Argueta 1

Rudy Argueta
Professor Jackie
English 113A
December 7, 2015
Struggles in Writing
The English language is a difficult subject to commemorate in terms of writing. In high
school, writing seemed to be an easy experience because teachers expected students to follow
their guidelines. When I departed from high school I had anxiety because I did not know how the
college professors would grade and teach the students. However, my English 113A class proved
to be a great experience. The professor of the class assigned a variety of assignments to improve
students writing and critical thinking skills. With these assignments I gained confidence and I
found an appreciation of writing. Although this English class has been difficult, Professor Jackie
helped me become a better writer by giving me the right tools.
In this class, I learned how to write topic sentences. Before entering this college level
English class my topic sentences for my English classes were okay. Throughout my years in
elementary, middle and high school I wrote my topic sentences on the spot. I had no intentions
on returning back to my essays and revising these topic sentences. However, in college I have
found a strategy on how to fix this problem. In my first essay, a narrative one, I had a great topic
sentence. In an essay about myself, I state: During my personal time, I like to do what what is
called reverse engineering because it is a process that involves a reversible mechanism,
disassembling it, and making it better. (Argueta, Becoming an Engineer). Writing this topic
sentence seemed to be easier because Professor Jackie taught me how to go around the thinking

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process. I learned how my concrete details will support my topic sentence. Since writing my
topic sentences was a success, my citing became better.
Citing information in my essays became a breeze to me. I have always had a problem
with citing information because I would never pay attention at the MLA format. Professor Jackie
has helped me cite information because she explained to me how citation works. In my
technology essay, I argue that Personal digital technology was nascent a quarter-century ago- a
niche techie add on to the lives of people and operations of companies (qtd. in Mossberg).
Citing information needs to be in a certain format in order for the information to not to be
considered plagiarism. She told me the rules on citations and how it will affect my writing and
analysis. This class showed me a good time because citing information is one of the most
important aspects in an essay. While citing is important, the thesis statement is above all.
Thesis statements are the topic sentences of the whole essay. I personally like writing
thesis statements because it is your argument. The thesis statement in my progression two essay
was one of the strongest I have written. I said: Doritos sends a positive and humorous look at
their product, making the audience want to buy the product by optimizing the elements of
appeals such as rationality, emotion. and fear. (Argueta, Doritos Goat). This thesis statement
is well written and direct because the reader will know what the essay is going to be about. My
thesis statement impressed Professor Jackie because she really believed that I am capable of
writing a good essay. I had no trouble writing the essay because I followed my thesis statement.
In my other progression essay number 3, I also have a well written thesis. My thesis statement
was: Although technology is creating an easier lifestyle, it decreases societies intelligence and it
distracts society from crucial events happening in the world. (Argueta, Techno No No). This
statement was even better because I was really familiar with the subject. Since it was an

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argumentive essay I knew what type of thesis statement I would create. Although the thesis
statement is the sentence that is being revolved around, knowing how to write the essay is the
main task.
Structuring the essay is the key to writing the whole essay. Throughout the course I have
learned the concepts and the grammar characteristics to write a perfect essay. I need to have a
general idea and outline. Writing an essay takes time and patience. Everything has to be laid out
and everything has to make sense according to Professor Jackie. I took the advice and made
several outlines for my essays. Although structuring an essay is good, it always builds the
confidence of the writer.
As my writing skills grew, I grew attached to the English Language and gained
confidence. I felt a relief when I grew attached because since my writings skills were growing I
needed to like the subject. Slowly but surely practicing English making me more comfortable to
go all out on my essays. I could not see myself ever turning my back on writing because of all
the effort that I put in. English was becoming a hobby towards the end of this learning
experience. Writing seems to be coming to a close for now.
Writing has become an essential part in my life, even with the struggles. My first
semester of writing at CSUN has been a rollercoaster. I know that with the knowledge that I
gained from this class, I can hopefully apply it to my next English course, and become a better
writer. Since I was small, I have seen my writing improve and people appreciate the effort that I
have done. Even though writing is not my main priority, I can work on it when I have time.

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Work Cited
Argueta, Rudy. Becoming an Engineer. 21 Sept. 2015.
Argueta, Rudy. Doritos Goat. 16 Oct. 2015.
Argueta, Rudy. Techno No No. 23 Nov. 2015.