It’s already halfway through the semester! I’ve learned so much about the positives and negatives of my writing style over these past weeks. In my portfolio, I will revise some of the mistakes I’ve made on my previous essays and critical responses.
My first serious essay, the Rhetorical Analysis, is what I wish to focus the most on. Although I got a pretty high B on the paper, I could have easily gotten a high A by simply following the instructions. I failed to recognize and use the vocabulary of the Toulmin Analysis. After taking AP English in high school and having to write a rhetorical analysis for the exam, I’ve been stuck with the AP mindset of not using first-person and not using the words “thesis” or “warrant” in my essay. My teacher used to say it was obvious to the reader what the thesis was so I carried it on into college. For revising my essay, I plan to include the Toulmin Analysis words and I won’t be afraid to use I despite my fears of being too informal.
I’ve earned pretty high scores on the critical responses, but not perfect scores. I can alter my grammar and maybe play up some of my vocabulary to obtain higher scores.