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Reesa Raymundo

Professor Landenburg

Eng 101

Dec 11, 2021

Reflection Final Exam

● This term has been a learning experience full of stress yet satisfaction. My

strength in English 101 is the content I write for essays that meet the objective.

Another strength is my use of evidence and structure to make my essay

readable. There are some weaknesses to my work such as redundant word

choice, lack of transitions that make my paragraphs overly long and researching

efficiently. I know how to organize my paragraphs and how to write my stance.

However, I lack the strength of grammar that leads to my lack of transitions as

well. My research takes me longer than the essay itself which is a problem

because I need to manage my time.

● The strategies in this class I have learned are how to outline and do my pre-

writing. I can utilize that in any class even if it is not an essay. Another strategy I

have learned is to write rhetorically in an efficient manner. That means I have the

skill to outline certain subjects and write questions about them. Then, I can utilize

ethos, pathos, and logos to make my writing stand out. These strategies will be

useful for my other classes because I am a psychology major; there may be

instances where I will have to identify a rhetorical opportunity. I will have to utilize

these strategies to make a clear and persuasive stance on certain

● subjects. I can also use this for my future science classes that might require
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essays. It is essential to gain the pre-writing skills and how to use etho,logos, and

patho effectively. I feel like those classes will benefit from the skills used in

English 101.

● The essay I am proud of the most is the evaluation essay because it involved

writing about my favorite topic to talk about; which is anime. I also enjoyed (and

not enjoyed) the research process because I rewatched the movie, analyzed it,

and reviewed the criteria in the process. I also did other research that did not

make it to the essay but I still found it interesting nevertheless. I really enjoyed

reading articles on the process of the movie because the visuals and the

animation were amazing when I saw it in theaters. I also watched some youtube

videos analyzing the animation and art style that was inspired by the Edo period.

I overall felt like this essay was not for a grade, it was for leisure purposes. This

was an opportunity to express my hobbies and interests in an academic way

which was fulfilling. When I read my final draft, I was proud of the work because it

not only was in depth of the criteria such as the animation and analyzing the plot,

it made me realize how such films like Demon Slayer Mugen Train can have a

dynamic story that can draw anyone in emotionally.

● The essay I learned the most from was literary analysis. I did my analysis on The

Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. I wanted to analyze a darker, disney

tale because I have heard many disney movies based on darker origins. I

learned from writing this essay how to utilize figurative language in text to make

an argument about the essay’s theme. I also learned how useful annotating is for

a literary analysis. I used commentary, highlighting, and questioning to analyze

the text. It helped me use specific evidence that supported my main points.
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● 1. Throughout my writing, I have met the expectations of analyzing

rhetorical concepts such as the topic and themes of a certain subject. The

essays where I have applied this concept are the literary analysis,

evaluation, and argumentative writing. In order to write these essays

effectively, I used rhetorical concepts to better understand the formatting

of the essay.

Some of the steps I have taken to reach this expectation is by annotating

resources. This allows me to evaluate the author’s theme and their stance

on the topic. For the literary analysis, I had to reread the short story

multiple times in order to analyze its figurative language. I start by

questioning the author’s intentions and research background information

about the author. This helps me write about the hidden symbolism of the

story because of the historical context.

Another example of how I analyzed the rhetorical concepts is my

position argument essay. I researched on how college tuition should be

free to every student. This topic has two logical perspectives that made it

difficult to analyze the ethos in each argument. By determining if the

expert was demonstrating credible arguments, I analyzed if it was ethical

with accurate logos. This helps my argument sound ethical while logical.

Another way I have met this expectation is by researching more on the

author’s background and also analyzing different viewpoints to create my

rhetorical analysis. An example of this is the evaluation essay. I had to go

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more in depth of the process of the movie rather than the meaning of the

movie itself. I researched the producer, director, and animator’s point of

view. It helped me gain a better understanding of the culture of the film in

comparison to American processes. I also researched other movie

reviews who also agreed with the argument and some opposing reviews.

It helped me format a counter argument for the paper and determine what

kind of audience this movie caters to. It is important for a movie review to

not only be opinion based, but also have analyses of the process work

that make it successful as well as the audience who made it a success.

2.

● The organization and content in an essay is crucial for the reader to comprehend

what the objective is easily. It is easy to cluster plenty of information of a topic

and call it an essay. However, this can scramble the reader and can cause

confusion to how the thesis and topic sentence align. I have prevented this issue

and met the requirements because I have used pre-writing techniques, editors,

and online resources to organize my essays.

The steps I have taken to organize my essay are prewriting techniques.

My top three techniques are cluster map, listing, and freewriting. The cluster map

allows me to organize my sub-topics that align with the thesis. I start by

determining what topic would create the most content and evidence, then I draw

my supporting sentences along with the topic bubble. I start with the cluster map

because it helps me organize my paragraphs effectively. Another way I gather

ideas for an essay is listing. Whenever I have a lot of assignments for classes, I

like to list the due dates and how much time it might take me to complete. I do
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the same thing with generating ideas and topics for an essay. I start by listing

potential topics that I would like to write, the type of evidence it would need, and

the amount of time. Often the time would be inaccurate as I forgot to consider

other classes but listing would help me with ideas. However, throughout my

writing process, I would often be uncertain about the organization of the essay

and how to organize my evidence. A way I overcome this is the free-writing

technique. It allows me to overcome writer’s block and overthink about how to

organize my essay. It helped me calm my mind down with the overwhelming

feeling of being stuck on how to organize and write evidence for the topic

sentences. These techniques helped me because it made my essay cohesive

and logical while using transition words.

3.

● A way to make an essay comprehensible is the word choice, tone, and grammar

mechanics. This expectation was difficult to fulfill because I have not practiced

enough on voice tone and grammar. Throughout the writing process, I have the

tendency to use passive voice and have grammatical errors in compound

sentences. Another expectation that was difficult throughout the writing process

is word choice. The only way I could improve was to use a thesaurus to prevent

the repetitive use of words.

The steps I have taken to improve on this criteria is by relying on an editor.

I used BrainFuse online tutoring to help edit my papers. I requested that they

evaluate my grammar, organization, MLA format, and my thesis. I use this

resource instead of relying on in-person writing services because I often do not

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have time to attend a session either due to work or other circumstances. It also

allows me to read feedback anytime rather than memorizing feedback from in-

person services. The feedback from the online instructor helped me clarify any

uncertainties I may have about the essay. They also helped me with grammar

and suggestions to fix it. Another way I build a better tone and clarity is using

Grammarly. I can paste the rough draft and it would fix any grammatical errors.

Another way this online resource has helped me was pointing out sentences

where it was too wordy or insufficient compound sentences. I edit the sentences

based on the Just in Time report content that I have learned. The use of the Just

in Time report has helped me too because Grammarly has limited usage. I refer

back to the reports and attempt to fix the essay. The resources I have listed can

help anyone because some may not have anyone they know that can properly

edit the grammar issues in the paper. Online resources are beneficial to save

time and can ease the writing process better.

4.

● The use of evidence and resources are important to any essay because it makes

the thesis statement credible. I have met this expectation of using resources

efficiently by summarizing, paraphrasing, and citing my resources according to

the MLA format. English 101 has taught me how to do this properly so it can

prevent plagiarism of any kind. The assignments that practice summarizing,

paraphrasing, and citing were useful for my writing process because it helped me

distinguish between summarizing and paraphrasing. The library video resources

were beneficial as well because it practiced my knowledge of proper citing. With

the assignments plus the videos it improved my paper’s evidence. I integrated

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the use of summarizing and paraphrasing with my ideas to make a cohesive

paper.

The steps I have taken to improve this in my essays is with the teacher’s

instructions and assignments. The practice assignment where I did all three of

the citation techniques for speeches honed my summarizing and paraphrasing.

The assignments and the teacher’s advice contributed to my confusion of the

difference between paraphrasing and summarizing. It helped me determine

which evidence aligns with the proper citing technique. The Just in Time report

also helped because it went over how to distinguish between the two and how to

implement it in your essay. Another way I can assure I use the proper technique

was relying on Scribbr which helps cite my sources in MLA and give an in-text

citation. This also provides examples of how to use the in-text citation and use

transition words to introduce the evidence.

A way I use summarizing, paraphrasing, and citation techniques is to

support the ideas I write on the essay. I start by making claims and ideas about

the topic, then I use the evidence. I use this strategy because it organizes the

resources better if it ties into the ideas I implement in the essay. This method of

organizing the evidence is beneficial for my essay to prevent overusing

quotations. It can prevent redundancy of quotes and by using summaries, it is

easier for the reader.

5.

● The writing process is not only requiring efficient evidence and grammar, it is

also the end result that determines the paper. As the writer, we often think the

end result of the writing is adequate without revision or rereading the content.
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However, having an editor is beneficial to the writing process because it allows

another perspective to edit your paper with no bias or may have little to no

knowledge of the topic. It allows any reader to determine if your paper is

comprehensible or not. The use of peer review and instructor feedback is

beneficial for me to revise any mistakes or formatting errors I had overlooked. I

met the requirements of using the feedback as much as possible. I also had the

opportunity to peer review other essays that allowed me to learn from this

person’s revision but also inspired me to organize my ideas like their example.

The steps I have taken to improve based on peer and instructor feedback

is by going over main points that they advised needed feedback. An example is a

peer said I needed to clarify the thesis better and tie it to the topic paragraphs.

From that advice, I looked at my thesis and changed the word choice to tie it to

my body paragraphs. Another way I utilize feedback is from the instructor. The

feedback from the instructor is mainly on organization of body paragraphs and

revising the MLA citations. I use this advice to seek out other resources such as

Grammarly and Scribbr to fix it. I combined both peer and instructor feedback

with BrainFuse feedback to improve my paper. I take the comments form

Brainfuse that were not mentioned by both the peer and instructor to enhance the

essay. Overall, I benefited from the feedback of a peer and instructor because it

gave constructive advice that I may not have thought of. It allowed me to stumble

away from the tunnel vision mindset of a writer; it also made me more aware of

who my audience is and revise it to cater to a specific audience.

6.

● As a writer, knowing what essay topics are going to engage you and your
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audience is crucial to developing a well thought out essay. Assessing yourself as

a writer is just as important than determining the audience. There are strengths

and weaknesses to every writer. Editors exist for this reason that writers can

become overconfident in their work or take criticism personally. Although that

may be the case for some writers, I meet this criteria of self-criticism as that

helps improve my writing. I can assess my strengths and weaknesses as a writer

and ask for any advice from the instructor, a peer, or use online resources to help

the areas of strengths and weaknesses.

I determine my strengths and weaknesses by reviewing my past work.

The portfolio review helps determine these criterias and look back on the Just in

Time reports to see how I can practice. I also reflect on the instructor feedback

for any common, repetitive errors I may have made in the past. I list the areas

where I need improvement and some strengths where I can hone it. Some of the

weaknesses I have noticed based on instructor feedback and BrainFuse is tone. I

can take this feedback and research more on how to improve tone. Word choice

is another weakness where I can improve by using the thesaurus. It also

depends on my reading level, so reading more novels can help in this area.

Common feedback I notice is lack of transitions and large paragraphs. A way I

can improve in this area is by using pre-writing techniques to determine the

organization. I may use the internet to seek transition words too. Overall, I use

feedback and my own analysis of my strengths and weaknesses to enhance my

essay.

7.

● The criteria of generating, formatting,and editing my paper all ties into the end
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product. I have met this expectation because I go through the writing process

from the beginning to the end. I use the prewriting techniques, use the

assignments that deal with the topic, and I use as many resources as I can to

make my paper successful. The in-class instruction also helped me generate my

essays with the introduction of lessons such as theme, rhetoric, etc. The

instruction also helped with determining the certain criteria that the professor

expects the essay to look like. It was helpful that there was a demonstration of

how to format the essay using Google Docs, MLA citations, and what the

examples are of the expected essay. Formatting and editing the paper was one

of the difficult parts of determining the end product because the satisfaction of

the product is never fulfilled. No matter how much feedback and revision you

receive, there will always be the feeling of if it is good enough or not.

The steps I have taken to have a satisfied, effective paper is using school

resources, online resources, and peers. Generating the essay into its appropriate

format (MLA) was through the use of Google Docs where there may be MLA

templates or I would have to make it myself to fit in with the professor’s

expectation. Generating ideas for writing were successful because there was

templates provided for the thesis and outline. How I formatted my essay through

instructor feedback and BrainFuse was submitting my rough draft that I have

read over but not revised. This may have been one of the downfalls of my essays

but I still revised based on feedback. Writing is a longer process as I had limited

word choice and little knowledge of how my sentences should be structured. A

way to overcome this is by looking up synonyms and asking for suggestions by

peers. This is important to me in the writing process because I always need

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advice on word choice and if the essay is easy to comprehend. I also rely on

others to edit my paper as needed because I often hold a certain regard for my

writing that leads me to not revise the essay. This semester taught me how to

rely on others and feedback to make my essay better.

These steps helped all of my essays be more concise and organized.

Instead of free-writing the rough draft with no organization like I used to do in

high school. I meet these expectations of using appropriate technologies to

revise my essay because I use online certified websites, tutoring, peers, and the

instructor’s assignments.