Document18 (3)

Anaise Reina  

Ms.Katie  

12/2/21 

Composition 1  

Dear readers of my e-portfolio, 

Before this course I thought that I had a pretty good understanding of how to properly write a college essay. I knew that I could pick point different aspects of a prompt that would allow me to correctly answer each question. I feel like my strengths were rhetorical analysis essays, poems, and persuasive essays. My weakness, however, must be opinion-based essays and research papers. Honestly, the idea of having to do research to support someone else’s idea that doesn’t align with my own is difficult for me. English is probably my least favorite subject because of all the thinking and analyzing.  

Now it’s a bit more tolerable. I don’t know what changed specifically. Maybe, it was just the teacher that I had. She made the assignments easy to understand. Also, when it came down to grading criteria, she was very specific as to what she was looking for in the papers. The feedback she gave as well as the feedback she made my classmates give was also very effective. But I don’t feel like my writing was progressing at all during the semester. It was almost as if instead of my writing improving it just stayed the same.  

My writing process, however, has definitely changed. I used to not like the idea of outlining my papers because I felt it was a waste of time and was not going to really help my paper. Now. I don’t mind it. It really is helpful when it comes to structuring and laying out all of my ideas. I’ve also practiced MLA formatting more than I did in high school. My works cited page is also different. In high school I only needed to state the website or book that I got my information from. Including the date, author, website etc. is all mandatory and if not, it’s considered plagiarizing.  

Some strategies that have helped me to better my writing is appealing to pathos, logos, and ethos. Using those strategies helped to reach the readers of the article. Also, I had to tap into my author’s voice. Depending on the type of article or essay I was writing, I had to address the audience accordingly. If I’m writing about why schools should have no homework, I wouldn’t talk as if I’m talking to my mother or the president. It would be the same thing if I was to be writing a formal letter to the New York Times. I wouldn’t talk like if I’m talking to a friend.  

My writing still needs a lot of help. Well, I wouldn’t say it like that, but it could have some improvement to perfect it. A revision that can be made is going more into depth when explaining certain ideas. From the feedback that I’ve received, I can point out a detail or a piece of evidence but when it comes to tying it back into my main topic or whatever the evidence is trying to support, I struggle. I also don’t really take time to revise my work. Actual revisions instead of just fixing grammar mistakes. That would consist of me actually changing ideas and making my writing clearer. Another thing I could work on is the flow of my essays. Making the paragraphs connect could make my essays much easier to read and comprehend.  

Some of the assignments that I thought were beneficial were our in-class writing assignments that we would do to start off the class. The other day, we were given a sentence and we had to write a story based on that sentence. After that we had to stand up in front of the class and read our made-up stories out loud. In this assignment I was forced to one step out of my comfort zone and two expand my imagination. Speaking in front of the class prepared me for the presentation that I had to do for my final and was practicing for any time I would have to present to another group of people, whether it be online or in person. Another assignment I found beneficial was reading the “Let’s Talk” book. It was a great source of information for when I was doing my assignments. It gave me different perspectives on how to appeal to the readers of my essays.  

I would say that my strengths when writing consist of using a great author’s voice and effort towards the work I put in. I feel like when I write, I know how to address the audience that is going to be reading my essay. I make them feel included and interested in reading my essay rather than feeling like it’s just any other essay they must read. Effort. When writing even a draft, I’ll write it as if it’s my final essay. I know it won’t always be perfect but I put in effort so I can receive helpful and useful feedback.  

My areas to work on when writing would be including general statements and not tying my ideas back to the main topic. When writing I would say it’s difficult for me to get in depth into what the point I’m trying to get across. I tend to keep my statements general which is a problem for the reader when trying to understand my essay.  

I’m ready for Writing & Rhetoric/ENG170 because it’s one of my strengths. I know how to persuade an audience and use different writing strategies such as ethos, logos, and pathos. Composition 1 has definitely changed my point of view on how to write ethically and formally whether we talk about format or even just the voice I use when speaking to the audience and/or reader.  

Hope you enjoy what you see in my portfolio! 

From,  

Anaise Reina