Final Reflection

Looking back at my first post, the main reason why i was enrolled in English 101 was because it was a requirement. And my main goals were to become a better write and be able to understand and comprehend text more. I believe that i actually did achieve my goals. I have learned to write better because i have developed a writing process that works well for me. I dont think i would change these goals because there always is room for improvement, but i feel as what i have accomplished for now is good enough. Some weaknesses i would like to build up is probably keeping on topic. Usually when i notice a paper im writing is going to be too short, i just try to add whatever i can and sometimes it wanders off topic. And some strengths i would like to keep building is the amount of detail i put in my papers. I think it helps me be a better writer by not leaving things out and making the reader question things they arent supposed to.

Revision Essay

I am choosing to revise my 4th paper (argument analysis). Some strengths about the paper include its amount of detail. It explains everything that people reading it might have questions about. It is a topic that most people probably havent heard about, but i think i do a good enough job explaining what it is and what it does. The biggest weakness of my paper is that it is way too short. I have to work on expanding my work and possibly bringing more examples into my paper on how exactly my topic could affect people.

My Favorite Paper

I would have to say that my favorite paper i write was about the $78 million dollar bag (go figure right?). Anyways, it would have to be my favorite because i actually learned more about the topic than i previously knew. It really was shocking to find out how much money was wasted on such a minor issue. I guess you could say that i am passionate about the issue since i do think the laws against it are absolutely ridiculous. People look at the legalization of marijuana in all the wrong ways. They think when it becomes legal, all of a sudden everyone will always be high just because the fact its legal... which is not true at all. If crack suddenly became legal (for some reason) would you start doing it because its legal? No. Im sure nobody would.

Thinking Critically about Evidence

During that day in class, i was writing charts between two topics; The hidden costs of cell phone bills, and the legalization of marijuana. I barely even finished creating the chart for the cell phone topic because less than half way through i thought to myself "who the hell wants to read a paper about cell phone bills..?". I just quit at that point. After finishing the chart about marijuana, i was a little hesitant because it is completely over done. So once again, i came up with another topic. And this one i stuck with. I chose to write about Internet Piracy and the SOPA act.

-My strongest evidence would have to be explaining what SOPA  (Stop Online Piracy Act) exactly is and how it would effect everyone. This would have to be my strongest evidence because it is easily a topic that does honestly affect anyone that uses the internet.

-The weakest part of the argument might be that it might be too short. SOPA is a new bill that was proposed just this October and there isnt much detailed information about it.

Peer Review

Specifically i think peer review is a helpful step in writing a better paper. It helps the writer notice mistakes that he/she might not have seen while writing the draft. Its also a great tool to help the writer improve their paper. One way it can be improved is to make the peer review process longer. It seems to short and people do it as quickly as they can just to get it done. Some specific strengths are that it helps the writer find errors in the paper to help improve it. Something that could be considered as a weakness is that the peer review process is very short and seems its completed to just get it out of the way. I do think peer review is very helpful, but maybe get into groups of 3 that way there can be more feedback.

Patterns of Error

In my writing, i think i tend to make the mistake of wondering off the subject. Also, i might add things that are not really needed to be added just to make the paper longer. Next time while i write my draft i will work on getting the main points across first, then expanding on the subject so i can have the required length of the paper.

Argument Analysis

I chose "The $78 million bag" article. It is about how Cook County and the City spend over $78 million on arresting individuals with just possession of marijuana. John Fritchey, county commissioner, has finally realized how ridiculous that truly is. He is bringing up the idea of finally legalizing it to save the city money so it can be spent on something actually useful. The constant arrests cause prisons to get completely packed. About 23,000  arrests are made each year for possession and is the leading cause of arrest made by the CPD. Each arrest takes about 3 police hours in total from taking an individual to the station, locking him up, and completing all of the paperwork. This then accounts to over 84,000 police hours each year. Even the county commissioner, Larry Suffredin, states that each dollar that is spent on these arrests could be going toward more serious crimes. Cook County residents are paying at least $78 million a year to arrest and prosecute people caught carrying pot. And on top of that there is an extra $10 million spend to arrest, prosecute, and jail people for growing and selling.


This is the only article that actually caught my attention. I think its absolutely ridiculous that the government is still wasting millions of dollars on the "war on drugs". And the main drug is just pot. If the government finally just legalizes it, they will realize that millions of dollars that was previously wasted can now be used for something useful. As for the article itself, i feel it provides good evidence to support what is being said.

Reflecting Back

-Looking back to my first blog post, i believe that i have made improvements. I feel as if i have sort of a "routine" when it comes to writing assignments. I no longer procrastinate (as much). Also, with the help of this class, i feel as if i do not make as much errors when it comes to writing anymore. Writing drafts and having them evaluated has also helped a lot. That way i can get some feedback on my work and see areas where i need improvement.
-As for any changes in the class, i do not think that needs to happen. All assignments  are appropriate and not difficult to handle. Yes they may take some time, but if you focus on the work and keep to it, it really is not that bad.
-My writing process has not really changed much, but i noticed that i have learned to stay on track and keep focused more often. I started to write my essays early in the morning right when i wake up to help me keep on track. This way i don't tend to go watch tv or get distracted by something else.
-I do think my writing has improved. I now have a set routine that i know works for me. Also, just practicing  by writing the first drafts and then improving them with the final helps a lot as well.

Purpose: The purpose of this ad is to try and convince people how simple it is to put on their snowboard boot. It is so easy it only takes three steps ; Pull. Twist. Go. With other snowboarding boots you have to deal with tying the laces, which does takes a while.

Audience: I think its obvious that the target audience is all snowborders. This ad does not target any specific race, age, or ethnicity because anyone can snowboard.

Genre:  I would say this ad is pro-snowboarding because it shows that something like putting on boots can become even more simple. Like most snowboarding ads, there is a snowboarder in the background which may encourage some people to go out and try it.

Tone: The brownish, black, and orange colors set a warm tone. While it may not have the most vibrant colors, it does have an offset of black and white. Also, the orange kind of pops out from the white snow from the jumps.

Revisions

The biggest difference between my rough draft and my final paper is that its longer. Also, I added a few more details and events that i feel improved the paper. As for content, organization, focus, ect., that pretty much stayed the same. After revising my paper, i notice that i don't tend to explain everything that i bring up fully. I may give an example of something, but not explain what it means to me or why its important. Not only did the peer review help me revise my paper, but just reading through what i already had helped too. For my essay, i think the strongest point is the structure and detail. As for the weakest, it would have to be the focus. I tend to get off focus often and loose track.

The difference between an A paper and a C paper

1. The first thing that I think belongs in an  "A" essay is grammar. This should also be a quality that is easily obtained, especially in college. An average paper probably has 3 or more grammar mistakes while an "A" paper should have maybe one the most. Preferably none though.

2. The second thing I can think of is clarity. The paper should be clear all throughout so the reader knows whats going on. Jumping through subjects and random times will defiantly confuse the reader. If the writer wants to switch subjects in a paper, then use clear transitions.

3. And of course, details make a great paper. Without great detail, a paper will seem really boring. For example, you can say "The cymbals I ordered came in today and they look good." That seems very dull and a reader can not really imagine anything out of that. Instead, you can write "The second I opened the packaging of my new cymbals, I immediately saw my beautiful face in the reflection and clarity of the cymbal."

For me, I think clarity is the most difficult. I usually tend to wander off the subject and start describing other events and things. Its hard for me to just sit and write about only one specific topic because I find it gets boring.

The easiest thing I find doing is describing things in detail. This is because there are so many things that can be said on just about anything. I can describe the color and shapes of objects, the emotions that I or another person has felt, and even set the mood in a scene by just describing the weather or something. Its very simple.

Literacy Essay ideas

1. My first idea would be to write about how i used to go to polish school and they would make me read short stories. I was about seven years old. My mom would mainly read it to me and i would just listen, but i eventually learned to just read it myself. I also ended up hating it because everything was in polish but i got through it.
       - The downside to writing about this topic is that i barely remember it. I cant really go into much detail about what books and topics because it was such a long time ago. A pro might be that i can make it interesting because i can compare the difference between polish writing and american writing.

2. Another topic would be when i wrote my college essay. I remember thinking to myself that i have to make it perfect because whatever i write down on a piece of paper can make my whole future. I also remember writing a few first drafts and turning them in school, then afterwards completely changing it because i did not think it was good enough.
       -A pro to this is that it was very recent and i remember a lot of details. A con to this is that it will probably be a very boring topic to read and write about.

I honestly do not have a third topic in mind. I dont really remember any more experiences that have impacted me as much.

Why I am in English 101

The main reason why I am in English 101 is because its a requirement. I think it being a requirement is fine because it will help teach us better ways in writing and reading, both which are very useful in the real world. The class will teach me and everyone else useful skills to help comprehend and breakdown meanings in writings such as poems, essays, and in books. The main goal i would like to achieve throughout this class is to learn how to write better, in general, and learn how to read and understand texts more. Since i am going into computer science as a major, i wont need it as much, but if i know how to write well then it will make school assignments easier and also other writing tasks easier. The biggest difficulty I say I would have is understanding exactly what the author of a piece of work is trying to say. With this class I am looking forward to learn how to comprehend more difficult pieces of writing. This will not only help me in class, but in general reading and writing in everyday life. Maybe after this class i will learn to enjoy reading and writing more.