End of the Year Writing Reflection
My Origin:
"In the first several chapters, Frank describes his childhood, or more specifically, his "miserable, Irish, Catholic Childhood" to logically convince readers of his credibility. He mentions his dysfunctional family, the "shiftless, loquacious, alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother" and describes the rain, which "created a cacophony of hacking coughs and turned noses into fountains" Not only does Frank persuade his audience to trust him because of his first hand accounts of seeing the gloomy life in Limerick, but also by experiencing these things himself."
This excerpt is from a rhetorical analysis on the novel Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt written in the beginning of the year. This accurately reflects the origin of my writing as it contains several challenges I experienced as well as common mistakes. The first is that I was vague in analyzing my quotes. Instead of providing an in-depth analysis, I used general and short explanations that did not fully describe how that quote supported my claims. For example, in this excerpt, I describe Frank's life, but do not strongly connect it to his credibility as an author. I try to use the evidence as analysis which makes the tone of my writing awkward. Additionally, I struggled to break away from the traditional claim-evidence-reasoning structure that I had learned in previous years. Although that writing style was clear and understandable, it was dull and lacked a voice that more experienced writers possess. As the year progressed, I learned and started to implement aspects that would help make my writing better.
My Evolution:
This excerpt is from a synthesis essay on sustainable eating from the end of the year.
"Our current system of producing food has many flaws that cause damage to our environment. It depletes our natural resources immensely and there is little to no consideration for the consequences in the long run. To further explain this shortcoming, one article contrasted the "2400 liters o water to make a burger" to the "13 liters to grow a tomato" (Source 3). This unnecessarily wastes precious resources like when we can produce healthier alternatives that are more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Especially as the Earth's population continues to grow, sustainable eating is the logical solution that preserves both resources and the ecosystem."
This passage demonstrates the drastic change in my writing. Instead of following the standard claim-evidence-reasoning, I am able to use more of my individual voice while maintaining clarity. Some of the challenges I faced in the beginning of the year, like brushing over my analysis, have become easier and less noticeable. As seen in the passage above, my quotes flow with the writing, instead of being awkwardly isolated. My analysis is clear and describes the deeper meanings behind my evidence and relates it back to my claims.
Altogether, this year has made the most impact on my writing. It has challenged me to think more analytically, and to fully express what I am thinking. I have learned to use my individual voice while I am writing, which was something new that I struggled with and to some extent continue to struggle with, since the beginning of the year. I learned that I can stray away from the standard claim-evidence-reasoning structure and still write an essay that is sophisticated and clear. This in turn has helped me write in a way that sounds more natural and to implement more of my own voice. I have definitely learned useful skills that I will continue to implement in my writing and hope to continue to improve as a writer in the future.
"In the first several chapters, Frank describes his childhood, or more specifically, his "miserable, Irish, Catholic Childhood" to logically convince readers of his credibility. He mentions his dysfunctional family, the "shiftless, loquacious, alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother" and describes the rain, which "created a cacophony of hacking coughs and turned noses into fountains" Not only does Frank persuade his audience to trust him because of his first hand accounts of seeing the gloomy life in Limerick, but also by experiencing these things himself."
This excerpt is from a rhetorical analysis on the novel Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt written in the beginning of the year. This accurately reflects the origin of my writing as it contains several challenges I experienced as well as common mistakes. The first is that I was vague in analyzing my quotes. Instead of providing an in-depth analysis, I used general and short explanations that did not fully describe how that quote supported my claims. For example, in this excerpt, I describe Frank's life, but do not strongly connect it to his credibility as an author. I try to use the evidence as analysis which makes the tone of my writing awkward. Additionally, I struggled to break away from the traditional claim-evidence-reasoning structure that I had learned in previous years. Although that writing style was clear and understandable, it was dull and lacked a voice that more experienced writers possess. As the year progressed, I learned and started to implement aspects that would help make my writing better.
My Evolution:
This excerpt is from a synthesis essay on sustainable eating from the end of the year.
"Our current system of producing food has many flaws that cause damage to our environment. It depletes our natural resources immensely and there is little to no consideration for the consequences in the long run. To further explain this shortcoming, one article contrasted the "2400 liters o water to make a burger" to the "13 liters to grow a tomato" (Source 3). This unnecessarily wastes precious resources like when we can produce healthier alternatives that are more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Especially as the Earth's population continues to grow, sustainable eating is the logical solution that preserves both resources and the ecosystem."
This passage demonstrates the drastic change in my writing. Instead of following the standard claim-evidence-reasoning, I am able to use more of my individual voice while maintaining clarity. Some of the challenges I faced in the beginning of the year, like brushing over my analysis, have become easier and less noticeable. As seen in the passage above, my quotes flow with the writing, instead of being awkwardly isolated. My analysis is clear and describes the deeper meanings behind my evidence and relates it back to my claims.
Writing Log:
Multiple Choice Test Log:
Altogether, this year has made the most impact on my writing. It has challenged me to think more analytically, and to fully express what I am thinking. I have learned to use my individual voice while I am writing, which was something new that I struggled with and to some extent continue to struggle with, since the beginning of the year. I learned that I can stray away from the standard claim-evidence-reasoning structure and still write an essay that is sophisticated and clear. This in turn has helped me write in a way that sounds more natural and to implement more of my own voice. I have definitely learned useful skills that I will continue to implement in my writing and hope to continue to improve as a writer in the future.
I liked how you used direct references to your work by showing a whole passage and describing how it exemplified your writing at the time. I liked how the second passage described a difference if your writing as you progressed through the year. Overall, it was a great reflection on the year as a whole.
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