As I began to type the opening paragraph for my argument paper over the hit podcast “Serial,” I began to realize I was in serious trouble as the words refused to flow. Even without any formal writing education, I prided myself on my ability to write, and convey my ideas with ease through the means of a keyboard. By the end of these pages, it is my hope that you the reader, will be able to get a sense of the adversities I had faced, and what helped me develop my writing process, and abilities. Growing up, writing came as easy to me as riding a bike. It was never anything I needed help on, aside from the occasional proof read - it was something that just came natural. The worst part is, I knew it. Whatever the topic was, I was able to write with ease. Unfortunately, I was not learning more advanced writing techniques and etiquette, just expanding my vocabulary. So when I was assigned to write an argument paper with quotes, cites, and sources, I thought I had it all figured out. After listening to the twelve episodes of “Serial,” with at the time what I thought was a firm understanding of the topic, I got to typing. During class while discussing the premise of the argument paper, my ego had taken over. After several ‘A’ papers, and my overwhelming confidence in writing, it shut my brain down. Classes became a time to space out and relax, and it became obvious as I tried to pull a respectable argument together. After retyping the first line over nearly ten times, it began to
Upon entering Columbia College, writing was one of my weaker areas. It was very important that I gained the necessary knowledge and confidence to become a better writer. I didn’t know how to express myself and felt as though my writing was not my interest. As a result of taking English 101, I have gained a better understanding on how to properly research and build a satisfactory paper. Every paper that was assigned seemed like a struggle to complete. Before entering this class, I did not know the meaning of a thesis or why it was important, however, I obtained this skill quickly. I noticed that every paper has an argument and the thesis helps clarify the rebuttal. Now, I have a new outlook on writing. It’s a way to express my thoughts and allow others to see things through my eyes. There is no doubt that I still have a long way to go, but I know if I continue to write, I will get better. Just as I developed more skills in class, the various papers assigned helped to better structure the writer in me. In addition, the subject areas were not only interesting, but very informative and made it much easier to write about my experiences.
All the words I could not say don’t go unspoken. All the words knotted on my tongue unravel themselves so freely at the tip of my pen, taking the form of antiheroes, headstrong female protagonists, and sonnets. My written words take on life. Whatever word was beheaded between my teeth, I’d revive it with paper and pen. My metaphor-fueled writing can take me to places where I thought were closed off to a poorly-spoken person like me—it took me to becoming the president of the school’s Model UN club, it took me to the couch in front of my brother waving around the speech I’ve written.
The criminal justice system is meant to protect the innocent, and punish those who are guilty of a crime. However, no system is perfect, and as a result, sometimes the innocent become victims of the system that was meant to protect them. How exactly do these innocent people become victims of the system? Sometimes the person gets framed, and the crime scene is staged to point a finger at them. Sometimes, there is no strong physical evidence against them, yet circumstantial evidence is used by the crown to put them away. This happened to a 17 year old boy named Adnan Syed in Baltimore, Maryland, who was imprisoned for life, for the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Lee. Throughout the Serial podcast, Sarah Koenig is able to critically analyze information which proves Adnan’s innocence. Firstly, Asia’s letters gave Adnan an alibi for the time of the murder. Secondly, Adnan’s innocence can be demonstrated through the lack of any strong evidence and the prosecution’s use of circumstantial evidence which can be disproved. Thirdly, Jay’s constantly changing testimony is not credible evidence of Adnan’s guilt, making him innocent.
Writing is a powerful tool for communication and connection. As an extension and expression of the mind, writing is as much about the mental processes of the author as it is about the final marks laid to paper. As we write, we hold in mind our own thoughts on the work, anticipate the reader’s thoughts, and think both in concrete and abstract ways in order to accomplish the task at hand. Whether an academic research paper, a novel, or text message to friends, writing seeks to engage, persuade, or impress concepts upon an audience. Like language and other art forms in general, the practice of writing is ever-evolving and is subject to cultural and contextual influence, expectations, and conventions. Each writer holds a theory
The art of writing is a complex and difficult process. Proper writing requires careful planning, revision, and proofreading. Throughout the past semester, the quality of my writing has evolved significantly. At first, I struggled with the separation of different types of paragraphs, and I found writing them laborious. Constant practice, however, has eliminated many of my original difficulties, and helped to inspire confidence in my skills. As a collegiate writer, my strength lies in my clear understanding of the fundamentals of writing, while my primary weakness is proofreading my own work.
The podcast Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig and co founded by Julie Snyder, deals with a murder case that occurred in the year 1999. This murder case deals with two former students (Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee) that attended Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Hae went missing on January 13, 1999 but was found dead in Leakin Park on February 9. The jury that took up the trial were convinced to believe that the murder must to have been committed by Adnan Syed, “who killed 18 year old student Hae Min Lee.” Syed was arrested on February 28 and charged with first degree murder. Although he pleaded guilty after the judge declared a mistrial, he was found guilty of murdering Hae Min Lee and sentenced for life in prison. However, the lack of
All writing comes in many different styles and attracts a certain audience in which it strikes their minds and opens them up to a new world of thinking or looking at things. “Writing to Connect” by Mary Pipher tells about this concept and elaborates on it greatly to encourage aspiring writers who may be feeling discouraged. Writing to Connect is a chapter in Mary Pipher’s newest book Writing to Change the World, where she discusses the use of powerful writing, changing aspects of the way people view things, and inspiring others to share their own stories and never be afraid of what you feel needs to be shared. Pipher directs the chapter toward aspiring writers to tell her audience they should never give up and inspires them with the use of rhetorical choices. Specific rhetorical choices provide further support for Pipher’s purpose of writing the chapter, she effectively writes to show her audience it’s never wrong to write what they feel, and to take chances in their writing. In “Writing to Connect” by Mary Pipher, she urges aspiring writers to push past their comfort zone of writing with the use of identification, personal anecdotes, and historical texts/occasions to effectively persuade them to never give up on what they feel needs to be said through writing.
In English 1302, I was instructed on how to write a literature review and a researched argument. While I found literature reviews to be easier than researched arguments, I still learned how to synthesize sources and their respective information. I realized that I did not need to put in much of my own commentary compared to an argumentative paper. Initially, I could not see how subtopics and themes could connect several pieces of writing just as much as the subject of the paper could. I also used to focus on the authors of sources rather than the connected information written by the authors, but now I focus on the latter. Taking this course made me realize that I had never used common ground while writing an argument, but it is very critical for persuasion. For example, in my researched argument I wrote: “… you, as a consumer, have been affected by robotics in more ways than you know; robots aid humans in many
This insight will help my writing because I see how you are supposed to tie in your sources to your main argument to help further the strength and accuracy of your paper. For my future classes in the history department I plan to use the examples from Kerber article on how to tie in credible sources to what you're trying to get a crossed in your paper. Also each paragraph has a major theme that leads to the next paragraph so that the writer doesn't get confused on what the major theme is of the
Going back to reading the first thought piece I wrote during this course made me realize how much I have improved as a writer. I now understand the nature of writing, and my own experiences with writing. Writing the Rhetorical Analysis helped me in improving my writing based on my previous writing experiences. I now also know what questions to ask when entering a new rhetorical situation, in order to deal with the situation in the right way. The List of 10 made this easier for me, the first thing I do now before entering a new rhetorical situation is ask myself the ten questions I wrote for The List of 10. This course also made me more of a reflective writer. I am now a more self-aware, thoughtful, and mindful
Writing may be an enthralling experience for one and a clever way to decompress for another. In general, however, writing has different purposes for a variety of people. “Why I Write,” written in the late 20th century by Terry Tempest Williams, describes various reasons for writing narrated from a female’s perspective. The short essay begins in the middle of the night with a woman engulfed in her own thoughts. She abruptly goes forth by reciting the multiple reasons why she continues to write in her life. Through a variety of rhetorical devices such as repetition, imagery, analogies, and symbolism, Terry Tempest Williams produces an elegant piece of writing that offers the audience insight into the narrator’s life and forces the audience to have empathy for the narrator with the situation she is incurring.
(Ramage, Bean, & Johnson, 2012). The best way in choosing an argument is finding a topic that can make a good statement or debate. Gathering enough evidence to prove your topic, can have the audience agree with the focus. College students will tend to write on arguments that they are very interested in or something that they can relate too. There two main helpful ideas when choosing evidence and research. First hand research is research that has been established by doing interviews, experiments, surveys, or personal experiences and anecdotes. Second hand research is research from getting other ideas and or information such as books, periodicals, and web sites. All evidence of work must be trustworthy, dependably, and credible resources (The Writing Lab & The Owl at Purdue, 2016). The reason for an argument is to persuade other people or another person, to your point of view (Hult & Huckin, 2016). The 5 key terms of information are specific thing to look upon when creating an argument. Persuade who are undecided to agree with you, reinforce views with those who already agree with you, try and change the minds of those who are in disagreement, what is being written, the writer should have his/her own feeling to the choose looked upon or frowned upon, and finally, a college student whether they are or not, they need to show the ability to work through the
In the field of criminal justice, writing is one of the most common tasks that one will complete. Every class that I have taken in preparation for the field has required for me to complete several papers. Each paper has formed and adjusted the way in which I write an essay. Every college paper that I have written has created a distinct trait and ritual. Over time it has corrected my composing practices. This essay reveals my process in which I write and evaluates my current writing self.
Writing 150 aims to give you the skills you need to cogently and authoritatively express your ideas as a full-fledged member of the academy, a community of writers, thinkers, and scholars who expect their colleagues to think critically, read actively, communicate their ideas thoughtfully and effectively, and participate in ongoing intellectual conversations. In order to achieve this goal, WRIT150 teaches writing as a process. We will, over the course of the semester, focus on various stages of this process. You will learn strategies for invention, or generating ideas, for effectively arranging those ideas, and for conscientiously adopting a style, as well as techniques for revision. All the while the course will help you to critique arguments and develop your capacity for analysis and argumentation. Our thematic – Technology and Social Change – will serve as a point of focus and shared conversation.
After our first essay, we immediately began our second, “oh my God”, were my exact words that I remembered myself saying, as I took a deep breathe. In fact, during all of this mind boggling confusion going on in my head, I felt that this next essay was going to be more complicated. Which immediately lead me to recall “What is Academic Writing Myth #4” when Irvin suggested that “Some got it; I don’t – the genius fallacy” (5). Myth #4 suggests that when we begin to think of our writing flaws, we tend to blame genetics. We offer up explanations that it’s out of our control,