Hey, my name is Derek Blanton, and I am 20 years old and am currently a student at Wayne State University. My major is in film. MY previous experiences with writings come from various subjects that I have had over the years; from biology, to psychology, to English, to Shakesperian Literature. I have written many a rhetorical analysis and have argued many cases. Throughout my years as a writer, I have had quite a few challenges in drafting a paper, from composing a short story with only one word as a topic to standing for a position that I am totally against. With all of this practice, I feel well prepared for the college reading level. I love reading and analyzing, and have been doing so from a young age. As for college writing, even with all the experience in the world I will never feel fully prepared as things change over time, but I do feel like I have things to offer, and techniques and strategies to learn. During the English 1020 course that I took during my fall 2011 semester at Wayne State, I have drastically improved my research and analytical skills, and have learned how to properly break down the subject matter of a subject and proceed to analyze the hell out of it. This course has improved my knowledge of memes, rhetoric and allowed me to apply them in my everyday life. I began with a rocky start because I was so confident in myself, but as the semester progressed, I realized that I have so much more to learn and will one day have even more to offer. I researched topics that I would have never truly been interested in in a normal situation, but when placed in an out-of the norm situation, I found some things that interest me. I have argued on the debate of the definition of a terrorist and how and to whom it should be applied, I analyzed the book and movie Fight Club, and did a breakdown of consumerism and a psychological analysis. Overall, I have impressed myself with the level of effort and research that I have incorporated into these projects, and will continue to lear and apply them throughout my college career.