughts together, and this

still sometimes shows in my writing. This has been a trait, that has unfortunately stayed with me

since my early days of writing.

Unlike several writing classes I was forced to endure in grade school, I must say that this

class was indeed quite unique. This writing class, challenged me to think instead of blindly

following the rules that one must read before each assignment. This could largely be attributed to

the sheer fact that colleges in general, are built as intellectual environments that challenge their

respective students as well as professors to think of ideas that are out of the box. Writing in grade

school practically meant days of stressful work, as I was working really hard towards acquiring

that single letter grade that would boost the egos of myself as well as my parents. Taking writing

classes in the University of North Carolina of Charlotte however meant a whole different

meaning altogether. However, when you, the one and only Peter Arne Blair taught the challenge

that was University Writing 1104, it elicited a different reaction in me I normally would not

expect when first reading about this course. You made me feel more comfortable, largely

because of your kind, understanding nature. Of course, I can never forget that cheerful nature as

well as the several jokes you doled out in class. The only reason I started to enjoy the process of
writing, was due to your teaching methods, that would probably be termed as “unconventional”

in high school. It was nice to know you for approximately three to four months, and I want to

thank you for helping me realize that I am not as bad as a writer I originally made myself out to

be. Thank you.

Sincerely by your student,

Rohit Geereddy