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Beltran, Rodrigo
Professor Lewis
English 114B
9 May 2014
Preface
Writing is like building a house. A writers rough draft is like an architects blueprint, it
is where both creators put their ideas down on a piece of paper. A writers tools consist of
rhetorical strategies such as examples, compare and contrast, and details. When beginning to
work they both start with a strong foundation such as an introduction and thesis. If the
foundation is weak then the whole essay will collapse just the way a house with a weak
foundation would. The paragraphs supporting the thesis statement would be considered the walls
to this house. Lastly the roof of a house which keeps everything together is considered the
conclusion.
For my second semester in college I had to write three well-constructed essays. My first
essay was about fairy tales and we had to watch the movie Hoodwinked to connect the fairy tales
that we read in class with the movie. When writing about it I learned that there are many stages
in life that we all go through.
Although English was not my strongest subject I found the reaction essay the simplest.
The prompt was to connect the fairy tales with the movie. Considering the page requirement and
the expected tools we were encouraged to use, I stumbled across some problems. I had to
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condense three days to a two page essay filled with vivid details. To no surprise my first essay
was filled with grammatical errors, and run-on sentences
My first essay was like building a house without proper equipment, but for my second
essay I learned how to use tools such as rhetorical strategies. The prompt was to compare dreams
vs. reality spaces because the topic was broad I had trouble organizing my ideas, therefore my
essay was cluttered with multiple concepts. I began my essay by telling the reader about the life
of Lewis Caroll and then comparing and contrasting with the book Alice in Wonderland. By this
point I learned from my previous essay to check for grammatical errors, and having one clear
idea for each paragraph. Every essay contains mistakes but it just makes my next essay stronger.
The pencil was my strongest tool, I was told to write because I have something to say and
indeed I did. For the third essay I had to write an ethnography on a cafe. I started with a strong
foundation using Although, should, and because to clearly state my idea and points. Using
transition words at the start of my paragraphs made my essay flow effortlessly. I had previously
learned from my 1114a class to not let quotes overpower my ideas and how to organize my
thoughts. In this essay the walls of my house included concrete details, examples, and quotes
that supported my ideas, which made my walls sturdy. For my conclusion I kept it short and
simple but enough to remind the reader about the topic and to hold everything together.
I began with a pencil and a voice, now I end my semester with three essays that express
what I have to say. I will not argue that Im not the best writer but that I am a better writer than
when I started this semester. One thing that I learned is not to be scared to write, not everyone
will like what I write, or how I write it, but there will always be one person that will, and that one
person will relate and be inspired just the way I was inspired from a couple stories from the book
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New Voices. I leave this class with an open mind and clear understanding on how to build a well
constructive essay.