Neal 1 Megan Neal Mr. Harrell English Composition I 6 December 2013 The Most Beneficial English Class, Ever!

In English Composition I, I have learned several processes, skills and concepts that will drive my writing throughout my life time. All of which will help edit, fix and better each piece of my writing. These processes, skills and concepts include: the processes of drafting, revising, editing and proofreading, the skills of crafting introductions, developing paragraphs, transitioning, smoothly, through different ideas, creating conclusions, knowing who your audience is, creating a clear thesis statement, engaging in critical readings that will then be analyzed in an essay, properly quoting with MLA format in mind, and conforming to the conventions of proper grammar, punctuation, mechanics and academic documentation. I have learned these processes, skills and concepts in English Composition I, and here is my evidence. In the first essay, The Personal Narrative, I demonstrated my knowledge of crafting introductions and audience awareness. Here is the introduction from my personal narrative, Our Last Words: Knock, knock! Megan, are you awake? No Mom! Its four oclock in the morning! What do you want? I need that money Grandma gave you for your yearbook! For what? I have to pay some bills. Im not stupid Mom! I know you are not worried about paying the bills at four oclock in the morning! I have

Neal 2 to get up for school in two hours and Im not giving you my yearbook money, I have to buy it tomorrow and then I wont have the money for it! Megan! You better give me the money! Im not giving you money to get more drugs, now get the hell out! This conversation was one of the last ones I would have with my mom. This introduction is strong; it makes the reader want to know more which is exactly what you are supposed to do when crafting introductions. I was also aware that my audience was going to be teenagers my age, like my classmates, so I made the conservation between my mom and me very clear and easy to understand. The Personal Narrative displayed my knowledge of crafting introductions and audience awareness. In the second essay, The Analytical Essay, I engaged in critical reading and analytical writing, I conformed to the conventions of proper grammar, punctuation and academic documentation, I properly quoted with MLA format in mind and I displayed my ability to create a clear thesis statement. Before being able to write this essay, I had to read The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinners Semester at Americas Holiest University. This displayed my engagement in critical reading because without reading the book, I wouldnt have been able to write the analytical essay, which displayed my engagement in analytical writing. In my analytical essay, Liberal or Conservative, Do I Really Have to Pick, I conformed to the conventions of proper grammar, punctuation and academic documentation when I wrote: Although there are plenty of benefits from a strict, conservative educational experience, there are a few from a liberal education as well. The main benefit of a liberal education would be the freedom one would have to do what they want.

Neal 3 Whether it is to party, drink, have sex or be wild, a liberal school isnt nearly as concerned as a conservative school would be. Roose writes, Liberty, like many other evangelical colleges, has single-sex dorms with strict no-visitation policies. According to 'The Liberty Way,' 'entering the residence hall of the opposite sex or allowing the same' gets you eighteen reprimands, a $250 fine, and eighteen hours of community service (18). Roose had a lot of freedom while he was at Brown University compared to the freedom he lost at Liberty University. Liberal schools most important asset is freedom and that can be beneficial to a student depending on their priorities. All of my commas are correctly placed, which was a huge part of this essay, and I used proper grammar. Also, my academic documentation is in the correct format, MLA, with the page number in parentheses after the quote but before the period. I demonstrated, again, my knowledge of academic documentation with my work cited page, which looked like this: Work Cited Roose, Kevin. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinners Semester at Americas Holiest University. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2009. Print. The work cited page is in the proper format and is titled Work Cited, since I only used one source. Lastly, I proved to have a clear thesis statement when I wrote, Ultimately, Roose benefitted from attending Liberty University, a strict, conservative university, which gave him the opportunity to better not only himself academically but his religious beliefs as well. This thesis statement is clear and consistent throughout my whole paper since my argument was to prove how much more beneficial a strict, conservative school is than a liberal one. The

Neal 4 Analytical Essay displayed my knowledge of the conventions of proper grammar, punctuation and academic documentation, quoting with MLA format in mind, my ability to create a clear thesis statement and it displayed my engagement in critical reading and analytical writing. In the third essay, The Profile Essay, I demonstrated my knowledge of developing paragraphs, transitioning, smoothly, through different ideas, and creating conclusions. In my profile essay, Our Last Words, I displayed my knowledge of paragraph development and smooth transitions when I wrote: Have you ever thought about how hard it would be losing both of your parents before you even turned eighteen? For most teenagers, this isnt a thought that ever crosses their mind. You never expect to lose both of your parents at such a young age, and when you do, words cannot explain how hard it is to carry on each day, stay positive and put a smile on your face. Elizabeth "Liz" Karam is a prime example of why there are many reasons to still carry on with your life, even with the loss of both parents, because there is still hope and a possibility for a successful future I developed this part of my first paragraph to lead into how I was going to introduce Liz. This paragraph helped me smoothly transition from one of my ideas/thoughts to the next. The paragraph continued as: Liz is a graduate of Barberton High School. Liz graduated last year and now is a student at Walsh University. Before graduating high school though, Liz was a proud member of the Barberton Magics' Band and now is a member of the Walsh band. Although Liz loves participating in the Walsh band, her main focus right is

Neal 5 becoming a nurse. Liz said, "I go to Walsh because they are one of the best in nursing and they are close to home. Aside from me having pre-calculus with Liz last year, I also work with her at the Norton Subway. This shows how well I transitioned from the essays introduction to explaining who Liz is and proves to be a smooth transition. Also, I created a great conclusion to this essay that read, She has proven to me and any others that she will forever stand tall with her head held high because she knows that Robert I. Karam, Jr. and Michele T. Karam are looking after her, and thats all that matters. The conclusion wraps up the whole essay and doesnt leave the reader hanging. The Profile Essay displayed my knowledge of developing paragraphs, transitioning, smoothly, through different ideas and creating conclusions. All of these essays have taught me something that has made me become a better writer all around. All of these essays required a lot of editing, revising and proofreading but in the end, those processes are what make an essay even better and help ones writing skills. These essays have taught me so much and have made English Composition I the most beneficial English class that I have ever taken.

Neal 6 Work Cited Karam, Liz. Personal Interview. 21 October 2013. Roose, Kevin. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinners Semester at Americas Holiest University. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2009. Print.