Samuel Woodland

Professor Connelly
English 2
December 4 2016

Dear Anya,
I want to thank you for a very informative semester; I have learned valuable life
lessons when it comes to rhetorical analysis and evaluating text and ads for their
explicit and implicit meanings. By annotating L&CR, The invisible Gorilla and the
writings of Gloria Anzaldua, I was able to strengthen my ability to identify the
explicit and implicit values and assumptions in the writings of others. You also gave
me an assignment that allowed me to critically examine my own response to
controversial issues and express my opinion in class discussions and a formal
writing assignment. In fact, it would be through the three major writing assignments
given to us that I was able to accomplish the student-learning outcome dealing with
writing skills. The practice of writing and revising my papers helped me to
demonstrate control over college-level writing skills. Of significant help to my
completion of this SLO was the peer letters and revision plans. The research paper
tied all the work done over the semester together for me. I only wish I had more
time to display all that I had learned about finding credible sources and effectively
integrated their information into my work while using proper citation format, on this
assignment.
When reflecting back on my participation in class discussion, I am confident that my
input was more than sufficient to reflect well on my final grade. I made a point to
take part of every class discussion while I was in class. The context of my
contribution was in line with the standard of an English 2 student, and my own
standards as well. That being noted, I did miss out on some class discussions as my
personal role as a father demanded my full attention. While I did miss 4 days of
class, which is more than I would like, I kept up with the class works and events and
turned in all my assignments in the allotted time. In the future I will continue to
strive for 100% attendance and therefore participation, but since I respect Murphys
Law I will continue to take the appropriate measures when missing class.
My final portfolio is an accumulation of a semester's worth of hard work, long nights,
annotations, and highlights. Over the last few months I have learned a great deal
about literary devices and the powers of perception. For my portfolio I chose my
research paper on technology vs humanity and my analysis on Gloria Anzaldua's
story of oppression. I chose these two because they were the assignments that
resonated the most with me in terms of bringing home what we were learning and
applying it to life. The research paper I submitted was not a finished work, so I am
excited to have the chance to finish what I started and explain the effects of robots
on our very humanity. I was so involved with my research, I was not able to
construct a coherent concept at the time it was due; however, I continued out of

intrigue and now have plenty to convey. Glorias writings inspired some strong
opinions for me; however, I was not able to articulate my opinion as well as I could
now that I have completed this semester of learning.