Reflective essay

Reflective Essay Name: Course: Institution: Instructor: Date: Reflective Essay English 105 concerns writing across different disciplines that include different topics covering various disciplines of study such as social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences.

It requires analyzing rhetorical as well as stylistic conventions employed within the professional and academic fields of writing. The course aims at helping me as a student to improve my writing and research skills across the different disciplines and topics. Undertaking the course meant exposure to various kinds of writing assignment that required enough effort. I knew this would be a challenge considering my writing skills were not the best at the time, and I had to take it positively.

However, since I started the course, my writing skills have improved steadily over the semester. Some kinds of writing assignments that I undertook include persuasive essays, argumentative essay, evaluation essay, analytical and research, as well as informative essays. Through the various assignments, I have gained a lot of writing skills that I did not have previously, which enable me to connect with the audience and deliver my ideas to the reader effectively. My favorite paper among the various assignments was the fifth project, in which I was required to write an extended argumentative essay on a topic about which I felt strongly. This paper helped me in delivering arguments concerning a topic without being bias, managing to present both sides of the arguments, but ensuring to take a stand and provide enough support to my argument. From this assignment, I learnt how to present an argument to an audience while providing the counterargument through bringing conflicting viewpoints together, but managing to prove my stand without offending the other side of the argument.

I had to use several writing techniques of presenting my case and convincing the reader. Additionally, this assignment allowed me to practice more of the skills I had learnt earlier such as synthesizing points from different sources as support to my argument. However, this lesson was better learnt with the informative essay concerning the same topic.

With both of these essays, I had to bring together several ideas from several different sources to provide enough information. Additionally, to convince and show credibility of my argument as well as the information I provided in the informative essay, I had to use several sources that are recognized. This helped me in synthesizing ideas from different sources to provide a strong argument as well as credible information.

Additionally, I learnt how to select the most credible sources of information and selecting what information is most relevant and supportive of my ideas. In this fifth essay, I learnt several things that I am sure would help me in the future where I have to present my ideas to the people concerning problems within societies. I selected the topic on university parking considering it concerns the safety living of every person, which is a concern to me. I am interested in enlightening people about the importance of observing basic rules that people ignore, which could mean a matter of life and death. Lack of observation of traffic regulations within the campus has a potential danger of causing fatal accidents. Additionally, the need to ensure security for everybody within the campus requires strict observation of rules. This essay gave me a chance to express my ideas concerning a topic that most would deem unnecessary. The fact that I had to use several sources to write my essays allowed me to do a lot of in-depth reading, which is quite necessary in order to understand a topic.

In all the topics I wrote on, I had to do quite a lot of reading before deciding on the most appropriate information to include in the paper. A lot of information was available concerning the topics. Most of it was credible. However, in order to select the right information, it required me to know the reason and purpose as well as objectives of the assignment. This helped me in evaluating the needs of the assignment before including any information.

It further helped me in analyzing the information provided by the sources, and purpose of the work or intention of the author in order to find out which ones supported my topic and purpose. Previously, I was used to writing to a general audience without considering any specific audience. From this course, I was required to write from different rhetorical situations that required targeting a certain audience, such as campus students, visitors and administration as well as the instructors. Such an audience requires high integration of ideas and the use of the right rhetoric techniques to convince the audience, considering most are good at writing and are likely to read papers that meet their standards. This required writing with a specific purpose, such as informing the audience and providing and argument and supporting it in order to convince the audience. In the first project or assignment, I was required to conduct a rhetorical analysis about Wes Moore, a renowned writer. Analyzing the writing of such a writer requires a lot of knowledge concerning the different writing techniques utilized for different purposes and topics.

In order to analyze his writing, I had to read very consciously on the rhetorical techniques. Additionally, it required critical reading and thinking in order to understand the techniques used since they cannot be so direct. From this assignment, I have been able to learn how to read with a critical mind in order to enable be draw conclusions from different writings. Additionally, this requires practical application of the knowledge one has learnt. To analyze the writing I had to apply all the knowledge I had about analyzing written texts. This has allowed me to identify the use of various rhetorical techniques within the various disciplines. Additionally, this allows me to help others in their writing by identifying some of the common mistakes writers make. It gives me the ability to analyze the work of other writers as well as to understand the intended meaning of various texts depending on the rhetoric utilized.

The second assignment was quite interesting considering it was about evaluating a movie. This was a film that a greatly enjoyed watching and one of my favorite. It was interesting to evaluate a film that is one of my favorites, which allowed me to offer my view. The purpose of this essay was appraising the film and providing a detailed analysis concerning the themes and purpose of the film. This allowed me to learn how to draw conclusions and illustrate information that is hidden. This required evaluating the purpose of every scene and scrip as well in order to find out the hidden meaning of the film, which was friendship. From this assignment, I have learnt to observe things more keenly and to appraise all possible leads to an idea. This offers me the right skills for observing and noticing things that are not obvious as well as hidden messages.

Evaluation and analysis of the rhetorical techniques in writing have allowed be to look at different situation with a more critical thought than before. Preciously, I hardly considered deeper meaning in writings and other literal works as well as films. I only thought one had to watch a film and that would be all. However, through learning how to analyze and evaluate, I realized that one could always learn from different areas including films and plays. This has further increased by alertness to situations and anything I read as well as anything that interests me. When it came to grammar, I knew that I was not the best but thought I had all the necessary knowledge needed in grammar. However, from this course I realized there was still an awful a lot of information concerning grammar that I had no idea.

From the start of the semester and this course, I have realized many of the grammatical errors that I made. Despite learning a lot of content concerning grammatical usage, I realized there was still a lot more that I had to learn in order to become a better writer. Through corrections from the instructor and reading more on grammatical rules, I have been able to improve quite steadily all the way through, learning more ways of transitioning from one idea to the other and using the right punctuations, tenses as well as fragmenting. I learnt additional techniques of making my paper seamless in flow. Previously, my ideas would not flow continuous from the first to the last. Neither could I connect all the ideas to the thesis statement as well as the introduction to the body and conclusion.

However, from this course I have been able to improve, incorporate transitioning statement, and hook statements and other techniques in my writing in order to connect all the ideas together in a flowing manner that can easily be followed through from the introduction and the conclusion. Reading my introduction and conclusions before this course illustrated disjointed information, which has greatly changed thanks to the course. Previously I only wrote without considering much of the techniques of writing. I only wrote my ideas in a general way. However, after the course, I can now write while paying attention to the writing techniques and styles that make the paper more academic and professional. This way I can communicate my ideas to many people effectively, which I believe will go a far way in my future endeavors.

As I have noted, most of my future endeavors will be heavily reliant on the ability to communicate meticulously and effectively as well. Without good communication skills both oral and written, it becomes hard to achieve academic excellence. Thus, I believe this course has imparted in me skills to treasure for the rest of my life, both academic and professional. The course has provided me with skills in all mediums of communication including oral, where we are supposed to resent our work in front of the other class members. This has increased my confidence in addressing a group of people without becoming too nervous. I can now face a multitude and speak my ideas openly and comprehensively. From this course, I have gained quite a lot of knowledge from the assignments that I have completed as well as from the instructor who has been supportive all the way through.

From writing the papers, I have gained all the necessary skills that make me a better writer. However, there is still more t master, which can be done through more and more writing. With all the skills I have gained, I am in a position to research any topic and use the right techniques required for any topic as well as the right words. I am in a position to handle the various disciplines of sciences and various technical writing. With added skills such as researching from different sites such as websites, magazines, institutional bodies and the ability of synthesizing information from different sources, I can handle various challenges across a vast field of topics. Additionally, this provides me with necessary skills for studying in the future.

From the classroom, I have had an interesting experience during the semester. I have worked in groups, learnt to be part of a team and contributing to it. The class was quite interesting and I have made several friends and realized that through teamwork there is batter chance of improving my skills. From teamwork, I was able to realize I was better when it came to evaluating and analyzing as opposed to creative writing through benchmarking with other students. Although the course was more focused on writing, the most crucial skills I have gained are not only writing, but also the ability to research and learn independently. I can also be able to think from a broader perspective.

Additionally, I have been able to expand my conscious awareness to issues concerning writing and communicating effectively through writing and speech. Overall, I have managed to become a better writer, researcher and academician. I can research on different topics without needing much help. Ni essence, the course has exposed me to various writing techniques and styles, research techniques and thinking as well through evaluating and analyzing information. With all these skills, I can write for different purposes of within different rhetorical situations and disciplines.