The incorporation of outside resources hold key importance in supporting one’s own argument in a literary environment. Throughout this course, I have been exposed to a variety of essays, articles, poetry, excepts, and even podcasts. After discussing all the pieces we have read and interpreted in class, there was a sizeable pool of resources to utilize for major writing projects. Through these three main writing projects, I learned that choosing sources is not as easy as it may seem. Theoretically, a writer can call on any written piece ever created to further support their point and start a discussion with their audience. This leaves the author with more options than they can imagine. Although we had a select list of resources to use for our projects, one can see how difficult it can be to find the perfect piece to utilize in their own work and enhance their argument. I have recognized this careful consideration that should be taken upon choosing a source. I learned to weigh my options and not to jump to conclusions on whether a piece will better my point or not. Finding a truly supportive source requires reading, rereading, and reconsidering old themes. Something new may arise out of revisiting an already-seen text. At the beginning of the course, I probably would not have looked back at a source before deciding if I wanted to include. Most likely, I would have just chosen the piece I remembered the most and then cater my thoughts to the preexisting text. Throughout the term, I have recognized the importance of developing an archive of sources, and reflecting on them. Old pieces may resurface based on an argument of a new piece. It may agree with the old text, disagree, or fall somewhere in between. Either way, almost any two resources can be connected by some means. Keeping this is mind, opportunities for choosing sources, and more so quotes, are endless. By the end of the semester, not only had I chosen my sources with more care, but I also refrained from lingering on certain quotes. I tried to keep an open mind. Instead of again, choosing what stuck with me, I reconsidered the piece and chose a quotation that was compelling and thought-provoking, less concerned about what words from the source were necessarily memorable. For me, quotations and evidence were of lower importance when it came to writing projects. Since this course, I have reconsidered the value of outside resources and what it means to include them in your own writing.
