Summer Reading Essay Reflection By Austin Martin

This English class was the best English class I have ever had. There were no tests, vocabulary quizzes, or in class essays, which made the class less stressful. Before this English class, I was afraid that I would not enjoy writing many essays or writing so many words in one paper. Afterwards, essays have become something that is not so much my favorite task in the world, but it has become more enjoyable to an extent. Professor Sullivan’s class has taught me to formally write a research paper, to analyze a book through responding to different quotes from the story or novel, to understand magical realism, and to understand my own passion for school and how much effort I will be willing to put out in years to come.

In “Reflective Writing and Revision Process”, Sandra Giles talks about the importance of reflective writing. She mentions that before she thought reflective writing was a waste of time and she just wrote her it to please her teacher, but it was not supposed to be like that. Reflective writing is supposed to talk about purpose of the essay, and then sets goals for revision. Through reflections, the students can change their audience if needed, make changes about the writing styles and the words choice, as well as figuring out the problems within their essays to improve them. The professors can also give feedbacks after reading their students’ memos and reflections. Throughout the whole essay, Giles includes several samples of reflective writings.

While the authors of these essays execute remarkable examples of rhetorical analyses, I myself could definitely improve on my own essays. For instance, my writing can be vague, especially when explaining how the rhetorical

I think it very rare, if not impossible, for a writer to have a naturally sophisticated style. We all begin at an elementary level writing sentences such as ‘I like cats’ to explain our thoughts. This is because sophisticated writing is hard; even as I try to begin this paper, I have difficulty putting my thoughts into writing I deem worthy enough to read. In author Mike Rose’s novel, Lives on The Boundary: A Moving Account of the Struggles and Achievements of America’s Educationally Underprepared, he describes his struggle to overcome wordiness, grammatical errors, and inaccurate usage of literary devices. Through his teacher’s individualized help, he gained the skills needed to better develop his style.

My initial reaction to my essay was rather...meh. The writing was still very characteristic of Dave Gao. There were no gasps of horror induced by my former writing quality. But as I peered deeper into the language of the paper, I began to notice subtle, yet significant changes I had undergone throughout the year. I have to admit that at the time, I believed my essay was excellent—a verifiable work of beauty. Now, the essay looked crude, and a bit too simplistic. The vocabulary seemed rather

In literary education, from childhood to maturity, individuals are taught how to write not to improve themselves as critical thinkers, but to fulfill the requirements given to them in a prompt. Whether to analyze or argue, this form of writing has led to a cease of literary improvement in students today, making many question the effectiveness of writing classes. Mike Bunns, in his article “To Read like a Writer”, explores this topic and stresses the necessity for young readers to critically examine the author’s choices in order to improve their own pieces of work. Bunns effectively argues to his audience of college students that improved comprehension comes from focusing on the rhetorical choices authors decide to make in their compositions by tying personal narratives with repetitive questioning throughout his article.

In the first three sentences of the essay, the speaker adopts a very childlike style. He makes use of simple words and keeps the sentences short, similar in style to that of an early aged teenager. But since the text is written

The blinds on the windows are shut, it feels like a prison cell as I sit under the spotlight. The darkness outside makes me feel somber and alone. I stare at the glowing screen and think to myself, “It’s just me and this paper.” In December of my junior year in high school, I was assigned a persuasive essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter; it was my first academic essay of the year. My previous experiences with academic writing were both stressful and unfulfilling; when the essay topic was announced, I felt only resentment and anger, I remembered my past tribulations. With my mother’s help, this essay was different; after I submitted it to the teacher, I possessed a new perspective on academic writing. From my experience, I learned that strong writing skills are vital to communication, critical thinking, and life outside of the classroom.

After taking honors English for the past three school years, I now want the challenge of taking a higher level course: AP literature and composition. At this point in my high-school career, I’ve been able to take three advanced classes, and I want this class on my belt as well.

My desire was to challenge myself and pursue my belief in life-long learning. And yes, the last eight weeks have definitely been a challenge intellectually in IDS 101. After the first two weeks of school, I seriously questioned why I would go back to school at fifty-one years of age for personal satisfaction. The days were long and I wasn’t sure I still had the self-discipline and determination that would be needed to finish. Over the last eight weeks, this class gave me numerous opportunities to hone my skills in critical thinking, research, and writing. This class has given me the necessary skills to continue toward completing my degree.

When first brainstorming what topic I was going to pick for each annotated bibliography, it took me a while before I settled on a topic for each essay. While reflecting on my writing process, I came to the conclusion that more time would have definitely benefited my argument for each of these annotated bibliographies.

Learning how to write a literary essay can be a long and tedious road, but understanding how to properly form a literary essay including all its key components is an extremely important skill for all English students. However, in Mrs. Phillips' essay, Studying Literature in Grade 12, this important skill can be seen as underdeveloped. In my opinion, although the essay has a few satisfactory elements, Mrs. Phillips demonstrates a below average understanding of most, making the essay ineffective. The ineffectiveness of Mrs. Phillips essay can be seen in the essay's deliverance of content, proper essay structure, language conventions and communication, and MLA citation style and plagiarism. To begin, the deliverance of content in the writer's essay varies in quality at times.

This essay taught me that I needed the composition course to help better prepare me for future college writing. I realized that I was not prepared. After completing this essay, I was not sure I could be a successful writer.

This semester I learned a lot about writing in English 151. It has been a roller coaster ride with these essays for me this semester. I learned step by step how to write a good essay and how to have your readers be engaged in what you’re trying to tell them. Each essay I did has taught me something valuable I can take to the next level of English. I feel as if as the semester went by I did not take my writing that seriously and that reflected in my grades I received in each essay. It made me a better student and writer and it will reflect next semester. In this essay, I will reflect on what I learned throughout this semester that you should apply in your writing when you begin English 151.

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.