Journal #3
(Image: Person holding up a lightbulb against a pink and blue sky)
In my journal responses so far I have approached it in a few different ways. The first thing I always do is make sure I am thinking about what I have learned so far and get into a clear mindset of reflection and memory. Then I look at the assignment itself and break down the tasks into what I will write about. I typically write some bullet points on what those might be and just keep expanding on those ideas as I write the journal. I then read through what I have written and made changes if necessary. The entries have shaped how I approach these journals in a few ways. The most obvious is it improves my ability to reflect as these journals focus on course and self-reflection. However, I am surprised at how I am able to think critically and faster as I progress through the assignments. Naturally, practice makes perfect and these journals will continue to improve not only my ability to reflect but my writing skills as well, as this is an English class that is obvious but still a notable function of these journals.
Moving forward in ones writing career how you write affects how you think and how you think affects how you write. If someone writes concisely and gets their point across using as little verbiage as possible they will most likely be the same way when they’re not holding the pen. That person will be efficient and quick in their thinking and actions making sure things are done with as little time wasted. The way people write also comes out in their conversations, as when most people write they hear their own voice saying the words. This leads to their writing sounding like them, and vice versa. The way people are taught literacy affects how they think and write as well. Teachers have an incredible responsibility as the way people, especially adolescents, ensure the process of socialization is through schooling. This means that if a teacher says that a student should write more passionately, and they adhere to this and write more passionately they will inadvertently be more passionate not only in their writings but in their personalities. Writing becomes almost a self-fulfilling prophecy in the lives of the people who use it often.
One might begin to believe that the effects of writing on someone's thinking can be detrimental as people might begin to change for the worse. For example, someone who writes violent fiction would begin to become more violent. While this may be true, writings hold on people's thoughts are more advantageous for a few reasons. The first is that it can help people change their thinking and perspectives as they can write from different points of view. Furthermore, people can explore different avenues of thinking through writing that they couldn't achieve through any other measure of expression. The ability to write has more power than people give it credit for. It has the ability to change minds and in turn actions of the people who use it making it a powerful tool to use.