Reflecting the Writing Experience
I have to admit I started this semester wondering if I was going to be able to handle the work load. I have attempted to take this class two other times prior to this semester and each time I had family issues that prevented me from completing the given assignments. Even though I had heard the material before, I still struggled to understand it (which made me feel unsure of my abilities to adapt the writing strategies that Miss Hull was trying to teach us).
I learned about writing in multiple genres. The peer reviews - in addition to the feedback from my instructor - were most helpful in my writing process. The constructive criticism (and encouragement) helped me identify my weaknesses as a writer and made me push myself to avoid those mistakes for the next assignment. I hope the peer reviews I gave were helpful to those whose papers I read.
My selection process for my research topic was a result of a television series I watched over the summer. The HBO television hit series Big Love intrigued me because I found it entertaining and thought provoking. I wondered about real life families who lived like the Henricksons (the fictional polygamist family portrayed on the series). In my research I wanted to write about the legalizing of polygamy (which is currently illegal in all 50 states). I found quite a few families who live a modern lifestyle of polygamy. They live outside of the polygamist compounds and practice their religion as independent fundamentalists. The preconceived notions that are often associated with this practice were highlighter in recent high-profile cases. This motivated my desire to find and shed some positive light on polygamists who are not using their religion in order to exploit innocent young girls.
For my report I knew I had to report the facts and keep my opinion out of it. Miss Hull advised us that if you want to write a good report it’s important to include various perspectives on your topic so as not to seem biased. I watched several news reports on T.V. in order to familiarize myself with how reporters present the news. They were very straight forward and reported the facts – something I knew I had to remember to do when it came time to write my report.
Various perspectives on the legalization of polygamy had to be addressed in my position/proposal paper as well but I also had to make sure my voice was heard throughout the paper by using the sources I found to back up my argument. I think it’s important to study and read all the information you find and adopt a method of critically analyzing the information you receive. Miss Hull talked about this earlier in the semester and advised us to think and read every critically. This strategy can prove to be difficult especially if you're not accustomed to it. I'm confident that with constant practice I can become better at it.
In the revision process I followed Miss Hull’s advice for corrections as best as I could and considered the constructive criticism available through the peer reviews. There were a few spelling mistakes that I corrected and I added more detail and explanation to the sources that I cited. I included more sources and tried as best as I could to just report the facts without my opinion. It was a learning process that was sometimes overwhelming because of all the things you had to remember to include (e.g.: MLA formatting, citing sources correctly, avoiding logical fallacies etc.), but in the end I believe I produced a better revised report.
I’m not sure I would do it all over again however, I feel better about my writing skills than I did when the semester began. This will be a benefit for me since I will most likely have other classes that will require me to write. I will be able to approach that rhetorical situation with a little more confidence thanks to this class.
Report
Position/Proposal
Memoir
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