Haley Rosenvall

Instructor Trevor Smith

English 1010

7 August 2017

Reflection on the Semester

Ive always enjoyed my English classes. After taking a three-year break from an English

class, Id be lying if I said I wasnt intimidated. I hadnt even thought about the fundamentals of

writing a paper for that long. I feel very confident in saying, I have learned more in this English

course than any other course I have taken. Before this class, my writing process was definitely

chaotic. I would procrastinate most of my papers. Since returning to college, I decided I was

going to put in one hundred percent effort to really grow and learn from my classes. So, thats

what I did. I tried my best in keeping up with the material and staying focused during my writing

processes and it has paid off. I actually like sitting down and writing about causes that I care

about. I now know how to complete thorough research and how outlining a paper will help the

process go smoother. I also have appreciated peer responses, I never thought I would say that. I

was so nervous reading my paper aloud to people I barely knew, but Ive learned to use it to my

advantage and take it as an opportunity to improve my writing. I think the key to a successful

paper, for me, is to do a draft/revised draft and to have someone sit down and review it. In the

past, I dont remember being able to write has freely on topics as I did in this class. When I am

writing on a topic I do not have the desire to write about, it can hinder my writing.

In my past papers, I did not focus on rhetorical strategies, I used them, but I did not

realize. Ethos, pathos, and logos are all very powerful in an essay. For example, in my proposal
paper, I relied on all three. Emotion, logic and ethical/moral content will give a paper its bones

and structure to get the point a crossed or to persuade the reader.

I always knew that research is critical in writing. It gives a paper a solid foundation and

background on the topic. What I didnt realize is keeping a research log makes the process much

easier and organized. It is, in some ways, an outline of a paper.

I have loved being able to express my thoughts through writing this semester. I now feel

confident in preceding to my next English class, and that is such a relieving feeling! It has shown

me that my voice matters. This class has challenged my mind and has made me a more confident

and organized writer.