An Author's Craft Reflection

Analyzing the text plays a part in integrating your ideas and own words with the text you are reading. When writing an analysis of text, it is requiring the writer interject his or her own opinion and interpretation of the text and meaning while incorporating the ideas of the author or others. When integrating your ideas with other ideas, you must cite the others’ works. To be an effective writer, you must acknowledge other people work. Creating a reference page is very important when writing so every work is credited.

I have minimal experience with writing analyses; therefore, my essay contained summaries with only a few pieces of analysis. I feel that my essay was mainly composed of miniature summaries with a sentence or two analyzing a specific literary device used, diction, etc. As I continue to write rhetorical analyses, I strive to be more familiar with the analyzing process so that when I have to write an analysis for class or the AP exam, I will be sufficiently prepared. The structure of my analysis is not as mature as it should be in relation to the standards of an AP English class.

Analyzing an essay includes summary and paraphrase to better explain someone’s point, but it is also looking to how the author did that essay, why he did that essay, and to whom he wants this essay to be directed. While I was looking to all my previous assignments, I learned that while an individual is writing an analysis, it is very important for him/her to be aware of making the essay clear, and who is the audience. When I looked to my first brief assignment of identifying rhetorical choices, I saw how I did not understand select and explain rhetorical choices. It was unclear and some sentences did not make any sense. Also, because I am used to use an attention getter in every introduction, I thought that it could also be applied in an analysis essay, and what I learned is that I could use one, but not a long one because sometimes, it may distract the readers from what the essay is really about, an analysis. When I was taking English 1301, I also went to the writing center, and teacher’s office hours. It was very useful to me because I learned different ways to right a paragraph, and other things. In the writing center, I learned to think more about the audience, they made questions like: who is the audience, how will this reference affect the audience, and is it really worth to use some of the things that I wrote. Also, with my instructor, I learned that I

My strengths in this essay, I believe, are in not just analyzing the information that Solnit provides, but in also analyzing the effect that this information has on the readers. My final body paragraph details both the logical and the emotional responses that Solnit brings up in her audience. Additionally, I feel that I was successful in tying all of the analysis that I supply back to Solnit’s purpose in writing the essay. It is easy to look at the context and the substance of an essay, but to relate it all back to the author’s goal in writing it is what shows that you have a fuller understanding of the work.

Analyzing was never my strong suit, until we were assigned to write a rhetorical analysis. The assignment was to look at a persuasive article whether in magazines or online, and analyze how/why the author’s article was effective. With the explanation on how to properly analyze, I was able to write an effective rhetorical analysis paper. Not only did I write a strong rhetorical analysis, but I now have the knowledge on how to effectively write an analysis, which will benefit me in the future. Learning how to take a text and analyze it, helped guide me towards goal #3, which better my process of writing and thinking.

People have many ways that they write. Some do a process of doing drafts so they can look through, edit and make the paper better. Others will just write a paper and turn it in. My process consist of starting with making a thesis. Then from the thesis I create the topic sentences for the topic at hand. The best way to write the essay in a good format and have good detail in the writing I would write a paragraph a day. By doing that process it allows me to get what is needed out on the paper so none of the paragraphs are mixing content and making the paragraphs less structured. This process not only makes writing essays less stressful while also getting the paper done quickly.

After the first draft, one of the most important areas that I needed to improve was the analysis and finding better evidences for my point that I have made in my essay. The reason I had to go through struggle finding evidences in my first draft was because my thesis was not clear which made it hard to show my point in it. After the first draft, I was able to find some convenient sources that are related to my topic which helped me to support my point and made me have a better analysis on those points. However, I believe my analysis is somewhat effective as it should be according to the rubric after my final draft has been done, but there are still some places in the essay where I feel like it can still be improved. I tried my best to improve it as best as I can to make it clear to the audience by expanding more on it by giving more detailed about the points that I have made in the essay. However, I definitely learned how making my analysis more specific helped me a lot to make my essay clearer than being vague and general. After reviewing my Rhetorical Analysis, I definitely learned how doing a better research on my topic makes my argument

I have been practicing on how to improve my writing over the past few weeks, which has taught me a great deal about writing. My teacher would like me to evaluate and explain my strengths and weaknesses in my own writing. This evaluation is in between my two essays. One on my own and another with my teacher's help. I have strengths and weakness in my introduction, body paragraphs ,and my conclusion.

We are already midway through the first quarter of my last year as a high school student. I find it hard to completely grasp how quickly this year is passing and yet I feel like we've already accomplished so much.

As a student entering the 10th grade my essay writing abilities were questionable at best. However over the course of my sophomore year I acquired new skills and techniques to construct and write essays. In some cases this class broadened my abilities already in place and in others it constructed new abilities to help strengthen others. All in all I am a better writer than when I entered my sophomore year. Despite all the positive changes to my writing style that have occurred over the past year some parts of my writing style require more effort to come to par with other parts of my writing style. As a writer over the past year I have reinforced my arguments well, and learned to develop a thesis better than I had, however I require more work

Throughout high school, I was regularly told that writing was not my strongest skill. My teachers would constantly “shoot down” my writing because it was never “good enough,” except I never understood what that truly meant. However, this class helped me realize that my writing has “potential for greatness,” but it just requires some more time, thought, and clarification.

After looking back at all the writing I have accomplished in this class and experiences I have faced in other English classes, I realized how they have affected me as a writer and where I stand as one as of now. The writer I am today has been greatly benefited with years of learning English in school and other literacy sponsors. Throughout the years, I have learned a number of ways to write and I have been positively impacted by these methods. I now know the type of writer that I am and how I write best and in under which conditions. Now, I have my own writing process that most likely differs from my peers.

During this semester, I have learned a great deal about my own writing, and writing in general. One of the main takeaways from this course for me was how to break down the intricate process of writing papers. In addition, I developed viable skills regarding going into more in-depth detail during each step of the writing process. I enjoyed having the freedom to write about a topic that I was able to choose. This allowed me to research and write about something that actually interested me immensely. Having to work with one topic for the entire semester taught me how to find reliable resources and how to pick out the essential research from each article.

Writing is way that we can express ourselves, it is a way to interface ideas and thoughts and to prove a point. Throughout my writing experience or process I have struggled with writing especially using details or really expressing myself my work. In this course Facts & Fiction: Portraits in World Art I expect to gain more knowledge on how to write a perfect essay, story, letter, and assignment. I expect to learn new genres and rhetorical situations. I also think my writing will improve academically and I will develop my skills in writing. Also taking my writing to a different point of view, level, and writing something different rather than the usual. I look forward to getting feedback from my peers and learning their thoughts on my writing and how they can help me improve.

It is my belief that through this class and the tools provided, that my growth as a writer has grown through leaps and bounds I would never have assumed possible. It is not so much the skill I refer to, although I would think skill has gone up in some levels as well, but more so the appreciation for the craft of writing itself. Intially, at the start of this class my sole goal was to further my understanding and appreciation of the writer's and books that I so love to read. Through further evaluation within the first week, a few other goals came to mind, of which were, making writing a habit, finishing what I start, stop second guess my writing skills and making effective use of detail and description. Through the use of the many articles, various reading materials, whether poems or short stories, and especially through the workshop, I feel I was able to really push myself to accomplishing these goals. I have thus far learned how important it is not to be skilled at writing per say, but to have the will to write, that poetry is as much about it's sound as it is about it's subject, just how important character development is, how the narration and point of view of a story is essential to the way the story is told, and just how much of a difference peer's critiques can make to your writing.