Interview With...

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ENG 121

WRITER'S BLOCK.
Interview with Amin Shrestha

By Eugenia Lehman

English Composition can be a feared subject by many who decide to enter college. Previous experiences during the high school years, and the well-known writers block we have all had in the past, when we sat pencil in hand and blank faced not knowing how to start an assignment, has predisposed many of us students, and has made us doubt about our abilities. Maybe this stereotypical negative idea of what English Composition is, gets in our way to embrace our natural born qualities as communicators. Human beings were not born to be in isolation without communicating with one another. We talk, tell stories, sing songs in such a natural way that I wonder if given the proper tools during this semester, could we feel more confident and more at ease when we have to lay down all what we have to say in a blank piece of paper. We all know how to write down isolated ideas. What will become of our writers destinies when will have the tools to connect them fluidly and be able to compose a great essay?

I had the opportunity to sit with Amin Shrestha, a student in the English Composition Class at Front Range Community College for the fall semester 2015, and learn more about him and his writing experience, and proficiency in English Composition.

Amin is studying International Business. He has finished several classes but he has been holding on English Composition 101 because he doesn’t like writing. He does enjoy reading books and favors Greek Mythology. He doesn’t consider himself a poet but he appreciates rap music. We must ask ourselves, what is RAP but a form of modern poetry telling the stories and conflicts of our society? Does Amin actually like poetry without knowing it? He does seem to have the appreciation of it.

This is the first attempt for Amin at English Composition 121. When we talked about his previous experiences in writing during his high school education, Amin told me about the typical struggles with how to start the paper, difficulty with inspiration and then with structure. He is also aware that mastering this class will help him in the nearby future, first for rest of his college education but also in the professional world. 

Amin has the advantage of his age, he belongs to the generation of iPhone and Facebook pages. He is more than proficient with computers, writing software and browsing the internet. He feels at ease with social media and networking. Nowadays writers have to be able to navigate blogging sites and twitter posts and accounts. He feels so natural in the permanent accessible encyclopedia of the wide web than, even if he is on his 3^rd semester, he has never been to the library.

We ended our conversation talking about the goals he wants to achieve and the obstacles he foresees for this class. Amin wants of course to pass the class, and he is aware of his problems with punctuation, and wants to work on those.

When I asked him how this class could help him in the future in a concrete way, he mentioned that it will be very helpful for writing resumes cover letter in a concise and professional manner.

It was a great insight to talk with Amin and I can’t wait to see what he will be able to accomplish this semester.

E.L