Reflection

My Project Two took a much different direction than I thought it would. I started by researching the stories of each of the characters I chose to explore, and then I wrote about key moments within the series than has effected them significantly. I wrote my project two very freely, writing down whatever came to mind, which is something that is very uncommon for me. I definitely had a more creative writing style in this than usual. I then examined where in each character's story, could things have gone a little differently. I changed the circumstances and explored the different outcome, sometimes more then one. I found it really interesting how there were just so many options, and with one character, I found that there were an infinite number of ways jail could have been avoided, while with another, it seemed inevitable. A lot of the changes I found that could've resulted in a different story for the inmates, were issues I wrote about during my Project One. It's fascinating how real life issues are portrayed in this series. If I had the chance to explore Project Two further, I would want to look into the statistics and see how many inmates in US prisons are locked up because of reasons similar to those of the characters I chose, and then analyze how their lives could've gone differently.

This semester has taught me a lot about myself and self-exploration. It has really forced my mind to think outside of the box and on a deeper level. I think that is what colloquy is all about. Thinking in new ways to discover things on your own. It's not about googling information or gathering data from sources, it's about learning about a topic, and then discussing how you feel about it whether it's through your writing or other ways of expression. I found myself looking at my work from all different directions, thinking of ways to view my topic in a different light or from a different perspective. Sometimes I agreed with my own thoughts, other times I disagreed, but it was about exploring the angles that mattered. I think this course has benefited my thought process for future writing classes and life in general. It has shown me the difference between critical and creative thinking and has proved the importance of both.