Final Portfolio

English 150 Section 800

Greg Dittman

Table of Contents
Authors Note........................................................................................................3
Where I am From...................................................................................................4
All Writers Are Created Equal..........................................................................5
Am I Grown Up Yet?...........................................................................................13
Writing Excerpts.................................................................................................21
Writing Prompt......................................................................................................... 21
Writing Prompt 10....................................................................................................22
Discussion Board 2..................................................................................................24
Writing Prompt 15....................................................................................................26
Reflection Letter..................................................................................................27

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 Authors Note

In this portfolio, you will find a lengthier and revised Where I am From Poem.

By revising this poem, I hope to paint a better image of where I am from in the

readers mind. Also, you will find several extensive essays that endured critical

revisions, peer editing, and the addition of images to further my validity. Both essays

seek to inform and enlighten the reader into thinking beyond the status quo and peer

into their sense of unknown. Although my writing may be read with disagreement, I

hope to earn the moments in which the reader thinks to his or herself in

inquisitiveness towards my portrayed ideas. Following each essay is an image that

hopes to capture the underlying idea in the essay. After the essays, I use excerpts of

other writings given in the class. Of these writings in class, I use three writing prompt

excerpts and a discussion board excerpt. The portfolio concludes with a letter of

reflection and forward looking.

By reading this portfolio, I hope to encourage you as a teacher by representing

you and your influence on my writing. I hope to leave you with a positive outlook on

the quality and improvement of work that can be completed by an amateur writer in

the course of five weeks. I urge you to get comfortable, drink a hot cup of coffee, and

enjoy the finished work of my final portfolio.

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 Where I am From

I am from the rays of the sun, gently touching the grass

Receding into darkness

I am from the laughs shared after a filling meal

Smiling from the people around me

I am from the sweat off a drooping brow

Succumbed by immense goals and desire

I am from the moments before waking

In the midst of the deepest of dreams

Yearning to dream but ready to awake

I am from the walk down the beaten path

To my brick house hidden in the trees

To my loving family

To my happiness

I am from this world and I am happy

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 All Writers Are Created Equal

The Declaration of Independence states, all men are created equal. Under

our uniform governing body this statement holds true-- or at least I hope to believe.

But no member of mankind was born identical to another. I rely on the practice of

individuality. Simply put--I believe humans are born unique. Each human being is

born with different strengths, weaknesses, passions, beliefs, and more. Somewhere

along the path of history, the mistaken belief that all humans are born with equal

capability of writing was originated. Respectfully, I disagree. With further

investigation and analysis, I hope to unravel the misstated idea that all writers are

created equal and urge the reader to explore the uniqueness of individuality in the

millions of writers across the world.

I discovered this myth in a class reading titled, Myths of Writing by Frank

Smith. Smith claims that a writer is a special kind of person as a myth. Stating

there is no evidence that writers are any more intelligent, sensitive, talented,

dedicated, disciplined, or persevering than people who do not write. (Smith, 28).

Interested by the boldness of this proclamation, I felt inclined to investigate its

validity. To establish a conclusive counterargument, Smiths defense of his alleged

myth must be displayed. Smith claims that writers come from all different types of

backgrounds that there is no predisposition genetic influence toward writing, and that

children are born with equal talking and writing capability. To present a persuasive

dissertation, I will first argue the nature and nurture standpoint of enhancing writing,

then I will decipher students enjoyment of writing--as a subject--at a young age and a

matured age, and then I will analyze differentiation and its effect on writing.

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 To begin, let us investigate the nature argument of individuality and developing

ones strengths. As a fraternal twin, I share much but not all of the genetic makeup

as my brother. Growing up, we did everything together. We ate the same meals,

wore the same clothes (literally), had the same bedtime, etc. However, throughout

the course of our childhood, it became very clear that we were both born with

different strengths. I excelled in math while he struggled. On the flip side, he thrived

in history classes while I struggled. Even though we grew up in the same learning

environment and experienced the same academic environment, we became aware

that we were born different. My twin brother and I realized that we had to work

harder at different subjects to become equal again. According to Robert Plomin, a

professor of genetics at Kings College London, around 60% of differences in

educational testing results can be explained by genetic factors with the same genes

responsible for math, science and the humanities. The differences in our genetic

makeup helped diverge our strengths even though we grew up in a nearly identical

fashion. I believe that by being exposed early on to a situation involving like-minded

people with different strengths, I learned a valuable lesson on individuality. Despite

identical upbringing, uniqueness and individuality through genetics prevails.

Nonetheless, if you were to gamble on my NBA hopes before I attended

college, you would be a fool. Genetically, I am of average height and I possess

minimal skill in basketball. According to The Boston Globe, the chance of someone

my height making the NBA is a fraction of a fraction percent. The chance of

someone going to the NBA if they are 7 feet or taller? The answer is a staggering 17

percent. (The Boston Globe). Each 7 footer is born genetically predisposition to

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have a better chance of making the NBA. Our minds work the same. Each person is

born with an innate ability to excel in different areas of education. Ive excelled at

math but struggled in science. Its not a matter of which subject I put more time into

but rather my minds ability to understand and comprehend the information. People,

like myself, are born genetically predisposition to excel in certain areas including

writing.

Now that weve depicted natures view on individuality and ones development

of strengths, we must analyze nurtures viewpoint. Donald Clifton, a famous

American psychologist, discovered the importance of human individuality. By

recognizing the different strengths found in humans, Clifton created a psychological

assessment called the Clifton StrengthsFinder. However, this assessment didnt

find strengths, it found talents. Clifton created a formula, stating Strength = Talent *

Investment. This leads me to analyze the importance of investment in order to be

successful in writing. Compare me to the best student in this class. Is this student

an English or Literature major? Does this student write daily? Most likely. Now

compare me to someone who is illiterate. Is my writing better? Of course, because

he or she cannot or simply does not write. This leads me to emphasize the

importance of time and commitment. To be a good writer you must be willing to

invest time of your day to better your writing. Now consider this, why is someone a

better writer than you if he or she invests the same amount of time into writing as

you? No longer is the psychologists argument able to answer individuality solely on

the nurture standpoint. Assuming certain children are born better at writing than

others, childrens views of writing must be addressed.

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 Thus, we must evaluate the view of writing at a young age and decipher it.

Children are now being taught to write as early as age 6. In a study by MediaMark

Research Inc, when asked, what is your favorite subject in school? only 4.2% of

boys and girls ages six through eleven said that Reading & Writing was their

favorite. (MediaMark Research Inc.). Perhaps burdened by the difficulty of learning

how to write in an increasingly digital age, children are growing up with a disinterest

in writing. So what makes that 4.2% different? Certain children are born with the

ability to write better and enjoy it while doing so. Now picture someone growing up

who was known for loving and excelling at writing. Perhaps this was you. For me, it

was a girl named Chloe Kessler. By the time we were in 4th grade, she had already

written a 100-page story. Listening to the teacher read her work left many students,

including myself, in awe of her natural ability to write. Writing played an important

role in her life and it was clear she was born with an incredible ability. Although

Chloe consistently impressed the rest of the class to work harder and longer on

written assignments, writing remained difficult for me and the majority of my

classmates and, as a result, hard to enjoy. It became clear that writing was not my

favorite subject or my peers. The majority of my peers and I were born with a

dissimilar capability of writing as Chloe and so we began to resent writing. That

being said, our dislike in writing originated by our differences from our peers abilities--

whether they were better or worse.

As I grew older and became more efficient at writing, writing became an

instrumental part of my life. Each class I took involved some level of writing and,

thus, proficiency was key. However, unlike elementary and middle school, high

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school demanded stellar grades and required A+ papers. Therefore, I adapted my

writing style to match my graders grading criteria. My writing became no longer

unique as I had conformed to everyone around me. Together my peers and I created

writing that lacked originality, creativity, and effort, and we knew that. According to

Lucille McCarthy, in A Stranger in Strange Lands, Dave (the study participant)

exhibited consistent ways of figuring out what constituted appropriate texts in each

setting, in his terms, of figuring out what the teacher wanted. Like Dave and

myself, older students have learned to write to please rather than to enlighten.

Perhaps unintentionally, older students have created the perfect scenario of

displaying writing without individuality, coming from writers born with the same

capabilities.

So consider this miniscule possibility that all people were indeed born with

equal capabilities, assuming maximization of our capabilities occurred, writing would

be the same style, context, and quality. In other words, writing would lack

differentiation and the statement writers are created equal would not be a myth. But

because people are born with different thresholds of writing, differentiation has

occurred and continues to occur. America has experienced different eras of writing--

each of which revolutionized writing at the time. From the beginning of American

literature to the Enlightenment era to todays Contemporary era, writing has

continued to evolve with unique elements that each writer brings to the table. These

eras would not exist if all writers possessed the same writing ability. German

philosopher Immanual Knott writes, What is enlightenment? [...] Dare to know! Have

courage to use your own reason! (History.com). By encouraging other writers to

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explore beyond the status quo, Knott sets the precedence for writing to act as a

catalyst to spark new writing eras. Through this all, history has proved to us that

individuality in writing can be remarkable and revolutionary.

Frank Smith claims that all people have the ability to be a writer, there is only

one difference between a writer and a non-writer is a writer writes, adding detail to

his idea that all writers are created equal. However, I believe writers have to be born

with stronger traits than just a proficient writing ability. A career in writing is difficult

and unstable. According to Jeff Goins, author of The Art of Work, your good is not

good enough for the publishers, writing can make you very lonely, and you have to

pay your dues. To extend writing beyond a hobby and avidly pursue writing as a

career, you must possess many different strengths. You must be resilient and never

accept rejection even after your publisher rejects your latest work time and time

again. You must be humble and accept the fact that much of a writers career goes

unknown until a big breakthrough. You must be organized and focused. Each day

you must start where you last picked off and put in a solids day work. Above all else,

you must be patient. Patient because someday all your hard work will pay off.

Clearly, to be a writer you must possess more than just the ability to write well.

Writers are born with strengths far and wide between, adding to the exclusivity and

uniqueness of the writing fraternity.

To recap, Frank Smith claims that a writer is not a special person and no

different than a non-writer. To be considered special you must be different. I believe

that good writers are not created equal but, instead, are created special. They were

born with a mind that could handle the immense struggles, challenges, and hardships

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that a writing career might encounter. Writing is not a burden to them but an

enjoyment. I am a strong believer that you like things because you are good at them,

not the other way around. Writers love to write because they realize they are good at

it. Through investment and development of their natural talent, writers transform

writing into strength. By doing so, writers have created an intangible asset held by

the special and unique few. Thus, we must conclude that all writers are most

certainly born different.

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 Works Cited

US Const., art. 1, sec. 1. Print.

Smith, Frank. Myths of Writing. New York: National Council of Teachers of

English. 1981. Print.

Lazdowski, Paul. 7-footers: 17-percent chance of playing in NBA. The Boston

Globe. The Boston Globe, 9 March 2014. Web. 24 July 2015.

Kelly, Anne. More Children Enjoy Math than Reading & Writing---Including Girls

MediaMark Research, Inc. 28 August 2007.

Devlin, Hannah. Genes influence academic ability across all subjects, latest

study shows. theguardian. 23 July 2015. Web. 26 July 2015.

Enlightenment. History.com. n.d. Web. 27 July 2015.

McCarthy, Lucille. A Stranger in Strange Lands: A College Student Writing

across the Curriculum. National Council of Teachers of English. October

1987. Web. 26 July 2015.

Goins, Jeff. 5 Hard Truths About Writing. goinswriter.com. n.d. Web.

27 July 2015.

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 Am I Grown Up Yet?

As a child, I spent each day imagining what life would be like once I grew up. I

had everything planned out: the nice car, the perfect education, and, of course, the

hot girlfriend. I couldnt wait to grow up. As Ive gotten older and older, I wonder to

myself am I grown up? I now realize that I never understood or formulated a

definition of what it meant to grow up. After all, I have yet to receive a maturation

epiphany or some letter in the mail stating that Ive grown up. When I was a child,

growing up was based off multiple factors. First, it was based off my age. I had to be

in college to be a grown up. Second, I had to have life figured out and I mostly

believed that to do this you must be have a significant amount of material items (i.e.

house, car, etc.). Finally, I didnt have to ask questions anymore. After all, why would

I ask questions if I was already grown up and knew all the answers?

Clearly, my view of growing up was thwarted and nave. As I continued to age,

I experienced learning events, gained role models, and steadily shifted from a self-

focused lifestyle to a big-picture oriented lifestyle. Through my physical and

emotional maturations of growing up, I now believe growing up can be defined- much

differently from my childhood perception. To be considered grown up, I believe an

individual must consistently focus on the bigger picture rather than solely promoting

self-interests. These self-interests are appealing but its effects are not lasting.

Given the conciseness of my definition of growing up, I conclude that not all

adults have grown up. Growing up often occurs but not always. Growing up can

happen at any point of someones life even in the later years of ones life. In other

words, I believe there is no defining age where someone can be labeled a grown up.

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To grow up, you must be given opportunities to prove you have done so. You must

consistently stand true to each opportunity given and develop your character

continually. Without doing so, you have never grown up.

I believe that at an early age children are unable to grasp the bigger picture.

The bigger picture can mean a lot of different things to you and me, however. For

example, you might learn to shut your mouth when arguing with your mother because

you know that your relationship with her is much more important than winning a

temporary, futile argument. In this example, you displayed ability to battle your

temporary self-rewarding emotions in order to promote a collective, more rewarding

experience for you and others down the road. By being able to control your emotions

and use humility, you have displayed growing up potential. However, I believe this

refrainment must be consistent. Without consistency nothing is definable. By being

consistent and proving your newfound lifestyle day in and day out, you are able to

show that this is who you are and this is now a part of your identifiable character.

Only once you reach a level of consistency will you be considered a grown up.

Our societys definition of growing up overlaps mine but there

are substantial differences. For instance, societys definition of

growing up includes physical maturation or, furthermore, a literal take

on the phrase growing up. Meet Girija Srinivas. From the looks of

this picture, you would be no fool to assume she was a toddler.

However, Girija is 19 years old. Girija suffers from a rare medical

condition called congenital agenesis of the bones, which has led to

her body failing to develop and grow properly. (DailyMail.com). If youre curious to

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how I found this picture I simply googled teenage toddler. Google doesnt

recognize 19-year-old Girija as an adult but instead uses the adjective teenage and

the noun toddler to describe her. Society has ignored her attainment of adulthood

even though the law recognizes her as an adult. Girija has not let her physical

disadvantages get the best of her. She has begun a career in artwork and has set a

goal of living independently. She admits to being bullied Girija Srinivas (above)
suffers from a rare
disorder that doesnt
significantly but she states, I am not sad for being too small and allow her to physically
mature.
unable to walk or move like a normal person. Throughout the

course of her life, Girija has proven that she is able to mature and grow up despite

society labeling her as a toddler.

Now that weve concluded that my definition of growing up can include those

that are unable to physically grow up, lets analyze people who arent able or

unwilling to grow up emotionally. Behavioral psychology addresses this issue and

informs us that an individual can be of a high age and still lack fundamental adult

qualities.

Hes a man because of his age; a child because of his acts. The man wants

your love, the child your pity. The man yearns to be close, the child is afraid to

be touched. If you look past his pride, youll see his vulnerability. If you defy his

boldness, youll feel his fear. (The Peter Pan Syndrome).

Peter Pan Syndrome prohibits physically mature individuals to display consistent

forward-looking ideas but, instead, induces selfish desires. However, society would

claim that these individuals have indeed grown up but just dont act grown up. I

believe that these individuals never experienced proper guidance from a role model.

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 Role models are older individuals that are able to connect with you through

empathy and understanding. By doing so, role models are able to create a

relationship fused by trust and respect. A role model can be a coach, family member,

friend, teacher, and the list goes on. Despite the endless number of possible role

models, each role model shares and displays a common goal. This goal is the

wellbeing and the betterment of the individual they have inspired. By having their

best intentions, role models understand the importance of furthering the childs ability

to grow up. The child is able to see firsthand an example of someone (the role

model) who already has grown up and is able to emulate what he or she sees and

now knows. This emulation is a critical piece in a childs development in order for he

or she to understand the importance of others over self-indulgence. By being

encouraged to better him or herself, the child learns to attain a bigger picture lifestyle

and recognize growing up potential.

Unfortunately, not all individuals are blessed to have a role model in their life.

Depending on the environment that a child is born into, role models can vary greatly.

I believe that parents possess a great ability towards becoming a role model early on

to their children. By teaching them and raising them, parents have an incredible

opportunity to help their children recognize their growing up potential. Unfortunately,

divorces are becoming more common than ever and many children lose a pivotal role

model in their life early on. According to The Princes Trust Youth Index, young

people without a positive figure of the same gender are 67% more likely to be

unemployed than their counterparts. They are also significantly more likely to stay

unemployed for longer than their peers. The report goes on to say that young men

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with no male role models are 50% more likely to abuse drugs and young females in

the corresponding position are significantly more likely to drink in excess.

(DailyMail.com). This report details the importance of having a role model in a childs

life. Without a role model, the child is at an increased risk in abusing drugs and

losing jobs down the road. Given this spiraling down path, it is clear that attaining a

role model is pivotal in positioning an individual in a positive, encouraging

environment. If completed, the individual will be able to focus on the bigger picture

rather than focusing on just him or herself and barely getting by.

It is hard to believe that I am a sophomore in college and according to most (at

least the state of Nebraska) have either grown up or will grow up upon completion of

my education. Many people believe that the end of the road of education marks the

end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood. So the length of my education

correlates to my success on growing up. Under minimal magnification this belief

seems quite plausible. If I graduate from high school and attain my GED and work at

a car shop at age 19, I am expected to be more of an adult than a 19-year-old

college student. Why? Because my educational path is completed. However, this

belief has many dependent variables and flaws.

First off, college is not for everyone. If my dream is to be a fly fisherman then I

dont need college but that does not make me less of an adult than someone who

received a degree. Second, college is extremely expensive and sometimes

unattainable. If my family was unable to afford college, I would then have to find

work early on and possibly attend college down the road. Finally, college isnt

emphasized in homes lacking a role model. Only 54% of children whose parents

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didnt attend college are attending college while 82% of children whose parents

attended college have enrolled in college. (CollegeBoard). Clearly, 1 st generation

college students are at a greater risk towards not attaining their college degree.

Given all these flaws in the view completing higher education results in adulthood,

we must consider an alternative and less specific definition towards achieving

adulthood.

In the end, growing up is very difficult to grasp. We all say we have done so

but sometimes deep down we know we havent. To grow up doesnt mean you have

to lose your childhood. In fact, growing up allows you to embrace your childhood

self-but in a controlled manner. The term growing up can be subjective and molded

into a definition that you feel best describes your life. If you believe that going to

college propels you into adulthood, fine. If you think theres a magic age you must

turn in order to be an adult thats okay. If you think it is an individuals ability to

become self-dependent thats perfectly fine too. Growing up may never be

specifically defined but I believe my definition provides proper parameters to coral

many different definitions into one basic yet agreeable definition. Growing up is the

ability one shows in consistently focusing on the bigger picture rather than strictly

focusing on his or her self-betterment. In the end, growing up must be sought after

and achieved. Given my definition of what it means to grow up, growing up must be

learned before it is earned.

Im a grown
up!
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 Works Cited

The 19-year-old trapped in the body of a two-year-old. Davies, Madlen.

DailyMail.com, 7 April 2015. Web. 5 August 2015.

Teenagers without parental role model are 67% less likely to get a job. Ellicott,

Claire. DailyMail.com, 29 December 2010. Web. 7 August 2015.

Kara Balemian, Jing Feng. College Board AP Annual. First Generation

Students: College Aspirations, Preparedness, and Challenges. 2013.

Print.

Peter Pan Syndrome. Beaumont Psychological Services. N.d. Web. 6 August

2015.

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21
 Writing Excerpts

Writing Prompt

Sherman Alexie provides credibility about discussing life on an Indian Reservation

because he grew up on one. By growing up on a reservation, Sherman was able to

experience firsthand the education, living environment, and social quo that Indian

boys experience daily by living on the reservation. He came off as knowledgeable by

using empathy considering he experienced the same things that Indian children

experience now. He also was very educated by reading so many books, so he is

able to dictate his thoughts clearly at such a young age and then he is able to write

them down well now that he is a writer. Shermans reputation conveys an authority

as the final paragraph (of the article) says that he guest teachers for an Indian

Reservation School and the room is packed with children, most of whom are excited

to learn.

Shermans intentions are to inform the outside world of what occurs inside an

Indian Reservation. Ive been to Walt Hill, Nebraska and I have seen the poverty, the

devastation, and the complacency that occurs at an Indian Reservation. However, I

wasnt able to experience the social quos or the educational/familial environments

that Sherman was able to for his childhood. Sherman does not blame the outside

world but he does shine a light on non-Indian views. He states, as Indian children,

we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Sherman defends his people and

hopes to provide a change in perspective for people like me on what its like to live on

a reservation.

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Writing Prompt 10

Recurrence is categorized by repetition, in particular. (Dictionary.com). I

believe that writing is a recursive activity because repetition is quite common in

writing. We all have a style contributed to us. I tend to write very linearly and try to

use logical versus emotional connection with the reader. We all have a vocabulary-

some greater than others. Vocabularies between different people have overlaps and

differences. By working with a limited vocabulary, you constantly use repetition in

your wording when you are writing. For example: if I wanted to describe the color of

my shoes I would write brown shoes rather than someone else who might call them

amber shoes. Recurrence activities are natural in writing but must be monitored

and revised. By reading Sommers article, I learned the importance of awareness

towards recurrence writing and the application of revision.

I found it fascinating in the article about how Sommers directly compares

writing to speech. Repetition occurs, in large part, because student writing imitates

speech; attention to repetitious words is a manner of cleaning speech. [] They

only notice repetition if they can hear it. (Sommer). I believe this is why Professor

Olivas encourages us to read out loud our essays before final submission. This

allows us to pick up on repetitions that we might have missed by simply gazing over

it. I believe my writing shows repetition in terms of the style I write and the

vocabulary that I use. I prefer to write using passivity. Interested by the boldness of

this proclamation, I felt inclined to investigate its validity. This excerpt from my essay

shows the passive style that I tend to write in. To present a persuasive dissertation, I

will first argue the nature and nurture standpoint of enhancing writing, then I will

23
decipher students enjoyment of writing--as a subject--at a young age and a matured

age, and then I will analyze differentiation and its effect on writing. Both excerpts

from my essay show recurrence in the passive style of writing I use. Passive writing

can be effective when used properly in a persuasive essay and can be seen recurring

throughout its entirety.

In my opinion, recurrence activity in writing can be positive and negative. It

can be positive by allowing the reader to gain an understanding of who the author is

and began relate to him/her. The author is able to create a writing identity unique to

him or herself. This allows us to have favorite authors. However, it can be negative if

recurrence bores the reader. Too much repetition can dull the reader to sleep and

cause them to stop reading an authors books altogether. In the end, Sommer tells

us to write with less repetition and more individuality. He writes, Good writing

disturbs: it creates dissonance. Students need to seek the dissonance of discovery,

utilizing in their writing, as the experienced writers do, the very difference between

writing and speechthe possibility of revision.

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Discussion Board 2

My favorite thing about writing is its journey. Each writer begins with a blank

sheet of paper. Perhaps intimidated by its emptiness, the writer is daunted to begin.

As the writer begins to formulate thoughts and ideas into readable lines on the

paper, a story is born. A story that is unique to the writer, alone, acting as a reflection

of the writers individualization. This story belongs to no one but the writer. In fact,

one could argue that without the writer the story would never exist. I truly believe that

writing allows people to create something that never would have been created had

they not been born. I sincerely believe that is special. Writing allows people to leave

their mark in the books of history, for people like myself to enjoy the readings of their

work, years after writer leaves this earth. Writing allows people to connect without an

interaction. Uniform and articulate words on a page, the story allows the reader to

use a lens not yet clouded by the appearance and social status of the writer.

My least favorite thing about writing is the objectivism that occurs. With

exception to standard grammar and English, there is no uniform grading criteria that

teachers can share to grade written work. Thus, grading writing is objective and

arbitrary. An A in one class could be a C+ in another depending on the teachers.

Therefore students, like me, are forced to adapt to each academic environment as

they create written work that truly doesnt represent their individuality. Many times in

my life, I have written a paper with one goal in mind: get an A. With this goal in my

head, I write to please the teacher not to unload the ideas and opinions that

originated in my head. In math class, I know what I need to do to get an A. I study

it, learn it, and I succeed at it. In writing, I have a general idea how to get an A and

25
so I write and hope. After turning in each paper of mine, I am left with doubt and fear

that the teacher wont find it appealing and will come down harsh on me, ruining my

grade in the class.

The biggest stumbling block I have as a writer is finding my own identity.

Finding an identity when writing for a different person each time is difficult. I hope to

gain feedback in this class and help develop a sense of identity myself. I plan to stick

to it as I go on throughout life. In JGEN 220, I learned that business writing is

nothing like the writing I am doing right now. As a business major, I fully accept the

idea that all the perceptions of writing I once had might be thrown out the door in

accordance to the harsh standards of business writing. Business writing lacks detail

and flow, things that I pride myself on being able to do.

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Writing Prompt 15

Donald Murray, in The Makers Eye, begins with an interesting statement. He

claims that novice writers write their first draft and consider it almost complete. The

novice writer corrects topographical errors and changes a few things and then the

rough draft is now a final draft. However, the experienced writer writes the first draft

and considers it a start to the writing process. Once the experienced writer has a

rough draft, they can begin writing. I find this a very interesting perspective on

rough drafts because I, obviously a novice writer, place heavy emphasis on my rough

draft and try to make it as close to final as possible. After reading this article, I think

the rough draft should be written with goals and ideas in mind but still have plenty of

direction to continue the paper.

The article then goes on to claim that writers who write using sparing

techniques make a big mistake. By cutting out what they deem stupid or awful,

they leave out an important voice that the reader would like to hear. In the end,

Murray claims that a piece of writing is never finished no matter how many rough/final

drafts you make. Even after publishing, authors want to make changes to their

writing. I think by having an effective rough draft and final draft process, you can be

confident that your writing is as close to finished as it will ever be.

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 Reflection Letter

Prior to taking English 150 Section 800, I had thought that I was already

finished with strictly writing classes. Writing to me wasnt fun and, subsequently, I

rarely would look forward to it. It was a chore not an enjoyment. I am majoring in

business and have taken a plethora of business core classes. Numbers, equations,

and statistics. Nothing more, nothing less. Like a robot taking class after class, I did

not enjoy my classes much like I did not enjoy writing prior to college. By taking this

class, I learned that not all classes are the same and college isnt as boring as it had

seemed to be. English 150, Astronomy, and even Pols 100 have been some of the

most fascinating classes I have taken. Although I am content with my major selection

and see myself as a businessman in the near future, I feel satisfaction and pleasure

by taking a class outside of my comfort zone such as this.

In this class, I learned about the significance of plagiarism and the devastating

effect it can have on college students like myself. After reading Plagiarism: A Misplaced

Emphasis, I believe that you selected us to read this article because plagiarism is a

difficult concept to grasp. Many students believe that copying word for word is plagiarism

but there are other types including plagiarism of ideas and plagiarism of authorship. Last

year I learned the importance of recognizing plagiarism of ideas because I didnt cite an

idea in my paper but only in my works cited. While I didnt fail the class, I received an F

on the paper and experienced a rude awakening to the emphasis on plagiarism and its

danger. I believe it is important as a writer to know the extent of plagiarism so this

grievous crime does not occur.

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 English 150 Section 800 also taught me the importance of writing a rough

draft. Prior to this class, my rough draft was nearly always my final draft with

exception to punctuation fixes and other minor updates. I learned that the rough draft

is just a start and that, because of this, it can be considered a shitty first draft.

Although that phrase could be considered a shot toward ones ego, I think it acts as

an important wake up call that essays should be fixed, changed, started over, and

even scrapped. Essays take time to write and this class proved that a essays can

even take several weeks of collaboration, advice, and helpful writing prompts to

formulate successful essays. By being put in discussion board groups, I was able to

gain insight from peers and use it in my final draft. My writing group helped me write

in a mindset that not only appealed towards the professor but towards readers my

age.

An article that helped me become a better reader in this class was The Need

for Care: Speaking onto the Page is Never Enough. I learned the importance of

preparation before reading. Before reading this article, I always jumped right into the

reading assignment and attempted to get through it as quickly as possible. Peter

Elbows article encourages us to ask ourselves questions while reading. These

questions include, How much of this advice have you heard before? If you havent

heard this advice, would it have helped you to hear it before? By being aware to ask

myself these questions while reading, I was able to read Elbows scholarly article with

better and clearer understanding. Reading of some sort has been applied in every

class I have taken in college. Needless to say, this article and the information it

supplied me is pivotal in my educational path. From this class moving forward, I plan

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to apply Elbows advice and ask myself questions continuously throughout reading. I

am excited to reading with a new outlook and a new ability for retaining the

information I read and so often forget.

Going forward, I will apply everything I have learned in this class to my

upcoming classes. First, the time management I learned by taking a class that

required at least several hours of writing and reading a day for five weeks was a skill

that is necessary for the burdens of going through college while being heavily

involved on campus, the community, and at work. Although I worked 40 hours a

week, spent several hours a day for the past two weeks visiting my sister in the

hospital, and attended fraternity events when I had time, I increased my ability of time

management and never turned in an assignment past the due date. Second, the

application of constructive feedback in my drafts was important in order to better my

writing. Although I foolishly tend to think my ideas are best, I know that the professor

and my classmates provide an incredible asset to my writing. Finally, I will use this

class as a crucial guide for the online classes that I will eventually take. I learned the

importance of checking blackboard daily, checking the professors e-mails daily, and

working ahead to prevent falling behind. All in all, English 150 Section 800 proved to

be a very beneficial and informative class for me. I recommend taking this class and

having this professor.

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