Reflection On My Writing

As the semester comes to a close, it is always interesting to look back and reflect on the events and opportunities my English class has given me throughout my first semester as a whole. At the beginning of this semester it was evident that I was feeling uncomfortable due to the adjustment that I was going through as a student moving to college. It was very difficult expressing myself through my writing since I was nervous about good impressions and my good grade. While this class was one of the most difficult courses that I have taken this far, it has become quite evident to me that I have grown a substantial amount as a writer and as a person; Especially, when it came to explaining my ideas, writing academic essays, and making arguments.

It’s hard to imagine that just ten short months ago I was sitting in a classroom building a spaghetti tower with no idea what a rhetorical analysis essay was or what the word anaphora meant. Now, just a couple of months later, I have read and analyzed six different novels, learned to write an argument, synthesis, and rhetorical analysis essay, expanded my lexicon of literary terms, and sat through a three hour AP exam. This class has not only given me the skills to master the AP exam, but it has also given me knowledge to succeed in future English courses and in life. Through this course, I have experienced unparalleled growth in my reading comprehension and writing abilities.

I was very astonished, when I went to the office hour the first time and asked my professor to give me some advice about my essay. At that time, I had no idea how to specify my topic and analyze my thesis, but my professor gave me lots of specific and arguable ideas that I had never thought of. Then, I started to realize that the ability I am supposed to learn from Writing 39B class is the way to do rhetorical analysis. During these ten weeks classes of Writing 39B, I make improvements on skills of doing rhetorical analysis as well as conveying my message to the reader effectively. To be more specific, I have learned how to analyze an essay from the

As I look at my Rhetorical Analysis essay and back at my revised Narrative essay, I see three main areas that I would enjoy improving in. First, I would love to improve in the ability to attract a wider audience. Whether it be through my

Throughout the first semester, I already feel as though I have learned multiple skills that push my writing to a higher level. I have never worked with “They Say, I Say” before, and all of the readings that we have done so far associated with that book added new aspects to my writing than ever before. In particular, I have noticed a large change in my ability to introduce and summarize a piece of writing that I am analyzing before adding my own opinion or take on a subject. Instead of consistently summarizing points of the piece throughout my writing, I improved upon my skills and can now effectively and concisely summarize the piece before introducing any of my own opinions. Additionally, the class discussion that we had about the purpose of a concluding paragraph, in my opinion, helped improve my skills in answering the question: so what?

As a high school student taking on a college course, I acknowledged and accepted the challenge that lay ahead of me. The main reason I selected Composition I and II was that it allowed me to vastly improve my overall writing skills. Developing my techniques will benefit me when I am required to compose any writing assignments for my future college classes. Therefore, with that goal in mind, I chose to take this class while still attending high school. I began this class as an average writer; additionally, I did not know the majority of the writing rules or how to make an essay meet its potential. Over the course of these two classes, I believe that I have proven my writing to be more seamless and interesting to read.

During this class I expressed the use of rhetoric in the four major essays I wrote, including the Narrative Essay, Rhetorical Mode Essay, Argumentative Essay, and Research Essay. Being able to think critically is a crucial part of success when it comes to writing these essays. At the beginning of this class, I had a much less understanding of this particular area. I struggled with being able to use research effectively to persuade others of a certain argument. I also had difficulty with grammar issues, and paying attention to my overall “voice” of an essay. I believe that I improved significantly in all of those areas because in each essay I have learned to put myself in the audience’s position and view the piece of writing in the reader’s point of

This course has helped me enhance my writing abilities and display the rhetorical purpose of my essays. Coming from Lebanon, this course has definitely been a challenge, yet I believe I have learned a great deal this semester. This course encouraged me to engage in ideas of my own that I discovered throughout my writings. The articles I have read challenged me intellectually allowing me to view a writer’s perspective on a specific topic. The engagement with my classmates and the feedback given during this class gave me the opportunity to extend my thinking abilities. The two main techniques that I have learned this semester is; identifying the purpose of my writing, integrating evidence from my articles and supporting my statements.

I have trouble writing because my writing seems to be a little “tongue-in-cheek” as my AP English teacher said. (I have a couple unfinished examples that I will attach). I tend to not know exactly what I am trying to say in my essays. It is not that I am a poor writer per se; I just have an issue focusing my writing. I enjoy writing; however, I become engrossed in the way I want to present my ideas. Perhaps it is that I do not know the audience to whom I am writing. I usually use proper grammar and mechanics but that is definitely not enough to write an exceptional essay. In this course, I feel strongly that I will develop these skills. Another concern I have with writing is when it is timed. I have never performed well in a timed writing assignment;

When reflecting on my experience writing, editing, and completing the culminating journal assignment, I found that it was fairly easy considering how this was an emotional, opinion based paper. This paper probably took me about three hours to complete because I had to thoroughly reminisce on what I had learned this semester. However, after taking a look over my journals, I found substantial growth in myself since the beginning of the school year. A specific challenge that I overcame when writing this paper was procrastination because I finished it as soon as I got it assigned. Additionally, I feel this paper highlights my intriguing flow and unique style of portraying ideas. Accordingly, I am most proud of how I elaborated on specific journals and thoughts throughout this paper. Overall, I hope to grow as a writer in the future by attending meetings at the writing center and asking teachers and peers for advice. In the end,

An essay is a great way to express your knowledge in a topic and also learn new skills involving reading and writing. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to writing. To turn those weaknesses into strengths, I have practiced my writing and took the advice given by my peers and professor. Throughout this course, I have overcome many of my writing weaknesses such as citations, thesis statements, and transitions. Although there are still skills to improve upon, I have improved these skills by taking my time with each essay, proofreading them thoroughly, and reflecting on my work when finished.

My writing skills which I have worked on over the few months I have been in English 102 have changed quite a bit in my opinion. There are many things which I have improved upon that were amongst my weaker writing skills when the year began. On the opposite side of that point, there are also many things which I still need to improve upon if I want to truly elevate my writing to a level that I will be confident in. Finally, I have gained new skills outside of writing from this class, particularly the activities which we did in class at various points throughout the year. These things all cumulate together to give me an appreciation of English courses which I did not previously have.

Throughout the school year, we have written three rhetorical analysis essays, given feedback on the essays of numerous peers, and have looked through examples from the College Board and Ms. Slotten. Before the year began, I had absolutely no idea what a rhetorical analysis essay was. Now, I have received a score of eight on two of my practice essays. To say I have come a long way would be an understatement. After going through the rhetorical analysis marathon, my writing has improved in its quality as well as my understanding.

Since the beginning of the semester, my writing has changed and evolved to accommodate and sustain longer essays. With longer essays, there is more room for in-depth analysis. Further analyzing a topic has led me to findings that I did not know existed. As I continue to write, I uncover addition and superior methods to approach my writing to the benefit of me and therefore, my audience. Throughout the semester, I have incorporated techniques to further my narrative throughout my writing.

One of my weaker points as a writer is my time management. Managing time throughout the writing process is critical and necessary for a well-written paper. There are times where I have rushed a draft of a paper while skipping fundamental steps of the writing process. This is very clear when I go back and read over my first draft. Lack of time management has sometimes led me to make very noticeable and fixable errors all throughout papers. Most of this is due to a mix of procrastination outside of writing and being busy. Time management is an important skill to work on as there are many benefits that come from spending more time in the writing process. It would help not to rush when writing as I would be able to produce fewer mistakes and better, better thought out ideas.