Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Tayler McKenzie
Mr. Vyvial
ENGL 1302
11 May 2017
I did everything I could in order to not have to enroll in an English class my senior year. I
took Composition I over the summer and had plans to take the second part online over the winter
break. Sadly, a mix up led to me being dropped from the online class, leaving me no choice but
to enroll into Composition II for my spring semester of senior year. The last thing I wanted was
to be plagued with meaningless essays with monstrous word counts my very last year of high
school and I was initially dreading it. However, throughout this course, I gained some insight
about who I am as a writer and strengthened the skills I know I will utilize for the rest of my life.
One of the most beneficial skills I acquired from this class was not only how to have a
sophisticated argument, but how to win one. By studying the Rogerian and Toulmin arguments, I
now know how important it is to support your claims and understand your opponents side.
These new skills will aid me in almost any situation I will face in the future. Along with
acquiring skills, this class also strengthened some. I have always had the worst writers block. I
can have all the information needed to formulate a beautiful essay, but still struggle with the best
way to articulate it. This class taught me the importance of using brainstorming tools such as lists
and mind maps as tactics to overcome writers block. Overall, these skills both new and old will
make me a better writer. Even after my many years of English classes, I still struggle with
forming the introduction of my papers. I always strive for the perfect opening sentence and will
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linger on it instead of continuing with the rest of my essay. I should try not to overthink it, or try
Despite my reoccurring writers block and difficulties with introductions, the easiest
essay for me to write was the textual rhetorical analysis. Having taken AP Language my junior
year, I was very familiar with the format and best ways to analyze speeches. The most difficult
essay to write was the proposal not just because it was the longest, but because it required so
much research and thought. However, it did teach me the most. Not only about the importance of
bees, but it also showed me that writing a lengthy essay really is not all that bad. After
completing it, I felt a sense of pride. Because of this class, I will no longer groan when
instructors assign essays since I have gained and strengthened the skills needed to succeed.
While writing this reflective essay, I realized that it is the very last one of my high school
career. It is a bittersweet feeling since I have been complaining about essay writing for four
years, but now those four years have come to an end. Looking back, I do not regret anything
from high school, especially my decision to take this course. It has taught me that essay writing
does not have to be a pain because I possess all of the skills needed to formulate exceptional
essays that I can be proud of. So for that, I am thankful and I cannot wait to continue to utilize
these skills as I move on from high school and onto the next phase of my life.