Bouzheer 1

Abdullah Bouzheer
Professor Batty
English 113A
November 12, 2015

Throughout the course, I have gained immense knowledge in the reading and writing
of critical essays. The knowledge that I have gained will also help me in my career since I will
apply the reading and writing skills.
The knowledge that I have gained on the importance of having effective reading skills has
enabled me to have extrinsic motivation on reading. I have developed an interest in reading
various literary works as well as works of other disciplines. Before I started learning the course, I
did not have a passion for reading books. This behavior negatively impacted on my studies since
I could not read a lot during my preparation for exams. The course has helped develop an interest
in reading various novels and books on human psychology that have made me change the
perception of life. Through reading the books, learners can study various philosophies and
ideologies that were advanced by different people in history (Orvis, 1998).
I have also learned skills in writing. The writing skills have boosted my writing that used to
be very poor. Today I can write interesting articles on diverse topics. Moreover, I now make less
spelling mistakes as well as grammatical mistakes while writing. I have also been in a position to
write creative stories on different events that happen in the daily life. I have known how to
develop characters in a story, the plot, the stylistic devices, themes as well as the correct diction
to use on a particular topic.

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Writing of critical essays has also become easier after gaining knowledge of this course. I can
write a variety of essays on a particular topic that has been given by the lecturer without
deviating from the subject. I have also mastered the rules of essay writing such as keeping an
essay short but relevant. I also avoid complex words that add no meaning to an essay.

As a writer, I have encountered several challenges during my study. I was slow at learning
proper reading skills. I did not properly apply the skills in reading during class work. However, I
have improved, and now I can read numerous texts and narrate the content of those texts. I also
had a problem in reading long texts. I got discouraged while reading long texts that used difficult
vocabulary.
I also encountered difficulty in mastering the effective writing skills. It took me quite some
time to be in a position to write an interesting creative article. Particularly, writing a captivating
introduction of a critical essay proved to be difficult for a very long time. I, however, now have
developed skills in critical essay writing. According to Arthur and Knorr, (2009), effective
writing and reading skills are vital in the development of creative writers. I, therefore, ensured I
mastered the skills of reading and writing.
My strengths in this course were the ability to work as a team in learning the various skills
of reading and writing. Having realised that I was slower in learning, I opted for studying with
other class members who were good in reading and writing. My colleagues were able to instil in
me the courage to sharpen my reading and writing skills. Another strength that I had was the

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intrinsic motivation to learn. I have intrinsic motivation towards learning new concepts; hence, I
was motivated to continue learning reading and writing skills.
Various assignments that required us to read different texts as well as write various essays
helped me to gain effective reading and writing skills. I will, however, continue to improve in
developing unique and interesting creative essays. I will also apply the skills that I have learnt in
my career and future studies.
References
Arthur, K., & Knorr, L., (2009). Reading and Writing Skills.
New York: Canton Press
Orvis, H., (1998). Reading and Writing Redefined.
New York: West View Press