This past semester in English 1102, I may have picked up a
few tricks and learned a couple lessons for myself as a writer, student, and
character through life. One main thing, however, that I really learned is that
I am not a writer without a purpose, or rather, no one is a writer without a
purpose. Every writing has purpose, whether it’s to entertain, inform,
instigate, or to argue. My purpose, I realized, is that my purpose concerning
writing is to express my thoughts and concerns through creative writing in
order to inform my audience and to instigate actions through them. If I am
gifted with the power to feed, should I not feed the hungry? If I am gifted
with the power to comfort, should I not console the hurt? I have improved my
skills as a writer by understanding that my sole purpose for writing isn’t to
earn an acceptable grade, but rather create purpose in others. This discovery
in purposeful writing was inspired by the assignment of finding my own social
justice issue topic, wherein I was required to pick an issue, research and
describe it in my own words, construct solutions based on that issue, and
present my findings in my own manner. All of the different obstacles that stood in my way (writer's block, research-intensive sessions, etc.) have only built my character and personality as a writer, and each stumbling block I've overcome have been used as a building block for my life ahead of me, as a student, writer, and missionary. English 1102 may not have dramatically changed my life, but even a tiny pebble can create ripples in the biggest of oceans.
