I have progressed profoundly during my experience in this class and mostly for my writing skills. Before I entered this class I only knew how to write creative stories and expository essays but I learned a completely new approach to writing. I learned how to write an effective argumentative essay throughout the span of a few months. First of all I didn't really even know what an argumentative essay was and how I was supposed to write it. However, with the process of writing two argumentative essays almost simultaneously I have definitely progressed in my skills as a diverse writer.
When I wrote essays in high school I didn't really pay too much attention to the research aspect. However, throughout this class I have learned when trying to prove a point knowing your information is definitely an advantage. The extensive amount of research we did for our argumentative essays was tedious but it definitely helped us gain a better understanding of how researching is the most important part of an argumentative essay. When arguing something you obviously need evidence and searching for other other's opinions is essential to a strong thesis.
The length of a paper was another aspect that I had to get used to. Throughout high school I stuck to the 5-body paragraph format, which is great but it does not have to be crucial in an argumentative essay. When I realized the length of our two papers had to be in between 2-4 pages I began to hyperventilate. When I write I can go on for days and write a 20-page essay yet most of it would be excess fluff that is not necessary. I learned to eliminate extra information that I did not need in my papers and that really helped me create a paper that was simple and to the point.
All in all, this class was a great experience for me to gain confidence in my writing abilities and be able to produce great papers that leave a person thinking for days or maybe even months. I really enjoyed it as a core class. I would also personally like to thank Professor Thompson for being a great, down-to-earth professor and especially cooperating with our morning classes filled with tired students who just did not want to speak.
"Proofread carefully to see if you any words out." ~Author Unknown
I'm glad to hear that you learned so much. I could see changes in your writing and attention to conciseness in your second essay. For sure, just putting in the stuff that really mattered--sometimes a difficult task to figure out. ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't see a way to add an image into the comments, so I am including a link to a funny cartoon about the 5 paragraph monster. Enjoy! http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/handouts/paragraph.html
PS. I too was one of the tired 8am-ers. I'm always up for new challenges. ;)
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