Assignment #2- Generating Ideas

• I may discuss the very last paper I had to write in my English class at UIC. I signed up for the class only choosing it based on the time it was at to work into my schedule. I walked into the classroom the first day of class and the first question the professor asks is why we chose the topic of the course. I sat there confused because little did I know, each class had a set topic that you decide on when picking classes. Just my luck, no one raised their hand to answer the question so the professor turns and points to me, and I just stared unable to answer. I unknowingly chose the topic of gentrification in New York. Not only was I unfamiliar with New York, but i had no idea what the word gentrification even meant! 

• The pros for writing about this topic is that it happened very recently so I would be able to remember a lot about what happened that semester. Another pro is that I could find a way to make it comical or an interesting paper for my audience to read. A con is that not many people know about the gentrification of New York so I would have to explain in great detail about it. 

• Another possible topic is doing poorly in my English entrance exam into college. I got placed into a remedial English course that counted as no credit. I was frustrated because it would set me behind in completing my gen ed's and possibly set me back from graduating in four years. I worked hard and participated more than anyone in my class and ended up being qualified to jump to English 102. I was so thrilled that I would no longer be behind. I later decided to transfer from UIC to Northeastern, and because I jumped from a remedial English class into English 102 I had to retake English 101 because of transfer requirements. 

• I could show how even though I was embarrassed from being placed into a remedial course, with hard work I was able to prove how an entrance exam does not determine your intellect or who you are as a student. However, a con would be that it is confusing to an outsider because they might not understand how I completed English 102 and not 101. 

• Lastly, I'm considering writing about the very first time I created my own personal blog. At first, I thought that blogs were kind of weird and pointless. Then one of my good friends created a blog and I realized how fun and cute it could be. Having a blog liberated me and helped me to express myself with words and pictures, and I realized didn't have anything to feel embarrassed about. It is a lot more personal than Facebook and Twitter because I have control over how everything looks. 

• I could express how fun and liberated having a blog could be as a writer. Because it is on the internet, there is no proper way to write so you can write as one would speak in real life. A con would be not having enough information or story to complete the required 3-4 pages.