english

Apr 28, 2005 22:47

Adrienne Geracioti
English 9/10
Writers Reflective

As a sophmore, looking back at my freshman year is both eye opening and surprising. It is hard to believe that in just one year, there could be just a huge difference between the quality of work done. Going into English 9/10 as a freshman was so intimidating, and I was just a small ninth grader with no clue what to do. The papers and projects I did were nothing near the quality I would expect from a high school student. Back when I was actually doing the different projects, it seemed like good work to me, but now I see how much that has changed. It could be that I have just learned more about what should be in a good paper, or maybe it is just that I was just not a very good writer. There are many things I have learned over the past year, so that next year even the papers I did this year, will seem like armature work.

The pieces in my portfolio show the ways I have changed and grown in a big way. I can see how I have matured and grown as not only a writer, but as a person able to express my thoughts and feelings better in words and on paper. Each time we have a new writing assignment in enlish 9/10, I learn something new about writing a paper that I had not known before. I now know the difference between a persuasive paper and an expository essay, which before would just be titles to me. I feel I have a better understanding of my own words, and am able to express myself through my writing. I have a unique style, which I have evolved to over the past two years. It is enlightening to look back and compare the work from the previous year to the work from recently in tenth grade. Part of the reason it is so different, is that I have matured a lot in the last year, but also it is because I have learned so many useful things to make my writing more in depth and better laid out.

My portfolio acts as a time line from the beginning of my writing career to now, the end of my sophmore year of high school. In the beginning, the paragraphs were smaller and less detailed, and in some cases were missing intro and closing paragraphs all together. My wording was a lot simpler and my ideas were not thoroughly thought out. This year, when I get started on an idea while writing a paper, I tend to get carried away, and just go on a lot of the time having the paper be pages longer than needed. Looking at pieces from last year, I see that I have the bare minimum most of the time. I guess I just wanting to get the assignment over with. It is hard for me to believe that just a short time ago I would rush to finish a paper or narrative, when now I love writing. It is easy for me to remember back to last year and remember a lesson we had learned about writing, and I can therefore apply those teachings to my papers.

My writing is a reflection on how my personality is. My emotions and personality go into the words I type on paper, making each piece a little piece of my thoughts. As a writer, my pieces show that I am bold, but then also indecisive. I have very strong opinions, but then I also have trouble sticking to one way of thinking. I change through the information I am given. My pieces are long usually, because if I have an idea in my head, I want to make sure I am able to incorporate it all into my paper. I have matured in my understanding of how to portray both fantasy and fact in my papers.

The pieces in my portfolio not only show how far I have come as a writer, but also how far I have to go. Being able to look back at the beginning is a useful tool to realizing how much I have grown and learned. I have come so far in the span of just two years; I can only imagine my writing in 3 years. There is so much I have come to know having to do with my writing and about myself through my writing, and I will continue to learn more through the rest of my high school career, and then onto collage. The most important thing I have learned, is that there is a very fine line between reality and fantasy, and through writing, you are able to express feelings that otherwise would be seen as frivolous and ridiculous. Also at the same time, you can present information in a way that shows a your own point of view on the issue. Through writing, I have learned so much more about myself, and on what I can do if I only put my mind to it. i am glad that throughout my 9th and 10th grade years, I have come to a better understanding on writing and reading English pieces, because I am sure it will come in handy not only while I am in school, but continue to be relevant in the real world.
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