Johnson 1

Madison Johnson
Professor Julia Intawiwat
UWRT 1102 007
1 Dec. 2015
Reflection of The Essay
For my idea, I was interested how Chris McCandles anted to isolate himself from
others and from society. That brought me to the idea that people with mental illnesses are
isolated from society, however not by choice. My idea mostly stayed consistent
throughout the process of the project, but I did add a few more things in. I tied in physical
disabilities that also isolate people from society. I did this to show the different ways in
which people are isolated for different reasons.
For research I mostly ended up using the book Into the Wild, which we read in
class, and the research I found through the UNCC Library databases. I found some other
sources that I thought I would use but never ended up using them. At the time, I read
them and thought I would use them but when the paper actually was being written they
didnt seem important to the direction I was taking the paper.
While doing my research, I wasnt exactly surprised by my findings. I already had
some background information on my topic from previous assignments. However, I didnt
learn more things that I can use in other projects on similar topics. I had to expand my
research a little to bring in some contrast to the paper but otherwise I thought that the
initial direction I wanted to go was a good one.
I know you said we didnt have to write an actual essay for the essay portion of
the Extended Inquiry, however that it what I felt most comfortable writing. I am not so

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great with projects and I felt that it would be easier for me to express my intentions with
an essay rather than something like a scrapbook. And I felt that nothing else would really
fit the topic I was writing about. I wrote it informally, but my voice in writing sometimes
still comes off formally. My writing has been like that for a while and I am still growing
as a writer.
I loved my group. They really helped me out with forming my ideas. When we
originally did our brainstorming session, my paper was just a mess of ideas that I was
writing down quickly. They helped me to narrow down my topic and always gave me
good advice when I was struggling. I do wish they had given me a little more criticism
because I feel like that would have helped me as well.
I have written many research papers in my academic life. Each time I have
improved. This project has been different for me because it was so informal. It didnt
have to be a paper and the process was mostly up to us. During previous research
projects, I had been given set guidelines that I had to abide by. It was a nice change to be
able to pick certain design elements for myself.
Well for the most part I learned about Chris. Into the Wild was a major influence
in our class and it was incorporated into almost everything we did. A majority of the
research I did for my Extended Inquiry was something I was already familiar with. I also
learned about myself as a writer. I dont think I am a good writer but I learned my writing
skills are constantly growing and changing throughout my academic and personal writing
life.