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Gaurav Venkatesh
Writing 39B
Dr Lynda Haas
28th August, 2014
Rainbow at the end of the Storm

Frederick Douglass, a social reformer, orator, writer, and statesman once said that If
there is no struggle, there is no progress; my experience with Writing 39B online course has
been summed up with Frederick's words. I was reluctant to take an online writing class for
various reasons; firstly I preferred direct interaction with the professor and my peers over virtual
communication. Being an International student, direct communication in my point of view was
quintessential in learning especially for a writing class. Upon learning that the theme of the class
was based on the detective genre, I was reluctant to even drop out of the class, since this is an
extremely fascinating genre.
The first few weeks kept me really engaged, I had read several Sherlock Holmes
compilations by Sir Conan Arthur Doyle, but never really knew when and how it all started. A
Study in Scarlet, the birth of the character Sherlock Holmes, was different from the stories Ive
read such as The Hound of the Baskervilles. There seemed to be something so immature about
his writing while comparing the latter with the former. I gained a new perspective by looking at
just the transition of his writing over time. It had never occurred to me that the way an individual
writes is so dependent about how they perceive our surroundings, how the environment can
affect writing patterns and the content. Upon reading the chapter in AGWR about rhetorical
analysis, rather than being shocked, I realized that Conan Doyle wrote the way he did because he
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was bound to. The late Victorian Era, the middle class audience and even the sad state of judicial
authorities during his period all formed vital components in his writing styles and content. I was
curious about how this in turn affected my writing. Whether the way I write was influenced by
what I read or what I felt or about my surroundings. After having that mini epiphany I have
started unconsciously checking up the time period during which works have been written to get
an idea of what message the author is conveying, sometimes I even search for a subtle meaning
that only the audience at that period of time would be able to relate to. The other day when I was
watching Dead Poets Society, I could not help but look at the character's problem as relevant
considering the time period in which the movie represented. If not for this skill, I might have
found this wonderful movie boring and childish.
Over the next few weeks we read another one of Conan Doyles work The Sign of the
Four, although fascinating, I personally felt that the novel lacked the special Sherlock effect. At
the end of every week we were required to take a critical reading quiz; this is the point I felt I
was really below par compared to the others. Disappointed with the first quiz I recall reading the
second weeks material twice just to make sure I have not missed out on any small detail. There
seemed to be an improvement in my scores but not an exponential one. It was at this point in
class that I felt an inferiority complex and wasn't so sure that I would pass this class with a good
grade. Dropping the class was not an option; my schedule could not handle the extra workload.
Hence I went on with the class without a second thought.
Alongside all this work, we were also to complete assignment over the Connect module.
This has actually been extremely resourceful to me, I have never before been asked to MLA
format, and had no clue about citation or paraphrasing. Instead of mindlessly surfing through the
web to find a legit site to explain more about all these foreign terms, I went through the entire
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material on Connect and in a span of five to six hours crystal clear on what to do and what to
avoid. I found the module on citation, paraphrasing and semi colons extremely resourceful and to
an extent challenging. After completing the module, I have begun writing little differently, I have
started utilizing semicolons instead of periods; this has improved my versatility as a writer and
gives my work a more professional outlook.
The following weeks we were to read some of the scholarly works by Panek, Maria and
several other recognized individuals. It was intriguing to see how they managed to analyze so
much from the same material we were to analyze; their thoughts were indeed insightful. Around
the same period of time we had begun working on our first wiki work: Victorian England Wiki.
Working with groups has never been an issue, but working with strangers who are at different
parts of the world, is definitely a challenge. With my first wiki group, I faced two extremes; one
of my group members was extremely good in her work, and actually helped me in my work, she
pointed out my errors and pretty much taught me about paraphrasing and plagiarism. I was glad
that I had a chance to work with her and learn from my mistakes. The other group member
however stopped replying to our emails and put pressure on us to complete her portion as well.
The wiki provided me the chance to learn about the life story of Sir Conan Arthur Doyle, and the
factors that influenced his writing styles, it helped me paint a clear picture rhetorically. The wiki
provided me a chance to learn about the life story of Sir Conan Arthur Doyle and the factors that
influenced his writing styles. It was fascinating to note how the effect of death especially
beloved ones and the aftermath of wars could have changed him from a fictional writer to a deep
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and spiritual one. It was also extremely informational to know the general conception of queer
people and how Doyles point of view about them could go as far as denying him a seat in the
parliament.
The second wiki: Cinematic Elements however was more organized work. My group
members and I split up the work as soon as got it and have been in contact even after its
completion. The Cinematic wiki focuses on Cinematic techniques, watching the videos about
focus, shot and lighting has been immensely informational. It has become my second nature to
observe and not just see everything. My senses haven't heightened to Sherlocks level, but have
improved exponentially none the less. I have begun inspecting and am constantly predicting the
story line based on the camera angles. These analyses of mine arent restricted to this show alone;
I am constantly scrutinizing each scene that I watch on the television. In my point of view, this
whole experience has been the most enjoyable part of the class.
The first major work was about was the Literature Review Essay; based on our own thesis
about the genre however focusing entirely on what scholars feel about the topic as substantial
proof. Building a conversation between scholars simply based on their views about the topic had
been tedious. I was not very successful at this, as I could not help but provide my insights as well
to the topic. I chose to revise the paragraph where I provided a lot of my personal views as it were
a scholarly essay and my thoughts were irrelevant.
The second major writing task was the Rhetorical Analysis essay, this task I found more
challenging and stimulating as I began brainstorming as soon as I viewed the prompt. The first
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draft looked good but needed a lot of work; my assigned peer reviewer was kind enough to give
me tips and point out vital areas of improvement. I had completely missed out the most
important part of the essay and will be working on it for the final draft.
Overall, I have enjoyed this class and can confidently say that I am a better writer and
analyst after enrolling in this class. The skills that I have acquired over the last two month will
help me, not only in this class but also, in the future. I have efficiently improved my grammar
and sharpened my mind in a span of two months, which I consider remarkable. Watching the
Sherlock and Elementary series was not only fascinating and entertaining but also very
educational. Once I began writing my RA Essay, I realized that more than brainstorming, that
penning down a continuous flow of thought leads to more relevant thoughts, which has basically
morphed my original idea into something entirely different. I have never had an opportunity to
analyze something I do for fun and this has been a good experience. That is why I choose my RA
essay over the Literature Analysis Essay for an entire revision. From that midpoint week where I
felt helpless, I feel much better towards the end of the course and am glad I did not drop the class
at any point of time during the quarter. Upon Writing 39B online, I feel like I should enroll for
Writing 39C and other classes over the summer as well. I would like to thank Dr.Lyndaa and my
peers for helping me throughout this course.