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Cindy Ly

English 112

Reflective Essay

June 1, 2017

Grass roots

During this semester of English 112, my writing and communication skills have

improved. Reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and Hamlet by

Shakespeare, gave me insight on the different styles of writing, point of views, and

themes. The several themes I have conveyed from the two books gives a deep

message towards life, such as love, family, power, and revenge. Life is like grass

because of interconnectivity. You cannot alter a patch of grass without it affecting the

whole. Likewise, you cannot alter a part of writing without affecting the whole essay. I

strengthened my writing like the root system of grass connecting together.

The essay I wrote to apply to the Health Sciences Academy had a very weak root

system. I had no title, I struggled to write a three-paragraph essay, and I had no idea

how to write a conclusion. I could not connect and transition my ideas smoothly. It was

until I took dual enrollment 111 and 112, my writing began to effectively improve. My

writing skills grew and flourished like newborn grass. Writing a lot of essays and reading

the books assigned has allowed me to meet my goal of improving my writing. However,

I believe that I not only grew as a writer, but as a student as well.

As a student, I was able to gain insight on life through the essays I have written,

such as the themes the books may tell the reader. In the future, I want to become a

dentist. In order to do so, I plan to major in dental hygiene or pre-medicine in Old

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Dominion University, and once I graduate with a Bachelors of Science, I plan to transfer

to Virginia Commonwealth University to go to Dental School. This education path

interconnects like grass. One root leads to another. I hope that I will continue to grow

my roots and connect to other paths learn new skills.

I am truly grateful for taking English 112. This class has encouraged me to

improve and to be confident in my writing skills. I believe that I can continue to improve

myself as a writer and as a successful individual in the future like the expansion of the

grass root system interconnecting with one another.