Final Post

  My most memorable academic insight from English 105 is the importance of crafting an argument that is confident and constructive while remaining sensitive to the feelings of whomever you may be verbally combating. All too often, people choose an extreme of the spectrum and stick with it relentlessly; to unconditionally support or to blindly discredit—that is the question.
  I still find writing somewhat of a chore, though the blog posts have taken a considerable toll on how compelled I feel to revise something several times before posting. In the spirit of blogs, I think I’ve gotten used to spitting out what I have to say and being satisfied with it the first time. It’s good practice in articulation to have many small assignments like the blog posts.
  I may have developed somewhat of a greater appreciation for how media outlets react to one another. Prior to this class, I might have believed that blogs and newspapers served the same purpose, but after much investigation from both the first and second extended essays, I’ve come to realize that they serve unique and separate functions, and one should not be considered superior to the other.
  I’ve also become more conscious of how often news stories surface in everyday conversations; that is, news is discussed frequently with my family and other people where conversation is expected to be somewhat intelligent. With my exercise buddy Michael, however, we rarely discuss the news, instead opting to center conversation on the less globally-interested topics of ourselves.
  All in all, I’m thankful for how blogs forced me to think critically—a skill which might have otherwise been forgotten this semester had I not taken English 105 with the great Mr. Leake, our kind-hearted and handsome teacher. Thanks for the good times!