Killingsworth 1

Seth Killingsworth English 111 4/29/13

Killingsworth 2

Table of Contents 3-4 Self Assessment 5-8 Revised Memoir 9- 12 Original Memoir 13 Writing Critique

Killingsworth 3 When I first started the English 111 class I thought that I knew almost everything there was to writing. I will admit that I knew a lot but I definitely learned a lot from taking this class. The weekly readings were great examples of good literature and drastically improved my writing because I could look at these pieces and see what a good one looks like. It helped to see how words should fit together and how transitions should look. Just by paying attention to the details out of the readings a person could improve their writing tremendously. My senior English class in high school was very rigorous and it prepared me very well to take English 111. Mrs. Marshall was my high school English teacher and she pushed each and every student she has ever had to their limits. She does this to not only teach you hard work, but to help one get ready for the real word. She holds you accountable for all of your actions and inactions. One of the things she tried to convey to us the most is that college professors and employers do not want excuses, they only want results. This is perhaps one of the most important things I have pulled out of this college class. When I first came to this class I had never really paid attention to how different words with the same meaning can be interpreted completely different by two people. Sauntered, which means to walk in a slow, relaxed manner, might give me a completely different mental image than someone else. It is useful to know many synonyms for words because the right word can be the difference in a good piece of writing and a truly fantastic piece of writing. I have learned in this class that it is easy to write about something you know or care about but it is very difficult to write on something you do not care or know nothing about. Some of the writing on the weekly readings, while they were good, did not interest me at all. It was easy to be critical of it because I did not know about it or care about it. I learned that I have to get past personal feelings to accurately summarize and critique a piece of literature no matter what it is about. Personally, I think my writing has improved since I started this course. Between the first essay and the last I can see definite improvements. I still have much to work on and to learn but I firmly believe I have a strong grasp on writing. I used to be big on making as wordy of a sentence as possible to take up as

Killingsworth 4 much space as possible. While I still do, I like to think I have gotten better about it, or at least gotten better at it where it does not look like Im being too wordy. One of my favorite writings this semester is Literacy Behind Bars by Malcolm X. He writes about his desire and yearning to be able to read and write. He met a man in prison that had a gigantic bank of knowledge and he attained a large quantity of his knowledge through reading. He wanted to emulate this guy and so got a dictionary and started going through the whole thing until he knew every word in it. After looking at the words on the pages he started copying down the entire contents of every single page even the punctuation marks. After that he said he read aloud everything that he had written. At least to me this shows very important qualities that Malcolm X had. When I think about the dedication and desire it would take for a person to go through the struggles and pains that Malcolm X did to learn to read and write it inspires me. I become frustrated with reading or writing in all cases except if I want to or genuinely care about whatever it is I am writing on. This man read a dictionary and copied down everything in it to just learn to read. This class has helped strengthen my belief that hard work pays off. While it is certainly no fun to sit down all night and type a four page paper, it is fun to see that you got an A on it. It is so much easier to half way do things and take a passing grade but nothing can compare to the sensation I get when I receive feedback that says I did a good job whether it is in the form of a grade or a verbal phrase. I see people doing just enough to get by and it sickens me. If they would apply themselves then there is no telling what great things they would be capable of. Some people are comfortable being mediocre. I was brought up knowing that no matter what you do, you do it to the best of your abilities because no one can ask more of you than that. This class has been very beneficial to not only my writing abilities but also to my abilities to complete a fair amount of work. Although the workload was not tremendous it was sometimes hectic balancing it out with high school work. Maybe one day I will be able to help others improve their writing by giving them the instructions and advice I was given over the course of this semester.

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Seth Killingsworth Stacy Jones English 111 3/25/13 Joining the Few and the Proud It was a cold day in December. My family and I were Christmas shopping in Jackson, Tennessee. It had been a long day already and there were still several places to go. Although I was a very excited five year old, I still was getting tired. Out next stop was Toys R Us. We pulled in and exited out vehicle. As we approached the door I saw three men standing in front of the entrance. I had never remembered seeing men who looked like this except perhaps in movies. They were wearing these uniforms. I had never saw clothes that had made me feel the way those dress blues did. My dad told me that these men were Marines. They were taking up money for the Toys for Tots charity which gives toys to under-privileged children during Christmas time. My dad approached these men and gave them some money. I cannot remember the exact amount because I was too busy admiring their uniforms. After he had given them the money one of the Marines said, Thank you, and my dad replied, No, thank you. From the first minute I saw them in front of the doors I knew that when I grew up I wanted to be one of those guys. I wanted to wear the uniform that they wore and I wanted to earn the same title that they had earned. When children are growing up they want to be all kinds of different things when they grow up. Some may want to be astronauts. Most five year old boys probably want to be a cowboy at one point or another. There was never anything else for me. There has never been another occupation that I have wanted to pursue. Most kids want to be a variety of things from tigers to Batman. I wanted to be a United States Marine. Many people have asked me why the Marines? There are several reasons that I chose to join the Marines instead of any other branch. Discipline is a big part of my choice. Every branch has it to some extent but all one needs to do is to watch the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. The Silent Drill Platoon

Killingsworth 6 executes close order drill with rifles and bayonets. They go by a very strict cadence and each move must be done perfectly. However, there is a catch and that is the fact that they execute all of their movements in complete silence. At least to me, this is the ultimate display of discipline. Not only discipline to the cadence but also discipline to training because only after months of practice can a Marine hope to be able to meet the expectations of the Silent Drill Platoon, which in itself is a challenge. I have always loved to push and challenge myself mentally and physically. The Marine Corps has the longest and most demanding boot camp of any of the armed services. Boot camp is thirteen weeks long and will challenge a recruit in every way possible. Recruits are rousted out of bed early and put through a rigorous physical and mental training regimen. After boot camp, new Marines go to the School of Infantry and then they go to train for their specific job. I am going into the infantry which are the ones who fight on the ground. Within the infantry there are several MOSs or Military Occupational Specialties. Here are a few: 0311 is a rifleman, 0331 is a machine gunner, and 0352 is an anti-tank missile man. These are just a few of the infantry jobs. Also, there are Special Forces within the Marine Corps which are what I desire to go into. My goal is to become a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper. They are the best marksmen in the world. To become a Scout Sniper, one must go through the toughest school that the Marine Corps has to offer. I believe the Marine Corps is the finest body of fighting men and the world and Scout Snipers are the best of the Marine Corps, so therefore they are the best of the best. My decision to join the infantry has not been supported very much. For obvious reasons my parents would wish me to choose another field, but then if they had it their way I would not be joining the military at all. Before enlisting in any branch an applicant must take the ASVAB or the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. My score made me eligible to get any job I could want but I want to be a grunt. At the end of my junior year I was able to get my parents to sign the contract giving me permission to join since I was 17. Less than a week after I signed I was sent to MEPS, which stands for

Killingsworth 7 Military Entrance Processing Station, which is in Memphis, Tennessee. At MEPS one takes the ASVAB and then the next day receives a very thorough physical to make sure they can handle the rigors they will soon face. My fellow applicants and I arrived at MEPS late in the afternoon. I walked into the building filled with excitement. My dream was finally becoming a reality. The ASVAB tests an applicant on everything from reading to mechanical knowledge. After I completed the test I was given a piece of paper that had my score on it. Upon opening the paper I learned that I had scored 88 out of a possible score of 99. I was very pleased with my score. When we arrived back to the hotel we were given dinner and then briefed on what would take place the next day and then went to our rooms to sleep. Wake up call was at 4 the next morning. I arose a little earlier and prepared myself for the day. There was a breakfast prepared for us but I could not eat very much because I was again excited about what was going on. We pulled up to MEPS very early and I met with the Marine Corps liaison. His name was Gunnery Sergeant Gerhart. All of the applicants from the other branches went on to processing but all of the Marine applicants had to do pull ups to test their upper body strength before we could continue with processing. After that we began processing. First we were taken to a room to do some paper work and given a breathalyzer test. Next we proceeded to a room and our pulse and blood pressure was taken. The next test that was administered was the vision test. I walked into the room and sat down in a chair and a man told me to put my eyes against this machine and read certain lines. They also test for colorblindness. There is a book with these circles of all different sizes on them and some are green and red and they outline a number and one must tell the test administrator what the numbers are. The next room was for the hearing test. I entered a soundproof room and placed these headphones on my ears and picked up a clicker with a button on it. The clicker was meant to be pushed whenever an applicant heard a ringing. There were many other tests that day such as physical exercises to prove one had the joint mobility they would need. After the testing and background check I was sworn into the Delayed Entry Program and received a ship date which was June 10th, 2013.

Killingsworth 8 Ever since that day I have been physically and mentally preparing myself for the things I will face at Parris Island, South Carolina which is where all male Marine recruits east of the Mississippi River and all female recruits go to earn the title of United Stated Marine. I moved my ship date up to May 27th which is three days after I graduate from high school. My spare time now is filled with constant physical exercise and studying of terms and general orders I will be required to know at boot camp. Many people think I am crazy for doing all that I am to be prepared but they do not realize that this is all that I have ever wanted to do. This is my dream and in a few months I will have achieved my dream and I am truly thankful for that because many people are never able to achieve their dream. Many of my friends think it is so strange for me to be so ready and excited to leave home and do what I am doing. Their opinions will not hinder me from doing what I am doing. I want to be one of the Few and the Proud. I want to be a United States Marine.

Killingsworth 9

Seth Killingsworth Stacy Jones English 111 3/25/13 Joining the Few and the Proud It was a cold day in December. My family and I were Christmas shopping in Jackson, Tennessee. It had been a long day already and there were still several places to go. Although I was a very excited five-year old, I still was getting tired. Our next stop was Toys R Us. We pulled in and exited our vehicle. As we approached the door I saw three men standing in front of the entrance. I had never remembered seeing men who looked like this except perhaps in movies. They were wearing uniforms. I had never saw clothes that had made me feel the way those dress blues did. My dad told me that these men were Marines. They were taking up money for the Toys for Tots charity which gives toys to underprivileged children during Christmas time. My dad approached these men and gave them some money. I can not remember the exact amount because I was too busy admiring their uniforms. After he had given them the money one of the Marines said, Thank you, and my dad replied, No, thank you. From the first minute I saw them in front of the doors I knew that when I grew up I wanted to be one of those guys. I wanted to wear the uniform that they wore and I wanted to earn the same title that they had earned. When children are growing up they want to be all kinds of different things. Some may want to be astronauts. Most five year old boys probably want to be a cowboy at one point or another. There was

Killingsworth 10 never anything else for me. There has never been another occupation that I have wanted to pursue. Most kids want to be a variety of things from tigers to Batman. I wanted to be a United States Marine. Many people have asked me why the Marines? There are several reasons that I chose to join the Marines instead of any other branch. Discipline is a big part of my choice. Every branch has it to some extent, but all one needs to do is to watch the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. The Silent Drill Platoon executes close order drill with rifles and bayonets. They go by a very strict cadence and each move must be done perfectly. However, there is a catch and that is the fact that they execute all of their movements in complete silence. At least to me, this is the ultimate display of discipline. Not only discipline to the cadence but also discipline to training because only after months of practice can a Marine hope to be able to meet the expectations of the Silent Drill Platoon, which in itself is a challenge. I have always loved to push and challenge myself mentally and physically. The Marine Corps has the longest and most demanding boot camp of any of the armed services. Boot camp is thirteen weeks long and will challenge a recruit in every way possible. Recruits are rousted out of bed early and put through a rigorous physical and mental training regimen. After boot camp, new Marines go to the School of Infantry and then they go to train for their specific job. I am going into the infantry which are the ones who fight on the ground. Within the infantry there are several MOSs or Military Occupational Specialties. Here are a few: 0311 is a rifleman, 0331 is a machine gunner, and 0352 is an anti-tank missile man. These are just a few of the infantry jobs. Also, there are Special Forces within the Marine Corps which are what I desire to go into. My goal is to become a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper. They are the best marksmen in the world. To become a Scout Sniper, one must go through the toughest school that the Marine Corps has to offer. I believe the Marine Corps is the finest body of fighting men and the world and Scout Snipers are the best of the Marine Corps, so therefore they are the best of the best. My decision to join the infantry has not been supported very much. For obvious reasons my parents would wish me to choose another field, but then if they had it their way I would not be joining the

Killingsworth 11 military at all. Before enlisting in any branch an applicant must take the ASVAB or the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. My score made me eligible to get any job I could want but I want to be a grunt. At the end of my junior year I was able to get my parents to sign the contract giving me permission to join since I was 17. Less than a week after I signed I was sent to MEPS, which stands for Military Entrance Processing Station, in Memphis, Tennessee. At MEPS one takes the ASVAB and then the next day receives a very thorough physical to make sure they can handle the rigors they will soon face. My fellow applicants and I arrived at MEPS late in the afternoon. I walked into the building filled with excitement. My dream was finally becoming a reality. The ASVAB tests an applicant on everything from reading to mechanical knowledge. After I completed the test I was given a piece of paper that had my score on it. Upon opening the paper I learned that I had scored 88 out of a possible score of 99. I was very pleased with my score. When we arrived back at the hotel we were given dinner and then briefed on what would take place the next day and then went to our rooms to sleep. Wake up call was at 4 the next morning. I arose a little earlier and prepared myself for the day. There was a breakfast prepared for us but I could not eat very much because I was again excited about what was going on. We pulled up to MEPS very early and I met with the Marine Corps liaison. His name was Gunnery Sergeant Gerhart. All of the applicants from the other branches went on to processing but all of the Marine applicants had to do pull ups to test their upper body strength before we could continue with processing. After that we began processing. First we were taken to a room to do some paper work and given a breathalyzer test. Next we proceeded to a room and our pulse and blood pressure was taken. The next test that was administered was the vision test. I walked into the room and sat down in a chair and a man told me to put my eyes against this machine and read certain lines. They also test for colorblindness. There is a book with these circles of all different sizes on them and some are green and red and they outline a number and one must tell the test administrator what the numbers are. The next room was for the hearing test. I entered a soundproof room

Killingsworth 12 and placed headphones on my ears and picked up a clicker. The clicker was meant to be pushed whenever an applicant heard a ringing. There were many other tests that day such as physical exercises to prove one had the joint mobility they would need. After the testing and background check I was sworn into the Delayed Entry Program and received a ship date which was June 10th, 2013. Ever since that day I have been physically and mentally preparing myself for the things I will face at Parris Island, South Carolina which is where all male Marine recruits east of the Mississippi River and all female recruits go to earn the title of United States Marine. I moved my ship date up to May 27th which is three days after I graduate from high school. My spare time now is filled with constant physical exercise and studying of terms and general orders I will be required to know at boot camp. Many people think I am crazy for doing all that I am to be prepared but they do not realize that this is all that I have ever wanted to do. This is my dream and in a few months I will have achieved my dream and I am truly thankful for that because many people are never able to achieve their dream. Many of my friends think it is so strange for me to be so ready and excited to leave home and do what I am doing. Their opinions will not hinder me from doing what I am doing. I want to be one of the Few and the Proud. I want to be a United States Marine.

Killingsworth 13

Writing Critique I believe that the memoir was my best piece of writing. It was so easy to write about because it is something I am passionate about. The words were easy to put down because I had experienced everything that I wrote about. I would say that those who read it could tell that the Marine Corps means something to me. This was definitely my best piece of literature.

My worst piece of writing would probably be the argumentative research paper. I had strong personal feelings about what I was writing about. It was because of those feelings that I felt like my argument was too one-sided. I felt as though I could not do the other side justice. My idea to improve that would be to pick a topic I am neutral on or at least try to write in a neutral manner.