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Will Misenheimer

UWRT-1101

Professor Arnold

8 December 2015

Final Reflection

As a high school student, it seemed that every piece of writing that I wrote was the same. The

content was different, of course, but the formatting was almost entirely the same. Everything was

prescriptive and required little application of thought and open-mindedness. I can recall the typical format

of the high school thesis statement, which read something like, “Will wrote his Ethnography Report

because he wanted to introduce the behaviors of sports fans, it greatly aided in the self-realization of his

writer’s voice, and his grade was heavily dependent on the completion of the project,” followed by three

body paragraphs, with each of the three subtopics listed in the thesis as a primary point of discussion in

each paragraph, followed by a conclusion. I felt that while this method may be effective in emphasizing

the critical components of a piece of writing, it drains the work of a significant amount of creativity. As I

have grown more comfortable at UNC Charlotte, I feel that my writing has, as well. I feel that my writing

has made wonderful strides in light of the opportunities I have had to write non-prescriptively. I would

not argue that I have went from nothing to being Ernest Hemingway, but I have become much more

aware of my writer’s voice and created much more insightful works as a result of the self-expression and

open-minded thoughts that are encouraged by the independent nature of each of the writing assignments.

The realizations that I have made in my writing career this year may be best depicted by the

words of Frank Zappa, “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” Just under six

months ago, I had graduated from a school and environment in which prescriptive writing was the norm. I

was a butterfly waiting to emerge from the cacoon. Through the assignments of works such as the

Literacy Narrative, Found Genres Assignment, Altered-Book Narrative, and Ethnography Report, I have

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been introduced to the abundance of new ideas and efficient means of communicating them through free-

flowing, yet developed writing.

While the Literacy Narrative introduced and emphasized the effective means of expressing

literacy, the process begins much earlier. As shown in the Ethnography Report, before expressing

literacy, one must first become literate and obtain a desire to express this newfound literacy to others.

Through the practices of the writing in this course, I developed a stronger sense of how I best express my

literacy. The Literacy Narrative and Altered-Book project were expressions of a literacy that I had already

developed prior to the beginning of class, while the Ethnography was an expression of a literacy that I

developed throughout the course of the assignment. Prior to the assignment of the Ethnography Report, I

had enjoyed sports, but I had never focused, or analyzed the nature of the sports fan. I increased my

literacy of the sports fan through primary research, in which I sat in the UNC Charlotte student section

during the Marshall vs. UNCC football game and observed the nature and actions of the sports fan, as

well as the conduction of secondary research, such as the information I obtained from Joe Queenan’s

book, True Believers. During the primary research phase of the Ethnography Report, I had to keep my

mind open, just as Frank Zappa explains, or I would be at risk of excluding new information and ideas. I

also expressed literacy with the practices of the Found Genres assignment. In order to maximize the

efficiency of my job resume, I had to fully comprehend the literacy of myself and apply my strengths in

such a manner that would be appealing to IKEA. If I was unsure of my past accomplishments or lacking

confidence, it would surely have shown in my writing and IKEA would think twice about hiring me.

Through a comparison of my previous works from high school and the less prescriptive works that I have

created throughout the Fall of 2015, I have noticed that if a significant dose of literacy is not held

regarding the topic that is being discussed, it will be evident in the final product and will detract from the

maximum potential of the argument. For example, as a high school senior, I wrote a paper regarding the

Columbian Exchange, the trading of goods, ideas, and diseases between Europe, Africa and North

America following the discovery of America. My arguments consisted primarily of listing goods that

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were directly traded between the New and Old World. As I review them at this point in my career, I am

able to observe the lack of detail that exists as a result of my lack of literacy. To compile a work that

includes maximum detail and understanding, the author must be truly literate in the subject that he or she

is reporting.

I am a product of a prescriptive environment. I can vividly remember the “5-point paragraph”

format of my works, which attained specifically an introduction, three body paragraphs, as well as a

conclusion that seemed to restate the introduction. Upon my introduction to college and the free-flowing

writing style, it is not surprising that the 5-point paragraph, which one may argue has building-block

elements, now seems like a multiple choice test, in which the writer is limited to a given set of responses.

I have found that the free-flowing writing style that I have recently been introduced to has allowed me to

channel a source of creativity that diversifies my writing and contributes to my own, unique writer’s

voice. I first took advantage of the non-prescriptive atmosphere through the Literacy Narrative, in which I

opened the story with a telling of an at-bat I had as a 12-year old; however, the creative aspect was that I

told the short anecdote in active voice, creating a serious tone and in the present tense. I also included a

thesis statement that read, “I had just gotten my first ever walk-off hit; I had fallen in love with America’s

pastime.” This thesis statement ventures from the more prescriptive format, which requires a direct list

and preview of the body paragraphs to follow. However, it is just as effective when exposing the main

idea of a love for baseball and implies an underdog mentality that entertains the reader, while avoiding

the cliché and overused format of a thesis statement. The ability to discuss topics that are pertinent to

myself has also played a key role in my growth as a writer. While tests such as the SAT or the ACT will

ask its participants to write solely on the assigned subject, I was given a choice with every assignment

during UWRT-1101. If my mind were not open and truly interested in the subject of my works, the result

would be similar to the closed parachute depicted by Frank Zappa’s words, a failure. Therefore, it was my

responsibility to take advantage of the creative encouragement that I had received. Thus, I challenged

myself with assignments such as the Found Genres assignment. By creating a Job Resume, a genre that I

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had no prior experience with, I challenged my creative thinking abilities and gained a very useful skill

that will prepare me as I begin to apply for a position at IKEA. Of the many products that the UWRT-

1101 course provides, the ability to use creative thinking to venture into unknown waters and successfully

complete a given task at a high level is a major component and a tool that may be used during any phase

of my career.

Literacy may be displayed in multiple ways. Arguments may also be prepared in a variety of

manners. As the fall semester progressed, I began to develop a proper mindset for preparing an argument

or expressing ideas. I remember constructing the Altered-Book and thinking to myself, “How are people

going to understand every little detail with only pictures?” The Altered-Book project was an excellent

tool for creating effective delivery and proper communication skills needed to state an argument. Due to

the fact that the Altered-Book project was to be completed in accordance with the same story as told by

the Literacy Narrative, I was able to compare each of the assignments. Just as there have been basketball

practices performed with the lights turned off in order to increase communication skills between the

players when they may not see each other, the Altered-Book project forced me to communicate a story

with using only pictures; therefore, when I am able to use words, my delivery skills are crisp and

enhanced. I have felt that my delivery has been very creative and appropriate for the situation. While

constructing the Job Resume of the Found Genres Assignment, I elected to use a short form of technical

writing. For example, to express leadership positions, I stated, “I am currently a member of the UNC

Charlotte Men’s Club Baseball team and Cru worship service,” whereas if I were not writing to directly

inform a company of my accolades I may say, “I currently hold leadership positions with the UNC

Charlotte Men’s Club Baseball team, where I am the starting second baseman. I also enjoy reading the

Bible and worshipping God through my position with Cru Ministries.” As the audience and objective of a

specific type of writing changes, the delivery also changes to most appropriately inform the reader of the

main idea. It is important that one keeps his or her mind open to who he or she is addressing, because if it

is closed like the ill-fated parachute, the main idea is sure to be less concise and more likely to be

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ineffective. Effectively delivering a main idea is a skill that will be very important throughout my

collegiate career as I meander from technical writing, to persuasive and argumentative works, where

different deliveries and tones are suggested.

As the semester matured, I too began too mature from an individual who perceived writing to be

a prescriptive process into someone who believed that writing is a logical and developed system of

thoughts. I would certainly not argue that I am by any means a professional, but I feel that through the

completion of the UWRT-1101 assignments, I have a new appreciation of the benefits that creativity and

free-thinking have to offer, in regards to developing well-rounded and unique thoughts.