English 102

2 May 2018

Reflection for First-Year Composition

Here’s what I have learned about successfully writing in the English Language this semester:

Rhetorical Knowledge: Adopt appropriate voice, tone and level of formality

When I started working on my classical argument essay I was stressing over how to create the

perfect tone that helped solidify my thesis. My classical argument essay was on how mental

illness in teens is ignored by parents. I did not want to come off as insensitive or aggressive so I

had to keep a benevolent and cautionary tone. Furthermore, I decided to start with a personal

story to soften up my audience and raise awareness of teens who suffer from a mental illness

as well as shed a light on warning signs that can potentially save lives. For example:

Stand Clear. Shock advised. Shock given. Continue CPR. Those words repeat in the silent air

as everyone stands around in disbelief. My best friend laying cold, pale and lifeless by the side

of a pool while medical personnel try to revive her. She is rushed to the hospital after numerous

cycles of CPR, barely clinging to her life. Unbeknownst to her, she had a heart condition that

causes her heart to palpitate so rapidly that it stops whenever she over exerts herself. Luckily,

she survived with having to implant a pacemaker into her chest but after she was released from

the hospital, she was never the same. She was told that she could never do swim or work as a

lifeguard again, as well as she could not lift more than 10 pounds for months and she would

never be able to have a normal life ever again. She grew depressed; and she started turning to
friends and family for support. One by one her friends left her because they thought she was

using her heart condition for attention. Her family never took her seriously because they did

not believe that their own daughter could be depressed. I am now the only person who she

completely trusts; I am the main person who bears the load of her life on my shoulders.

Every day she pronounces that she wishes she stayed dead when she went into cardiac

arrest. Every day, someone says something or does something that continues her cycle of

loneliness. I am one state away and all I can say to her when she tells me that she wants to die

is that I am here for her, I love her and I am listening to her. Out of all three of those

statements, the one she appreciates the most is that I am listening to her. She screams out for

help everywhere, on social media, at school. She feels isolated, incompetent and ignored just

like other people around the world who are suffering from mental illness.

Plenty of teens are practically screaming for help, just like my best friend, however no one

listens which is why mental illness in teens should be addressed. Mental illness refers to a

broad range of mental health conditions that affect your behavior and thinking. The topic is

controversial due to the fact that people do not believe in mental illnesses or they do not want

to believe that them or someone they love is struggling with it. The number of troubled youth

suffering from mental health issues is on the rise and parents do not know how to deal with

them.

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: Understanding how to analyze and interpret

information, situations and text

Besides fallacy exercises and essays, most of our homework was comprised of reading articles

and interpreting the text. One article that I found interesting was called ‘The Case for

Reparations’ by famous journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates. An example of my interpreting:

Logos

1. Definitional claim: One definitional claim states that, “The FHA had adopted a system of

maps that rated neighborhoods according to their perceived stability (3)”. This system

purposely rated African American neighborhoods “D” which made them ineligible for FHA

backing. This went beyond the FHA program, this was bursting with racism.

2. Causal Claim: One major causal claim is when activist, Billy Brooks Sr., claimed that,” If you

got a nice house, you live in a nice neighborhood, then you are less prone to violence,

because your space is not deprived…But if you grow up in a place like this, housing sucks.

When they tore down the projects here, they left the high-rises and came to the

neighborhood with that gang mentality. You don’t have nothing, so you going to take

something, even if it’s not real (12)”. This line is effective because it brings up the fact that

negro poverty and white poverty are not the same at all. Blacks are targeted by not only

whites but the government and every policy that they implement that focuses on ignoring

that it doesn’t help end white supremacy.

Processes: Using multiple strategies to develop and finalize projects

The classical argument essay and advanced appeals project both required tons of revising and

infuriating drafts. I spent countless hours trying to figure out how to make my essay flow

smoothly as well as trying to stop repeating myself. The first draft I wrote was very repetitive
but with the help of Rezza, I was able to finalize my paper into one of the most emotional and

memorable essays I have ever written. Here is an example of how my paper developed:

Rough Draft: Mental Illness refers to a broad range of mental health conditions that affect

your behavior and thinking. The topic is controversial due to the fact that people do not believe

in mental illnesses or they do not want to believe that them or someone they love is struggling

with it. The number of troubled youth suffering from mental health issues is on the rise and

parents do not know how to deal with them. Mental health issues in teens is usually ignored by

parents because of their fear of stigmatizing their child or being stigmatized themselves as bad

parents, them not knowing the signs of distress and not believing that children can have mental

health issues.

Final essay: Plenty of teens are practically screaming for help, just like my best friend,

however no one listens which is why mental illness in teens should be addressed. Mental illness

refers to a broad range of mental health conditions that affect your behavior and thinking. The

topic is controversial due to the fact that people do not believe in mental illnesses or they do not

want to believe that them or someone they love is struggling with it. The number of troubled

youth suffering from mental health issues is on the rise and parents do not know how to deal with

them.

Knowledge of Conventions: formal rules that define a genre

Before English 102, I never used APA format that often so I did not know how to correctly

format my papers. When I started getting called out for my horrible formatting in my English

and criminal justice classes, I started to get angry. I could never understand how to properly use
in text citations or how to format my reference page. After multiple tries I gave up and had to

go to Rezza for help. She can vouch for my horrible reference page. I am not saying I am

proficient in APA format but I have improved my APA formatting skills. Here is an example from

my Advanced Appeals satire, titled ‘How to make having a mental illness a trend’:

5. Know that you have contributed to the statistics

a. If you have followed this blueprint, then you have contributed in these statistics.

There are 123 suicides per day and for every suicide, there are 25 attempts (American

Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2016). At least 90% of teens who kill themselves

suffer from some type of mental health problem (American Academy of Pediatrics,

2016). The new idea of making mental illness trendy silences victims and helps to

create a faction of mental illness nonbelievers. Due to the efforts of these

nonbelievers, suicide victims are usually undiagnosed, undertreated or untreated for

their mental illness. How does it feel to know you have played a role in the process of

these suicide victims transition from functional members of society to grief stricken,

pain bearing, silenced individuals? You have proudly succeeded in making sure

society ignores these teens; Because they are obviously lying, right?

References

Suicide Statistics — AFSP. (2016). Retrieved April 26, 2018, from https://afsp.org/about-

suicide/suicide-statistics/

Teen Suicide Statistics. (2016, October 10). Retrieved April 26, 2018, from

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-

problems/Pages/Teen-Suicide-Statistics.aspx