Humanities Portfolio 2011

To some, English and History are acknowledged as being their "least favorite subjects”. But in my opinion, they are the finest. This is because they both teach you how to become a better person. Personally, I have found every year of English and History to be my favorite as I lived through it, and this year was no exception. I remember walking through the door the first day. My first impression was that the classes were going to be fun and challenging at the same time. As time moved on, this reality continued. I soon found myself looking forward to both of those classes daily.

One memorable experience for me was writing the descriptive essay. To read it, please click here. At first, I thought that it would be quite difficult to do. The reason is because I felt as though the descriptions for my mentioned experiences would not meet expectations. But, as the project rolled along, I learned of my mistakes. I discovered that the key is to simply continue writing everything that you remember about the experience, no matter how big or small. Another thing to remember is to use all five senses in the descriptions, if appropriate. This gives the reader an accurate image of the flashback within their mind.

Another memorable experience for me was doing the Podcast Benchmark. To listen to it, please click here. I remember wondering what was the point of this English project, as it has little to do with reading. I didn’t realize until the end of it’s true meaning. Doing a podcast is just like witnessing the events of a book. As my aunt told me of her experiences, I was able to see the facial expressions as she spoke, and could connect to her in a far more effective way. I had a feeling of understanding that the words on the pages of a book would have never given to me.

One more memorable experience for me was writing the Op Ed. To read it, please click here. At first, I wondered why writing a news article would be required for History class, as it has nothing to do with the world events of the past. However, I eventually learned that although it is about issues of the present, the present is a result of the past. As I was working on it, I found myself writing about the historic events that led to my more modern topic. After finishing it, I learned that the current conditions of the world are effects of the events of the past. I also realized how important our actions of the present must be, as it will affect the future.

My final thoughts about the English and History courses this year are that they were required to help make me a better student and citizen of America. I have learned that the world is far from perfect, and will unfortunately never be. However, compromise will make the conditions of it better for everyone. For example, I remember doing the Language Autobiography. To read it, please click here. Although two populations of humans sound different, a common understanding of English can be had. Anyway, another final thought that I have is that even though an individual’s contribution to the world may seem small, when gathered together, a larger population has the power to change the way we all see the world currently, and beyond.