Shafi (Sam) Muneer

Professor Wilson
Cover Letter
06/03/2016

Dear Matt,
Four score and seven years ago Just kidding. Well, what can I say. I
learned a lot of things from your class. Big words arent impressive.
Concision is the key to a great paper. The word fuck has 50 different
meanings given context. Your class was great.
WP1 introduced us to what the hell genres are. It also helped us
identify specific conventions. This would go on to lay our basic foundation for
the other two writing projects. We were assigned to analyze and compare all
the writerly choices that were made within each convention that was
employed. Before Writing 2, I wouldve had no idea what that would have
meant. I have to say that with the knowledge of genres I gained from this
class, I am more confident in my writing and Im not scared of the notion that
I have to try and impress my professor. I just have to get my point across,
answer the prompt, and include what Ive learned along the way!
WP2 was hard. We were kindly asked to eloquently examine two
academic discourse communities and the literary practices within those
two discourse communities. Our assignment was to notice the choices each
writer made and the differences between the two writers. This would just

come to add to our basic knowledge from WP1. Thank God Im done with
that.
WP3 was left to us. We had the tools so now we were supposed to use
them and build a masterpiece. I translated an academic article about
decreased sensory gating in schizophrenic patients into a generic newspaper
article with the same purpose. Then, we were assigned to reflect upon this
translation. We summarized the choices we made as we translated what we
thought was important into an entirely different style. Since we already knew
exactly what we were doing, thanks to great Matt Wilson, WP3 went a little
smoother than the first two.
For my final portfolio, I chose to close the chapter on WP2 and revise
the first and third. I chose the first one because that writing project only
included what I knew at that time. Now, hopefully, I know a whole lot more
about this writing process. I thought that I could use my new skills and make
WP1 a lot more impressive. The reason I chose WP3 is because I regret to say
that I didnt put my entire effort into it. That, and I didnt want to revise WP2,
so I didnt have another choice.
For WP1, I worked on particularly concision and reducing the repetitive
trends. I strengthened my thesis, something I have been struggling with the
entire quarter. When putting the final touches on the draft, I went back and
hit mechanics/syntax the hardest. Ive always thought that sounding poetic
and using words my peers probably wouldnt know, would be the key to
writing a great paper. I was really wrong. So for every word that wasnt

common knowledge among my classmates, I switched out for one that was. I
realized the flow of my paper was a lot smoother and user-friendly. The
reviews that were most helpful included the wise words from you and my
peers also. Being brutally honest has always pushed me to be better. Both
you and my peers hinted that I should revamp my thesis and introduction so
that is also what I hit hardest in my WP1 and 3.
For WP3, I focused on the choices I made as I translated the genre, but
also tried to reiterate the main purpose of the original article. Maintaining the
connection between the two, I realized, is what would make the paper
interesting. I also found that the content and organization of the first WP3
wasnt all that impressive. So I touched up the overall structure, once again,
to let the paper flow smoother. Through translating this genre, I realized that
the smallest of choices such as a title or a small phrase in the
introduction/conclusion can change the mood the paper gives off. In my first
WP3, I didnt mention why it is important for the audience to know about the
experiment that is discussed. But I did mention it in my portfolio and I
noticed that just adding a few more sentences, a brand new connection is
made. I feel like the audience would find it more interesting.
Something that still needs a little work is probably the flow of my essay
as a whole. I try to make each paragraph sound simple, but as far as the
entire paper goes, I seem to still struggle with the concept of simplicity. As I
discuss the subject of genres and what makes genres genres, I realize just
how much I have learned from this class. I no longer have to worry about

how to start a paper. Recognizing the genre is enough for me to know the
direction my paper will take.
Realizing any subject of writing is a genre. Knowing each of those
genres is made up of different choices and conventions. Recognizing what I
was taught in high school about concrete details and commentary isnt
all that great of a layout for an essay. Finally getting over the phase of using
complex words and trying to sound poetic in order to woo my teachers and
peers. Understanding that acquiring an effective introduction and thesis
statement lays the foundation for the rest of the paper. The key is to simply
tie each paragraph to the main idea. Keep the reader engaged and
interested and sound good while you do it. These are just a few things I
intend to take from this writing course and apply to future writing projects.
Sincerely,
Shafi (Sam) Muneer
06/03/2016