Katherine Martinez Martinez 1

Jon Beadle
English 115
10 December 2021
A Journey to Written Expression

I have found myself to be a good writer throughout my academic journey. Still, I was rarely allowed

to write an essay freely. I was always given a particular template, structure to follow. I was even told

how many body paragraphs I had to write. I eventually became an expert and would earn A’s and B’s

for following a template. I never realized how restricted my writing had become until I took this

course. I remember first being assigned “Project Space Prompt” and thinking the prompt was easy

and I would have no trouble writing the essay. I was wrong. I earned a 77 on my first essay and was

so upset and confused about why. I read my feedback, and I reviewed my paper, and rather than

looking at this as an opportunity for growth, I became ashamed that I didn’t do better. “Why not at

least a B?” I didn’t understand. I soon learned through my feedback that I failed to explain myself in

the thesis and created an ineffective body structure. I also strived too far from the main focal point

in each of my body paragraphs instead of focusing on one specific idea. I soon learned that I needed

to keep my focus on the points that I mention in my thesis to properly structure my paper. Then,

“Project Text Essay” was then assigned, and I was terrified and doubtful. I wanted to make myself

proud by at least achieving a B. I revised my essay and went as far as booking an appointment to the

LRC. I received an 82. I was still a little disappointed. I am not saying a B isn’t a good grade, but I

bullied myself into thinking I should’ve done better. After reviewing, my feedback I realized that my

essay failed to follow a logical structure and I failed to clearly state my counterargument. Again, I

wasn’t following a structure that flowed with my essay, instead, I was following the template that I
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had been following for the majority of my academic life. After discussing our essays, I learned that

our thesis is basically the roadmap to our essays. Our essays must structure around our thesis’s and I

wasn’t doing that through my essays. Finally, “Project Media Prompt” was assigned. This prompt

was different from any other prompt I was given to write. I was supposed to analyze a form of

media and write about it, but I didn’t know how to do that exactly. After taking into consideration

my mistakes from my past papers, I made sure my thesis provided a roadmap to my body

paragraphs and I attempted to clearly state my counterargument. I loved writing, analyzing, and

structuring my “Project Media Essay.” It was so different, and it provided a lot of room for

self-expression and analysis. I was still a little fearful about receiving an unsatisfactory grade. Still, I

remained positive and continued to believe in my writing ability. I decided to write my essay on one

of my favorite kid’s movies, Tangled (2010). Tangled is an underrated film that provides viewers

with the idea of self-discovery and happiness. The same journey I went through while taking this

course. In the end, I received an 84 in my final “Project Media Essay”. After reviewing my feedback I

found that I still need a little more work on my argument and possibly adding a little more context

to my analysis. But I was really proud of myself, my progress was clearly shown through my past

grades. Similar to Rapunzel, I began my journey thinking I was a good writer, but through each

unsatisfactory grade and setback, I learned that I have so much more room for improvement. My

biggest obstacle is myself. If this class has taught me anything, it’s a setback that isn’t a failure but an

opportunity for growth. A crucial lesson all good writers must learn and take into account when

analyzing, structuring, and expressing any work of literature. Through this class, I was introduced
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to the LRC, which if it hadn’t been for that mandatory meeting with the LRC, I probably would’ve

never become familiar with its services. After every essay, my grade improved; I began with a 77 in

“Project Space Essay,” which ended with an 84 in “Project Media Essay” and an overall grade of

85.75%. The progress I’ve made from doubting my ability to write or to even improve to learning

that a setback only creates room for growth and improvement. I can confidently say that I have

improved as both a writer and a student, an achievement that I believed to be impossible at one

point.