Assignment #4 Final copy

To Whom It May Concern,

I remember a younger version of myself who hated writing and discouraged any writing in general but also had such a fun and easy time writing on topics or subjects that interested me. When I hear from my teacher or professor that we have a writing assignment, I think I speak for many; it’s not something that many people are excited to do. Recently I have enjoyed writing more than I have before but that is partly because I am paying for this class, so I am going to enjoy it no matter what. Something that help open my eyes was the article “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott from her book “Bird by Bird”. In this section of reading Anne talks about how the best books and the bestselling reads all started with a first draft, a terrible first draft. “This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts.” (Lamott 1) This quote helps me realize that those award-winning authors also start with rough drafts that aren’t good at all; it also helps me realize that it’s not about the first draft-it’s what you then edit that first draft into to get the second, third, even fourth draft until you get the perfect final draft. Now, when I begin to think about how I am going to tackle a writing assignment, I begin to start with the research if needed. Then I begin to brainstorm on possible ideas to talk about, but to me, the most important thing is the first sentence; you have to pull the reader in so that they’re interested in what you’re saying. Something that I have always struggled with would be grammar and spelling, now technology helps me a lot with both of these so I can write and learn from it so I don’t have to depend on it. Spelling and grammar are important, but it’s nothing compared to the words themselves and how you use them with each other.

As it is known for the portfolio, I have two papers on it and both of their respective rough drafts. In these papers, I feel that my diction was chosen for who my audience was and I was able to portray my personality through my writing. It was since I knew who my audience was that allowed me to resonate with them more. As the CNN article, we read after the Astroworld Travesty “Travis Scott’s fans describe scenes of chaos and tragedy at Astroworld Festival” written by Alaa Elassar, CNN. Elassar knew her intended audience for this specific article, and this led to her choice of diction and phrases to use. Her older audience not knowing about this event whatsoever and now only hearing about it through the news and the incidents that have happened leads to her strong diction to describe this in the way that she did. Looking back at my assignments now, there is a lot I could’ve added to give that extra spark in my writing, but something with everyone’s writing; no one’s writing is ever perfect. There is always something you could change to make it sound better. What helps is getting an outsider’s view on your work since they may see mistakes that you didn’t and be able to point them out to get fixed, which is why peer review is so important. Throughout this class, my eyes have opened wider to see my writing in a new light and make it stronger. A certain assignment stood out to me, which was the mini-lesson on plagiarism since I had to research famous people who have plagiarized. To my surprise, J.K Rowling has been accused of plagiarizing. The world-famous J.K Rowling was accused of plagiarism which may not be true since the case never made it to court. According to the BBC news article goes to show that anyone can fall victim to plagiarism, and it broadened my horizon to how serious it is. This semester has been filled with many assignments, some odd like is cereal a soup, or a salad, but some very helpful in enhancing our English minds.

College was a slap in the face compared to high school. After I was able to adjust, it became very easy to work. I became very organized in saving all my work so that I don’t lose it and have grown not only as a student but as an adult in that I began to realize how life is like as an adult. Along with maturing, my speech has been more formal, not sloppy, no longer filled with slang in conversations, but my voice sounds more sophisticated. Along with everyone else, I still have plenty to work on-proper grammar, spelling, procrastinating, the list can go on, but with weaknesses comes strengths, as well such as connecting to the audience, portraying my personality through my writing, and being able to write a well-informed paper and support it. Although I do have some stuff to work on, who doesn’t? No one is perfect, and we can all improve in many ways. This is exactly why I believe I am ready to move onto Writing & Rhetoric/ENG170 since I can handle what the class entails. I believe I am strong at wringing argumentative papers, formal writings, and can handle research. My flaws are just minor and with a little work and help from my peers, it’s nothing I can’t handle.

 

Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon!

 

Sincerely, John C Intrieri III