Amos 1

Natalie Amos
Professor Sipin
English 211
4/26/15
On Writing
Words influence and shape nearly every aspect of the human experience and
the mastery of language can give a person a higher degree of power over the world around them.
During this semester, which has now come to an end, I have taken the course English 211 and
have striven to improve my writing skills, and thus my control of the English language, as the
course has progressed. I have learned to use double-consciousness during the writing process, to
utilize the concept of think-feel, I have come a step closer to perfecting my ability to use
rhetorical strategies, such as ethos, logos, and pathos to successfully construct an argument, and I
have enhanced my ability to do research. Each of the assignments I was given helped me on this
road of progress gave me a chance to practice and improve these new and old skills which will
continue to be important throughout the rest of my life.
In the low-writing component of the assignments that I have completed this
semester, the blogs that I have written have done quite a bit to enhance my ability to think
critically and look at scenarios in a new light using think-feel and double consciousness. The
questions posed in the prompts involved analyzing many different concepts, such as love,
feminism, ethics, and religion. Many times, in order to answer these prompts, I had to question
my own beliefs and ideas which not only improved my writing skills, but also helped me to gain
a better of my own sense of morality and understanding of the world as a whole. The third, fifth
and seventh blogs were particularly influential in this process as they caused me to scrutinize my

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religious beliefs and what it means to me to be a woman. These blogs have allowed me to gain a
better sense of my own reality.
The first paper I wrote for Professor Sipins English class was an
Ethnoautobiography that truly helped me to better understand myself, which is an incredibly
essential step to mastering the think-feel and double-consciousness, as one can only truly
comprehend the struggles of others once they comprehend that which is inside themselves. For
several years, I have been going through English classes and learning, slowly but surely, how to
master the use of rhetorical strategies and the second paper assigned to the class truly helped me
on this continuing journey as it forced me to analyze an article on a very controversial topic,
abortion, and use my knowledge of ethos, logos, and pathos to illuminate what a powerful
argument the article presented. The art of doing research was another talent that I have improved
upon and the third and fourth paper assignments in English 211 were incredibly helpful in
allowing me to do so, by forcing me to carefully consider each step of the process and then to
apply it in an actual research paper. Each of these high-writing assignments have been incredibly
useful in my learning process throughout this semester.
Even with the combination of these high and low writings that I have
discussed, there are, of course, still ways in which my writing skills can be enhanced. I still, on
occasion, struggle with the mechanics of my essays and providing my audience with a smooth
reading experience. The transitions between the ideas in my paper are sometimes rough and jar
the reader out of the flow of my words. I also have had difficulty fully explaining the points
within my papers when I am writing on something that I am very familiar with, but that is not as
commonly known to the public. Both of these issues have troubled me for years, but with

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continued practice in writing and by gathering as much outside feedback as possible, I can
continue to develop my writing capabilities and eventually overcome them.
These tools which this class and its assignments have given me are
incredibly useful and will continue to be important throughout the rest of my life. I have a great
interest in psychology and art and in any career path that I might take in these fields can only be
benefitted by the mastery of these skills. Psychology and art both require the ability to
understand humanity and the struggle that each person goes through, to be able to form and
argument, whether it be in writing or on a canvas, and to be able to do the process of research so
that I can better understand my area of interest. Learning each of these skills is a wonderful
opportunity for me and this class has only aided me on my path towards the future.