Before attending Capilano University, I took a course in high school called “Academic Reading and Writing” which was meant to teach students how to write essays, annotated bibliographies, summaries and the like in preparation for post-secondary assignments. Although I found I had to take English 100, a course that covered similar topics as the one I took in high school, I was relieved that I had another opportunity to strengthen my reading and writing skills.
For the analytical essay assignment, I wanted to practice using MLA instead of APA, (which I practiced more of in high school). While doing the required readings for the course, I tried to annotate more as an attempt to keep myself from skimming. This semester, I tried my best to engage with the readings, which was not too difficult considering the subject of the texts. The text that most changed my perspective on my life was Johann Hari’s article “Is everything you think you know about depression wrong?”. Defining depression (and other mental health issues) as “a signal that [one’s] natural psychological needs are not being met” (6), forced me to reflect on my own life experience. As someone who has struggled with mental health in a household where it was not talked about, I thought it was “normal” in the sense that I just had to “do better” to function at the level that was expected of me.
For my care package assignment, I decided to write to people who use fireworks. After staying inside for a number of years during Halloween weekend made me forget how much fireworks affect the people in the neighborhood. While picking sources, I tried to match the type of source with the part of the argument I wanted to make. I also attempted to use more deliberate language and be as purposeful as possible to best articulate my thoughts.