#14 Learning Something Based On Nothing

When I began this class and doing the blogs, I didn't necessarily view them as learning experiences, but saw blogs as just homework about SEINFELD. Yet, after reading through the three goals, I was surprised to find that I had unknowingly met each goal! In high school the papers I wrote were uniform, using the typical five paragraph format with no variation in structure or focus on argumentative writing. I was primarily just summarizing what someone else had presented. However, with SEINFELD as a base, I began understanding not only what my argument was, but also how to properly support and expand my argument, so that my message would be clear and viable. Secondly, while television has always been an interest of mine, I had not interpreted SEINFELD, or television in general, as concrete visual texts. Nevertheless, in doing so I realized that television and pop culture are not just about entertainment, but should be conceptualized and broken down, which in turn, creates a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the visual medium in our society today. Thirdly, tightening up my writing is still difficult to do, I now understand why the extra “fluff” I add yields no actual benefit, and in fact tends to deviate away from my argument. In essence, I not only feel more confident and knowledgeable in both argumentative writing and popular culture, but I am also inspired by what I’ve learned, and excited to continue to exploring other atypical forms of literature.