Three different essays I wrote this semester. The first was my mircotheme essay. My thoughts were all over the place at the start– I struggled to think of a problem that I could write about. After minutes, hours, to days (about a day or two) I finally figured out what my topic could be. Screen time. It was so obvious on my face, and I always struggled to balance screen time and my life. I love being on my phone to talk and text my friends. I love being on my laptop to take notes, play games with friends, do projects, do homework, watch, journal, and so much more. I use my devices so much that I don’t leave my room or go outside much. There’s so much more I can do than just being on technology all the time. So that’s why I thought about screen time, as it was the most current and a challenge I still face today. With this essay, I learned to think "invention" or "problematizing". Which is to think of every possibility of thoughts and opinion about a problem. To make a person think a certain way before they can even form an opinion or thought of the topic, say the possible causes/reasons instead of something definite, understand my question/claim, and have a fair conversation -- to understand both sides and not just trying to be right.
The next essay I wrote is my documentary essay. This essay was actually enjoyable to write about. I think it’s because I can watch something, then describe what I’ve watched, analyze the documentary, and put all my feelings and thoughts into the essay. I also admired all the backup singer’s passion— especially Darlene Love (thus the reason I wrote about her). I've learned to write in a nonfictional way, which means writing about real facts and things. Instead of storytelling/making up stories, I focused on providing information and explained things as they are. Telling the truth in my writing and helping others understand the world around them.
Finally my rational argument essay. A lot of stuff was happening at the time so I wasn’t able to give my time. The first semester of college is almost over, everyone’s feeling tired–even me– but I’ll give it my best! A rough late start to my essay and research, but that’s alright. I already had a structure of how I was going to write my essay, the most time-consuming part was trying to find sources on NCC’s database and on Google Scholar. After finding those and the quote needed, I assembled my essay: the introduction must have what it is, a description of it, thesis, then each body paragraph must have a topic sentence relating to the thesis, then signal phrases, quotes (from different sources--for my writing class, I had NCC database and google scholars to use), analysis, and transition, and lastly, the conclusion must restate the introduction, summary or main points per body paragraphs, and a closure. Work Cited on a new next page. After having a rough draft, all I need to do now is revise the little stuff (like grammar, explanation, MLA formatting, and flow). I've learned to have a main claim/question and have it be backed up by hard evidence, different view points, and feelings, realities, going beyond my original "stance" and more. I want to write a rational argument piece to move someone's mind, heart, and body.
Writing all three papers made me realize how much I improved as a writer. I've learned that it's better to finish a rough draft and make a ton of revisions along the way-- rather than writing it last minute and revising it. Knowing the basic rules of writing and format of an essay still applies-- but this class taught me new interesting ways to write. From the beginning of middle school when I didn’t know how to write one, to now (in college) knowing and feeling proud of my work and I’m glad to share my work with others. I love and will miss this class so much, I hope future students will enjoy CARD 101 too.
This post honors your work and our class. Thank you, Natalia! That you included the banner is just a bonus. Happy Holidays!
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