The classes on California made me better understand the region and people who live here. I learned a lot about Californian culture and history and, more importantly, I am now able to talk and write about a variety of issues concerning California and the California dream.
We managed to unveil numerous things through analysis of poems, plays, songs, and films. These works of art contain people’s ideas and thoughts which make up the entire culture of the region. These works help us understand how the culture developed and why people have these ideas and prejudice.
In the first place, I would like to note that the class assignments we completed were really helpful for me as I learned how to express myself and, simultaneously, I found out about California and its dream so much. I would also like to add that the works we wrote were easy at first and became more difficult at the end of the course, which is a very effective way to learn.
Notably, the course starts with definition of the California dream which is slightly different from what we call the American Dream. Californians dream about success earned within quite a short period of time and without hard work.
Writing a work aimed at comparing two dreams helped me better understand Californians who have a particular view on the way of achieving success. This was not my first writing experience but the feedback I got was valuable as I saw mistakes I had made.
The next assignment we were making was more sophisticated as we tried to extract peculiarities of Californian culture from songs. This work required additional attention and precision. I managed to find a variety of meanings in the song. Now, I pay more attention to the lyrics when I listen to songs. Interestingly, this attention opens up new horizons on a variety of issues.
As for the Californian Dream, the songs I was considering showed how it may lead to the wrong direction. The songs tell the stories which are common for California. It was really interesting to analyze the songs as I felt I was a decoder who revealed the secrets of the society.
Another task we completed was concerned with the history of California. We compared two poems that focused on the hardships of those who were marginalized by American society. While writing the paper, I realized that the issue is complex and it affected the way Californian society developed. Importantly, I learned to consider an issue from different perspectives.
For instance, I was able to look at the needs of a Native American who tried to become integrated into the American society, and I learned about the aspirations of the whole nation.
The two poems I considered helped me understand the history of California and the way different groups see each other. Again, this was a useful writing assignment which helped me acquire tools of comparison. I continued developing my writing skills and was able to better express myself.
The most difficult task for me was the argumentative essay. It required quite deep research and the use of tools of persuasion. The work was really exciting as I also learnt about immigration in the USA. Clearly, I focused on California and I shed light on various interesting things. Of course, immigration is seen as a negative trend by many Americans.
Lots of Californians really believe immigrants are responsible for some financial constraints the American society is facing. It was really interesting and useful to read the article we considered as the author proved that the issue is multifaceted and immigrants cannot be blamed. I have to admit that the article made me step back and analyze the problem. This work made me see that a person has to look at any issue from different perspectives.
I am now more careful while giving my opinion. I also found it very interesting to analyze an article. I felt I was a critic who decides whether the article was good or bad and whether others should read it. I guess I was not very precise as there are some mistakes in my writing but I tried hard while considering the article. I analyzed my mistakes and I believe I will be able to consider articles more effectively.
The final assignment was really exciting. It was concerned with multiculturalism in California. This is a very broad topic and it needs careful research. I thought I knew quite a lot on the matter but it turned out my knowledge was scarce. Analysis of two literary works made me think of numerous issues and I realized that the Californian society is quite biased. I think I noticed it but did not want to pay much attention to it.
There are loads of misconceptions and people tend to be mistaken all the time. While writing the paper, I was trying to understand why the prejudice persists. At present, I understand that it is easier for people to accept some conventions and they are reluctant to stop and think a bit. Some people do not want to think about other people’s ideas and aspirations. This is the reason why people are so biased.
As for the writing itself, it was a really important experience as I made use of different tools of persuasion and learnt how to detect them in other people’s works. As has been mentioned above, this was a hard task for me but I think I coped quite well. I also understand now that this kind of work will help me express my ideas in a more clear way. Of course, I will be able to affect people’s opinion and will be capable of persuading them.
In conclusion, I would like to note that the assignments we completed were really interesting, informative and helpful. Through reading and writing, we learn a lot about the history and culture of California and about the best ways to express our ideas. We compared, contemplated and persuaded. I believe these skills will help me in the future.
Clearly, these skills will be helpful in my academic life as I will complete writing assignments more effectively. At the same time, the completion of these assignments has helped me develop important skills and ability to express myself. I know that there are particular tools of persuasion which can be employed.
I also know that authors hide these tools to make the reader come to certain conclusions. I think I will also be able to write such papers in the future. I also have a broader perspective now and I think there can be no right or wrong way. There are numerous ideas and opinions as well as mindsets. People have to share their ideas and perspectives to reveal the truth.