Portfolio:Final Exam Frame II

-----Development of thought can be is accomplished through an infinite number of ways. Some ways are through song, brainstorming, writing, discussion, contemplation, examples, or acting out the development that is taking place. Every person adapts the above processes to their own style or mutation of the original idea. One of the most adaptable of these processes is writing, because every person writes with different feelings, passions, determinations, and goals. Some think that the best way to develop thought through writing is to depend only on a person's own knowledge and the first-hand knowledge that only they can acquire, but against such practices are people like Optimism One, who believes that thought can be developed better through peer review, communication about writing, and a forum-like discussion about the ideology presented.
-----Peer review and discussion can help to sharpen and hone the blade that is a writer's words and thoughts. With the input of others all around the world or even just the person across the table, an idea can take on a new level of insight and depth. "Of course, the writing process would be greatly improved if students had a group of peers with whom they can share their writing" (Optimism One). There is only so much that a single person can think of with the biases in their own life and the life they have had. By combining these experiences and thoughts with others then we have a new worldwide view on a certain subject that never could have been thought of by a single biased person.
------Through discussions with my peers, many of my own beliefs and thoughts have changed. By hearing the multiple sides of the Bush administration, I have become knowledgeable of what the Republicans, Democrats, and anyone in between thinks of Bush, his ideas, and his actions. I used to think that he was an amazing man who had don nothing but right for his country. Now, I believe that he has made mistakes, but he made them thinking that they were the best for his country and people. By combining my thoughts and ideas with those around me, a new discussion was born. Not how good was Bush for America, or how bad a President was he, but what were his thoughts during such mistakes. The combination of thoughts lead us from opinions and biases to a want to understand an overall view of what has and what could happen.
-----Unfortunately, I have not always voiced my thoughts to those around me. It was not until recently that I realized the advances in my own thought process and ability to understand that I had gained by listening to others and asking questions. Along with this revelation came a hunger to understand more, which fueled me through my first essay, Bacon's Rebellion. Researching as many sides of the arguments I could, I began to form my own opinion based on on the slight information that I myself had, but upon the information I had gathered from the discussions between and with others. Peter Elbow spoke the truth when he said, "If you are stuck writing or trying to figure something out, there is nothing better than finding one person, or more, to talk to."
-----Through group discussion, ideas can be created to rival the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights, or the Declaration of Independence. Such greatness was born through the combination of the minds of a few great men. Consider what could be born out of the enlightened thought of a generation linked by instant communication. Many say we are a generation striving for it's own destruction. I say we are a generation creating new things that have never been seen before. We are a generation with the envy of all others. We are a generation of change. We are a generation of mental revolution.