Maskey 1

Ruchi Maskey
Professor Collins
ENGL 1302
12 May 2016
Reflecting on my semester in 1302
Before starting ENGL 1302, I did not possess much knowledge about communicating
through academic writing. In ENGL 1301, I learned how to write in the MLA format, avoid the
use of second person, and learned about the basic format for writing a paper. After starting
ENGL 1302, I learned in depth about the different types of analyses and arguments. There were
various skills I picked up, such as proper citation, avoiding plagiarism and analyzing speeches.
My academic writing has improved this semester through the MEAL plan, ratiocination, content
and diction from essay one and two. This class has been tough and challenging, but I have
acquired many writing skills which make me feel I have become a better writer.
Essay one, which was the rhetorical analysis paper, taught me to analyze speech in detail,
and I learned more about ethical appeals such as ethos, pathos and logos. The use of the MEAL
plan was beneficial in creating content, and organizing my paragraphs. While writing essay one,
I analyzed the speech Womens Rights are Humans Rights by Hillary Rodham Clinton. This
assignment taught me to read between the lines and analyze different types of appeals and learn
about fallacies of argument. I have learned that knowing your audience and communicating
through your writing plays a huge role in academic writing. Doing peer reviews also helped me
immensely, especially on this essay. I was missing major parts of the MEAL plan, such as the

Maskey 2
main idea and analyzing arguments, while writing the rough draft. After one of my peers
reviewed the paper, she helped me improve the content and I got a better grade on it. Through
essay one, I have learned one of the most important parts of academic writing, which is
persuading the audience through emotional and logical appeal, and by building ones character
and credibility.
Essay two was my least favorite essay to write, and also the most complex one, but I feel
that I have learned more about my writing and about my strengths and weaknesses through it.
Writing an essay about causal argument and having to distinguish each type of argument from
the video was a challenge. But through the method of ratiocination, many unnecessary words and
sentences were eliminated and my paper was much more academic. I learned to do more research
on specific topics and put it in my essay and put proper citations.
Overall, this class has taught me more than just to write a paper. Various techniques and
procedures are required to write an academic paper. Some of the main skills I learned in 1302
were how to put proper citations and avoid plagiarism, write in MLA format, use the MEAL
plan, analyze texts and speeches, and most importantly avoid the use of dead words, contractions
and second person. Even though this class was challenging and I had to write way more than Ive
ever written in my entire high school career, I am glad I took this class. It taught me not only
about academic writing but also time management skills. Now I know about my strengths and
weaknesses, and also believe that I would have to take further writing classes in the future and
work harder to improve my writing skills and be a better writer.