Take What You Learned and Run With It

We have reached the end of our journey, classmates. This semester seems like it's flown by, but now it's time to buckle down, take our few remaining finals, and prepare for the next one looming on the horizon. I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel I have definitely learned quite a lot about not only my writing style, but writing in general. I never thought things I would take away from a semester of English would be PEE value and the proper use of CRAP.

Unless many of us are pursuing a degree in English, this is probably one of the few English classes we will be taking in our college careers. For that reason, it is all the more important for us to take from this as much as we can to assist us in the remainder of our college career and our future job markets. What we learn here will help us in the many papers we will have to write for classes in our future, and even in our applications to graduate schools, and jobs.Where do we go from here? How do we apply what we've learned here? Honestly, I have no more of an idea than many of you. I do know I feel considerably more prepared for our future writing assignments and have learned how to now make my writing more organized and attention getting. Hopefully we can all Learn, Practice, and Apply what we've learned here, and it can make us better prepared for our futures.

To Say or Nay To Say

Here we are folks, our final paper of the semester. Is this one better than my first? Have I improved on my writing? After completing my self review, I realized, it's not the technical aspect of the paper I am having trouble with. My last few papers have diminished my bravado concerning my writing style and replaced it with a myriad of questions of insecurity. Is this a proper Rogerian Argument? Am I introducing my naysayers properly? Is my persuasion of my audience convincing enough? These are the questions I keep challenging myself with tonight. After convincing myself to not start over on this paper for the third time in these final hours, I can help but wonder, is this the paper I want it to be? I look down the list one more time, thesis, check, catchy title, check, introduction and conclusion, check; but I can't help but hear those nagging questions of what ifs in the back of my mind.

It's been a long day and I have reviewed this paper more than I have read many of my favorite books and still I can't say with certainty this is a GOOD paper. I think this is the time to use the lifelines made available to us by the university. Again tomorrow I will journey to the writing center and talk with someone who knows more about this style of writing than I so. I think from their knowledge I can find the confidence needed to revise my paper one final time into the absolute best I can make it. .

Herbal Remedies or Happy Pills

My research paper was on Psychological treatments throughout history. It is hard to find an argument within that field so decided that I would focus on one particular treatment, Psychotropic drugs, which has become very commonly used in our day and age. The primary naysayer to psychotropic drugs would be someone who favors a more natural approach to mental health such as with the use of herbs. In recent years the popularity of common herbal remedies such as lavender, st. johns wort, and chamomile has exploded as an alternative to the use of psychotropic drugs such as anti-anxiety drugs and anti-depressants. These natural advocates would exaggerate the possible side effects of certain drugs and their commonality and use this as a reason to not take any psychoactive drugs at all. Since very little study has been done concerning the empirical results of herbal treatments for mental disorders, there is a large area for debate over which of these two options would be more effect overall in their use as a treatment. Apothecary uses of herbs instead of mainstream drugs have been done long before and consistently after the introduction of psychotropic drugs such as lithium and valium. Because this treatment is believed safer and less invasive than newer drugs on the market, many would choose them as a preferred treatment.