Carsten Rauh

ENGL 1010-013
Dr. Jeffrey Greenwell
April 26, 2015

Creating my position synthesis was a good learning experience. The process involved
will also be very useful for future writing assignments. What seemed like a big project was more
easily managed by taking things one step at a time by choosing a topic, researching the topic,
writing an annotated bibliography, and then putting it all together. Once I had chosen a topic, I
found the annotated bibliography most useful. The process of selecting sources and making
annotations helped me gain knowledge of my topic. Having all the information needed to form a
good argument already available in my annotations was very helpful in the writing process.
The position synthesis allowed me to write a paper from an academic standpoint. Anyone
can have an opinion on a topic, but to qualify your stated position with facts is a much more
rewarding experience. Taking an intellectual stance on a topic requires research and analysis.
These not only allow you to learn about your topic, but may expose you to views or arguments
you may not have considered before. This allows not only for a more effective paper, but also for
personal growth and understanding on the issue.
I was able to learn a lot about my chosen topic. I examined the subject of firearm death
rates and whether access and regulation have effects on those rates. I must confess that I knew
very little on the topic before starting this paper. The fact that there is evidence to show a major
decline in gun deaths where more gun laws and diminished access to firearms exists seems to
make a lot of sense to me. What I found surprising, though, was never part of my intended

research, and that is how well data on gun violence have been suppressed by the pro-gun lobby
and how little dialog actually exists on making firearms ownership safer.
I was not only able to learn about gun deaths, but also that as a writer I am quite
comfortable with writing a research based paper. I think that I have a natural aptitude for letting
data lead me to conclusions and sharing that conclusion with the reader. I have always preferred
an argument that relies on statistics rather than opinion. I think this can be seen throughout my
paper. I prefer to let the data do the talking because it is a good tool for persuasion. I did deviate
from this tactic in my counterargument though. The reason for this was because there was a lack
of credible evidence to support the counterargument. Instead, I had to argue that the lack of
evidence was good evidence.
Overall this class was a good experience and I look forward to using all the tools and
skills acquired in this class in my future academic pursuits. Having a better understanding of
writing will help me in all my future writing endeavors both privately and in the world of
academia.