Final Blog Post – My Journey Through English 115

 

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Starting the Semester – Not Just Another English Class

When I initially enrolled in the English 115 class, my thoughts were just like those of any other person taking an English class for the sake of reading and writing essays. I thought the class was entirely for reading publications, writing essays, and turning in assignments. As the name suggests, the course was like any other language class. However, right from the moment I stepped into it, I realized things were a lot different from my original thoughts. To my surprise, English 115 was not just about learning grammar or writing essays; it was about the person of me. I was shocked to understand my roots so well that I fell in love with the class. The class was about my voice, culture, and experiences.

Through the lens of this class, and as a black man, coming from El Cajon, California, whose life has been shaped by the hip-hop culture, I saw an opportunity of a lifetime to bring my world in the form of my community into my writing. The whole idea of being able to see through my own experiences throughout English 115 changed the manner in which I looked at every class assignment.

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What I Learned About Reading & Writing

The most important thing I learned about reading and writing was to read and write purposefully. One of my biggest takeaways this semester was not just reading to finish class assignments, but knowing how to read like a writer.

The reading that keeps ringing in my mind is Bunn’s“How to Read Like a Writer”. This piece of writing is one of a kind. The author breaks down his message so that anyone can understand every aspect of the writing deeply. From this excerpt, I realized that what makes a reading interesting is not what the author says, but how the author says it. After reading the book, I examined multiple hip-hop lyrics, Reddit threads, and Instagram captions, and asked myself this question: What choices is Bunn making with his words, and why?

Another reading was Melzer’s piece on discoursecommunities, which brought to my attention the knowledge that hip-hop is my discourse community. Through this writing, I became cognizant that hip-hop as a discourse community has its own language, rules, and values, whereby failure to understand them renders you an outsider. This altered how I approached our hip-hop community project in that I stopped perceiving it as just a mere piece of research, but instead, I started perceiving it as a means to document my people.

Assignments That Hit Different

Two assignments changed my perspectives this semester, and these include:

1.     The Hip-Hop Discourse Community Blog Series: Through this, I explored hip-hop more, not as a form of music, but as a people’s way of life. I analyzed online forums like r/hiphopheads and likened it to academic sources like the Hip-Hop Archive & Research Institute. Through this, I realized there is a link between academic writing and real life. This made me take the course and the assignments seriously.

2.     Reading Reflections & Rhetorical Analysis: Breaking down texts like Todd Boyd’s Hip-Hop: Today’s Civil Rights Movement? Allowed me to understand how hip-hop shapes political narratives in society. It was not just any form of history, but a reflection of what I have experienced my entire life growing up.

The assignments above enabled me to achieve Learning Outcome #1: analyzing texts for rhetorical strategies, audience, and claims. Besides looking at what people said, I was more interested in deconstructing the motives behind their words.

What I Learned About Myself as a Reader & Writer

This class transformed me significantly. Before taking this class, I didn’t view myself as a writer. Though I could write, I didn’t view myself as someone who owned my words. However, this changed as I learned new aspects about reading and writing.

Through the course, I learned that my main strength is authenticity in that I do not just write for the sake of writing, but instead I choose to report what’s real. I realized my writing is authentic when discussing things I care about, such as breaking down hip-hop lyrics or documenting how online communities gatekeep culture.

Most interestingly, I learned that I can blend academic and personal voices in meaningful ways. This was a compelling realization as it came to my attention that I can complete writing assignments while maintaining the person of me, or who I am. I believe this knowledge will be instrumental in my future academic endeavors, such as research papers, because I can explore and present it best with my voice.

Skills That Will Carry Me Forward

This class has equipped me with invaluable skills to help me move to the next level in academics and real-life situations. Some of the skills include, but are not limited to:

• Critical reading skills: Through the course, I understand how to look past the surface. I have a critical eye that captures not just the words, but the meaning.
• Research skills: The course has enabled me to find credible sources from renowned databases, such as Google Scholar, and connect them to real-life observations.
• Voice confidence: With the ability to authoritatively convey information with my voice, I believe that I now trust my point of view.

These aren’t just school skills. In life, being able to read people and communicate clearly is everything — whether talking in a meeting, running an event, or even debating about hip-hop’s GOATs with friends.

 

Alex Ortiz

Where I Still Want to Grow

In spite of the abovementioned growth, I know I still need to improve myself in some areas, such as:

1.     Tight editing: I would like to enhance tight editing so that my writing can hit harder.

2.     Academic structure: I need to improve my academic structure to ensure that my papers are organized and presentable, even when written in my voice.

3.     Source Variety: I need to ensure data triangulation, which is the collecting of data from multiple sources, such as interviews, studies, podcasts, and many more, aimed at enhancing credibility in my writing.

I intend to improve the above three aspects by reading more, particularly regarding other communities, writing often, and deeply exploring peer-reviewed papers.

How This Connects to the Learning Outcomes

• Rhetorical Analysis: I learned this from breaking down hip-hop lyrics and academic articles.
• Marginalized Voices: I wrote about how hip-hop is a voice for the oppressed.
• Critical Inquiry: This was learned by questioning gatekeeping in online spaces like r/hiphopheads.
• Source Use: This was achieved by pulling from academic and primary sources like Harvard HARI and Reddit.
• Composition Strategies: It entailed blog format, interviews, reflections, and analysis.
• Academic Conventions: In my writing, I applied APA citations, embedded links, and used proper grammar.

 

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Closing Thoughts – The Real Win

When I look back on the time I started this course, I see myself as an entirely transformed person. I view myself not just as a better student in grammar or writing, but I view myself as a person whose voice is worth hearing. The course has helped me understand my perspective and the culture my community holds, all of which belong to academic spaces like anyone else’s.

The hip-hop discourse community taught me how to leave and carry myself, and through the knowledge gained in this course, I will say it in my voice so that it is understood exactly how it should be without prejudice. I feel more complete with the skills gained, especially by knowing who I am.

My initial thoughts were that my learning would revolve around grammar and writing only, but to my surprise, I’m leaving the class with a complete understanding of how to blend my life, my voice, and my culture into one powerful force to describe my identity. This understanding will form a greater part of my future beyond just the English 115 Class. 

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