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Writing Project 4 Reflection

Jevaughn Williams

Arizona State University

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Writing Project 4 Reflection

At the beginning of this year, I honestly hated writing. My understanding of it was that I

was to get assigned a topic and write about it. That and my journalism classes were the only

exposure I had to writing. Because I was always required to write about topics that I had little to

no interest or understanding, I began to dislike it. My junior year of high school, I was put into

AP Language & Composition. Due to my lack of inspiration to write, let alone take the time to

reteach myself all the topics I grazed over, I sunk deeper into a misunderstanding of writing. It

was until my senior year when I realized that I had missed out on so many opportunities to learn

and grow as an individual. Through a few various writing assignments in senior year class, I

began opening my eyes to what writing had to offer.

I still had the feelings of uncertainty in my writing. I lacked two things confidence and

knowledge. More often than not, I felt like what I was saying wasn’t valid. I struggled to argue

my claims with reasonable evidence and back them up. Therefore, my argumentative and

persuasive pieces seemed more like rants that just list off a bunch topics.

Fast forward to my first few sessions in ENG 101 last semester. I worried that I would

struggle in the same areas and ultimately just give up. However, this was not the case. The first

thing I learned last semester is that writing is a process. You can’t think of a topic, draft, revise

and edit all in one sitting. Maybe some can, but it's a matter of steps. For example, our first essay

was “I believe” statements, which is a simple sentence that’s explained using anecdotes,

descriptions and facts. It was an interesting assignment because I had never been given full

reigns on the topic and discussion point at hand. Moreover, it was the first assignment where I

was being asked to share my personal stories and memories to explain why I believe a certain

ideal.
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So, through this assignment I learned the importance of making a writing plan or outline

and executing it in an order. I also developed the ability to incorporate my personal stories and

background with facts to argue and support various topics or arguments. However, by the end of

ENG 101, I still had little confidence in my ability to write rhetorical analysis and argument and

research papers. I came into this semester of English viewing, long-form writing, as a task. I

thought it was a such a chore and honestly, I was dragging my feet into the class. Primarily

because I couldn’t understand the benefit to analyzing different texts nor how to do it. Now, I

understand how the media and the entire world is full of various texts and hidden messages. In

the beginning of this semester, by looking at so many pieces of text, I saw how we are constantly

bombarded with media and subliminal messaging. I came to see how we are blind to what’s

going on right in front of us if we don’t look deeper into things. Each of the three writing

projects all helped me perfect my writing and understand different things.

The thesis from my essay 1 says, “Today, many Americans still believe it is okay to

prejudge another person based on what meets the eye.” I was so proud to have crafted this thesis

because not only did it address a societal issue, but it also was validated by the advertisement I

analyzed.

When analyzing how the individuals in the text were positioned, I said, “They are

standing behind a typed phrase, ‘Unemployee of the Year’. Each of them standing exerting no

sign of vulnerability. By their affirmative positioning and their earnest faces, these individuals

evoke the feeling of intimidation. Each glare given shows how these communities are waiting for

our oppressors to acknowledge that there’s problem. Through the drafting process and learning

how to take apart hidden meanings of texts, I was able to receive the message this ad was giving.

I will forever appreciate this assignment and classroom discussion, because it has since made me
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ponder about almost everything I interact with on the daily. I have become a more curious

analysis writer and citizen as well.

Writing project 2 really pushed me to use different types of sources and research

methods. For all my previous research topics, I typically used online articles or databases. But

until this semester, it never occurred to me to use TedTalks or Videos or magazine features along

with those databases.

https://www.canva.com/design/DADSv4ihpyo/cwSfeimhhKFyFWFRK4gLrA/view?utm

_content=DADSv4ihpyo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=shareb

utton

In this infographic I researched how consumerism affects modern society. I don’t even

specifically remember how I discovered my position on this topic, I just know it was a mix of

Gale Opposing Viewpoints and mapping out various connections to other topics and issues in

America. My curiosity for this topic grew more and more each day we worked on the project. I

had somehow managed to talk to my friends about it almost every day. Finding out things like,

“researchers found that those with less money and desires, are more prone to be unhappy than

those who don’t (DeAngelis, 2004).” Made me want to know more and more which ultimately

inspired my design to showcase the effects and also inform others on how to fix them.

Writing project 3 really taught me how to craft my argument in a way that aligns with

audiences’ morals, so even if they don’t agree they can relate. It sounds simple but it is such a

powerful and forward-thinking technique. This project also helped me perfect my ability to

cancel out any counter arguments. Overall, through both projects 2 and 3, I have shaped myself

to be a more confident writer.

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I think the main thing that has contributed the most to my understanding of writing is the

amount of time I’ve had to learn the process of it. I now know how to read a topic, develop an

understanding of what’s being asked, then formulating an execution plan of how I can get that

topic across in the most relatable and understood way. This is something I could have never

predicted I would come to, but I’m glad I did.