Betarie 1 Mr. Harrell English Comp 1 6 Dec.

2013

Tying Up Loose Ends Coming to the University of Akron and experiencing English Composition 1 has taught me the essential skills needed for college level papers and was a gateway to the future for my lifelong skills that will be applied from here on out. Not only will the tools that I acquired for writing be used in my schooling career, but also be utilized for any professional occupation. This semester, although went by quick, has been extremely useful and will contribute to my future. The writing process I have decided to follow is first and foremost creating a rough outline of what I want my paper to sound like. After that, I revised the paper to fix any mistakes that didnt fit in its place, or were just goofy. Subsequently, all the content was corrected then came the mechanics, such as, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. When the paper was at its best it could be I would proofread it to make sure I had the full effect I wanted on the paper to come through. Once everything was perfected it was then time to submit it for a grade. The first essay that I attempted was titled One Heartbeat. It was a personal narrative about how I witnessed a school shooting. Although it was tough to write, sometimes when explaining the situation will help people get through a rough point in life. This essay was filled with emotion and taught me

Betarie 2 how to channel those emotions into good writing. Fortunately, I was able to tell about a horrific event and make it into an interesting text. I incorporated a strong lead, which caught the readers attention and kept them engaged. The personal narrative had to be in first person point of view and was designed for the ultimate level of description while explaining the scenery at the time. The most important part of this essay was the reflection. What seemed like the perfect way to sum up my paper was I was surrounded by hundreds of people but no one could help. All I wanted was a way out. Even now I look for the exit, preparing myself mentally for the unexpected. The gruesome images of the blood-spattered cafeteria still haunt me today. This gave a reflection of the event and opened up opportunities to keep the mind thinking about the endless possibilities of what if. The personal narrative was a strong essay that had a powerful meaning behind it and was a perfect essay to start off with. Each and every essay I developed more skills to add to the next piece of writing. After the Personal Narrative came the Analytical Essay, which was centered on the analysis of The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinners Semester at Americas Holiest University. The purpose of this was to effectively write an analysis of the book and not a summary. We had to have effective structure and textual support to back up our ideas and thoughts. I developed the skill on how to properly cite in-text citations while writing this paper. For example, Roose writes, All semester, Ive been worried about getting in over my head at Liberty, but what if its too late?(181). I also learned when inserting a quote you must sandwich it to have an into, the quote, and then the explanation. To get the final

Betarie 3 point across and the main message of my paper was, However, everyones identity is an accumulation of the past, present and future. The Unlikely Disciple illustrates the fluctuating identities impeccably by demonstrating the struggles the characters endure. The thesis of a paper is one of the most important parts and without it the reader wouldnt know the argument. While writing this paper I feel as if I improved many parts to good writing and took in a lot of knowledge. My favorite essay to write was the Profile Essay titled The Battle. It taught me something that I never have heard of in my entire life. Block quotes are extremely important when writing an extended quote. Here is an excerpt that demonstrates my ability. I knew it was a sore spot in his life but we talked about everything in the past and he always had an answer for every question. Mr. Haines started explaining: Well, I was supposed to be dead nine years ago. I went to the emergency room one night after passing out and after they did a bunch of tests. One came back. It found a mass on my liver. The doctor said I had a slim chance of living and that I only had a maximum of five years left because it had grown so big. I was told to start figuring out my last minute plans and to get my will written. It was a rude awakening for me bud. I witnessed the fear of the empty future in his eyes, which is something words cannot explain. I loved writing this essay and it was by far my favorite . It most likely was because the person I wrote about was my old high school teacher and a family friend that I loved to be around.

Betarie 4 English has always been an area where I have been accelerated in and its only because of my ability to learn from the instructors skillsets. I have been blessed throughout my life to have the best of the best teachers. Mr. Harrel was not just a professor in the English Department. He was a intelligent teacher as well as a great role model. Looking back on English Composition 1, there has been a lot of information given to me and absorbed just by one semester that will benefit me from here on out. I appreciate The University of Akron and their ability to pick great instructors to teach their classes.

Works Cited Roose, Kevin. The Unlikely Disciple. A Sinners Semester at Americas Holiest University. New York: Grand Central,2009. Print.