End of Term Self-Reflection Essay

Improvement in Writing Abilities

Since the beginning of the term, as a college student, my writing abilities have progressively gotten better. I’ve learned the value of critical thinking and the elements of a composition from taking English 16. A strong essay has a clearly defined structure, analysis, supporting details, a question or issue, and a thesis statement. In essay writing, I am able to employ skillful and active assessment, synthesis, analysis, and conceptualization of information. In English 16, we evaluated a number of words and ideas, including hierarchy and reliable sources. Because I was able to engage in discussions and review my conceptual terms, this training helped me develop as a writer. This reflection essay will focus on my writing process, research choices, organization, and MLA style.

Adding Personal Experience

I would like to add the aspect of the personal experience to sophisticate my arguments in the essays slightly into how literature can be interactive and social with people. I will accomplish this by introducing hypertext in my writing as an example of making my essay social through the interaction of the reader. Moreover, hypertext is an example indicating how writing is extremely creative since it provides several ways of expressing oneself in literature. Another aspect that I should focus to improve my essay is talking to the reader more directly and transitioning from paragraph to paragraph. In the two essays, I tried rewording the opening and closing sentences and rearranging paragraphs to communicate to the reader more directly. To talk to the reader directly, I need to add some meta-text expressions in my essays.

Addressing Run-on Sentences

The problem of run-on sentences in my essays can be solved when I focus on sentence structure. This issue can be addressed by proofreading my paper, breaking up sentences with several components, and placing commas properly. I should also work on ending my essay on a positive note by introducing a strong conclusion. In the essays, I have placed so much stress on having a thesis statement at the beginning. In the two essays tried not to avoid a strong conclusion that will compliment the thesis.

Research Choices

On the issue of research choices, I used credible sources that readers can trust in both essays. English 16 has taught me about several types of credible sources like websites from credible institutions, and journals by authors who are respected in their particular fields. I also learned about the two types of sources, the primary and secondary sources. A primary source is a work which was created or written during the time of the study, while a secondary source provides analysis and interpretation of a primary source. These sources can be used for writing all types of essays including descriptive, narrative, persuasive, and analytical (Dastjerdi, Hossein, and Samira, 66).

Organization in Essays

The two essays have been organized and structured in three main parts. The three parts include the introductory paragraph, main points, and the concluding paragraph. The introductory paragraph outlines and describes the subject of the essay and constitutes a thesis statement giving the reader a sneak peek at the key points to be covered in the essay. The main points form the supporting materials that constitute the substance of the essay. The concluding paragraph is similar to the introductory paragraph as it reiterates the thesis statement and summarizes the most important points. I have formatted the two essays in MLA style incorporating in-text citations and other MLA guidelines such as page numbers of the sources. I have also used relevant examples in supporting my arguments.

Choice of Essays

Proposal to muzzle a dog and Jumpman are the essays that I chose to write. I chose to write a proposal to muzzle a dog because I wanted to communicate to dog owners who do not muzzle a habit that I encounter on a weekly basis as I exercise. Proposal to muzzle a dog is a persuasive essay to convince my readers to accept my recommendation and muzzle their dogs to reduce incidents of dog attacks. This essay made it easy for me to present my arguments and communicate vividly without equivocation why my view is correct. I chose to write about Jumpman because I love the brand and I wanted to inform my audience about it. This essay presented an opportunity for me to explain the topic using examples, statistics, and facts.

Thesis Statements

In the Jumpman essay, I incorporated a thesis statement which is supported by arguments in the entire work. The thesis statement was about the causes Jumpman’s brand a success which includes Nike’s marketing campaign and the achievements of Jordan on the court. The thesis statement is summarized in conclusion with a supportive statement that regards the Jumpman brand as a class act. In the proposal to muzzle a dog I started by notifying the reader on the purpose of the essay. In the body of the essay, I have argued about the dangers of failing to muzzle dogs and supported my arguments by research I conducted and other credible observations. For instance, I researched on the seriousness of dog attacks in U.S.

Works Cited

Dastjerdi, Hossein Vahid, and Samira Hayati Samian. “Quality of Iranian EFL learners’ argumentative essays: Cohesive devices in focus.” Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 2.2 (2011): 65-76.