Jopling 1

Hayden Jopling
Mrs. Davis
English Comp II
2 December 2023

Dear Mrs. Davis,

In the portfolio drop-down menu on my Weebly webpage, you will find that I have composed
four writing assignments from my two years at NOC. I have chosen this particular set of
writings to display the change from my first papers to now. When I started this course I
thought I was a decent writer. With the help of your teaching, I have learned that I have a
long way to go before I can consider my work decent, but I’ve also learned that’s not
necessarily a bad thing. I’ve always struggled with understanding emotions so I’ve tried to
mimic other writers works to create emotional leverage in my own. This course has taught me
how to think outside the box. It has taught me not to copy the cadence of others, and how to
make a piece of writing my own. Thank you for making me think for myself while writing.

The first artifact in my collection is a piece from my Composition II course. “Artifact 1” is

my letter to Governor Kevin Stitt. I listed this as the first artifact due to the challenging nature
of the source assignment. English had always been a subject I felt I could sleep through. That
was until I attempted the Letter to Authority assignment. I used every minute given to write
this assignment, and by the end, my brain was a slurry of incomplete sentences and broken
ideas. This was the assignment that broke and built my confidence in writing. I was given the
chance to express my thoughts and concerns regarding Oklahoma's minimum wage. The
major issue I was having was that I had never written a formal letter. I had never needed to.
At first, I lacked the confidence to voice my opinion in a serious tone. My writing style has
always been more open and casual. I had always allowed myself room while writing to
expand upon my thoughts. This assignment taught me how to condense my thoughts. When
writing to an elected official, specifically about a complaint, you need to be firm, not rude. I
learned how to write with a better-understood tone. In hindsight, it could have been better.
One thing in particular that I notice now as I reread “Artifact 1” is that it feels cluttered. I
could gain from spacing out the statistics throughout the letter. Overall this letter means more
to me than just a grade. I gained a new life skill that can benefit my future and became
familiar with formal writing.

My second artifact, “Artifact 2”, comes from an assignment from my Composition I course. I
chose this piece to follow up my first to show the contrast and similarities in my writing
styles, and to follow up a formal tone with a more personal one. The prompt was “If you
could write a letter to your younger self, would you? Why or why not?”. I chose the latter of
the two options. This was the first essay I was tasked with in college, and I came out
swinging. I poured my thoughts into my keyboard and let the paper write itself. I was forced
to think over the contents of my life present and past. I came to terms with how my life had
played out until that point and reminisced over memories. The prompt made me consider the
possible outcomes of my life if I had been given advice from my present self. I learned
through this assignment that, even though I’ve had ups and downs in life, I love, and am
 Jopling 2
Hayden Jopling
Mrs. Davis
English Comp II
11 September 23

grateful for the life I get to live. I enjoyed the work because I had to sit down and reflect.
After turning in that paper I promised myself to make time for self-reflection. I gained a new
level of self-appreciation and learned to acknowledge my personal growth. With this being a
more personal essay I needed to freshen up on the meanings of ethos, logos, pathos, and how
to use them separately from one another. I learned about Purdue Owl before starting this
assignment and have had it bookmarked ever since. It has been a useful tool, and it was
especially useful for my first year back in school after a three-year hiatus.

“Artifact 3” follows up the last two writings with the only essay I have saved on my
computer that was written about someone close in my life. This assignment was refreshing to
write but came with its own set of challenges unique to those of the past papers. A good man
by the name of Danny Griffin was the subject matter for the paper. I was tasked to write a
paper about one of my role models, and if no one holds a candle to the likes of Mr. Griffin.
The only part of this paper I would change a year after originally writing this piece would be
similar to the changes I would like to make to my first piece. The paper almost feels
constricting with how it is organized. I’m not sure how to explain my thought process other
than the paragraphs feel as if they were forced to mesh together rather than flowing smoothly
from one to the next. What I enjoy most about this piece is how I wrote it in the same way as
I tell others in person about Mr. Griffin. I wanted the reader to not read the piece as if it was
just some guy describing their hero. I don't believe it to be perfect in any sense, but I am
proud of the way it turned out. This was an important stepping stone for me in my ability to
convey emotions in writing without outright saying what is being felt. My biggest takeaway
from this paper was that sometimes the writing process isn’t just about writing. Sometimes
you need to use other writing tools to gain inspiration. For myself, it was an hour-long phone
call with a previous instructor reminiscing over precious memories.

The last artifact I chose, “Artifact 4”, breaks away from the likeness of the rest of my pieces.
This is intentional. As I was looking through my collection of previous assignments I was
struggling to locate any informative styles of writing. After a good amount of time spent
searching, I stumbled across an assignment from my American History class. Here I was
tasked to write a summary of an enslaved man named Olaudah and his journey across the
Middle Passage. This paper is a good fit to close out my portfolio because it shows a sharp
change in the way I write for different scenarios all while staying true to my writing style. For
this assignment I unknowingly used one of Stephen Kings' suggested writing methods. I
locked myself in a room without distractions. For a more personal writing style, I enjoy
writing in a less controlled environment. I feel as if the distractions push me to have a tunnel
vision effect for more personal writing. For a research or informative assignment I prefer to
have control over my surroundings to allow a more open thought process. Although I got a
one hundred on the paper for a history class, I don’t think my odds would have been great if it
were for an English class. I had originally turned this paper in formatted incorrectly. This
caused me to create a pre-formatted template that I can use for every MLA formatted
 Jopling 2
Hayden Jopling
Mrs. Davis
English Comp II
11 September 23

assignment for the rest of college. I was able to take a negative and turn it into a tool used to
further my success.

To conclude, my time writing in college has taught me quite a few things about myself. I’ve
learned how to use tone better in my writing, how to write with confidence and humility,
important tools to help me better understand the rules of writing (and a few ways to bend
those rules), how to create emotional weight with just my words, how to turn negative aspects
of my writing into a positive outcome, and much, much more. In every class I have written in
I’ve been able to further develop myself as a writer. Now, I do not see myself becoming an
author or famous poet by any means, but it does give me hope for a new avenue of personal
expression. One day, if I am fortunate enough, I may have the opportunity as a scientist to
publish in a journal, and all thanks to this course and a few others I am better prepared. I still
have plenty of room for growth and change as a writer, and I plan to strengthen my writing
weaknesses with time, practice, and a good amount of help from my writer's toolbox.

This has been a good year. I may not be proud of the grade I’ve earned for myself, but I am
proud to have made it this far. This course indirectly forced me to face mental blocks that I
have been avoiding for far too long. Thank you for your time, patience, and passion for
teaching this semester.

Best Regards,

Hayden Jopling