To start off, I have had a pleasant experience writing these essays. While writing these essays, I have learned a lot about my writing process. Since my personal artifact essay was a topic about me I had to incorporate something from my life into my writing. That was the easy part for me, I love using what some may call “author’s tone” which gives the readers an idea inside my head as well as a detailed description of my writing. While writing an essay like a research paper, it’s hard to incorporate my own experiences and my own tone since it has to come from factual study. Nonetheless, I still enjoy writing these essays and bettering myself as an author/writer.
The steps I took in order to begin my essays was I took the time to gather up information as well as taking the time to really know my topic well. For example, for my personal artifact, I had background knowledge but I wanted more insight from other cultures who also used the evil eye in their culture or religion. I want to learn something new every time I have to write about my topic. Not only it entertains me but it’s a different opinion or fact on my topic. For my peer interview I had to learn about another person from basically the other side of town. I went in depth, thanks to my questions, about another person’s life who isn’t closely related to me or my friend. I thought it was interesting. In my research paper, the first step I took to begin was again, I took my time researching my topic; which was the subculture of Dominicans and their traditions and myths. I am Dominican myself, so for me to learn more about our traditions and myths, some I don’t even know about, was amazing. Lastly, my mini-ethnography; the first step I took to begin was interviewing Michelle Perez and setting up the questions. I knew I wanted to ask open but yet closed questions and I wanted to go in depth with her Dominican side, I just did not know what the questions were going to be. In the end, we all have to start somewhere, I just thank god it all worked out.
The steps that I began to revise and finish my major essays was rereading my papers and even going to the writing center. For my first essay, the personal artifact, I went to the writing center for help. This nice lady helped me with grammar problems as well as taking out and putting in phrases in places that were necessary. I feel like going to the writing center gave me confidence in my writing because I had that extra help. The most challenging obstacle I had to face was finding articles in the CCNY library because some of the articles were not found or they wouldn’t be related to my culture entirely. The most successful part was when I did find articles, I knew how to integrate them into my writing and make it fit based on my writing style.
The mini-assignments, small homeworks, peer reviews, instructor feedback, and class discussions helped me a whole lot when it came to writing these essays. The mini assignments helped me know what to look for when I was writing my essays. The small homeworks like reading the ethnographies would help because it was an example I could look up to. Reading it puts my papers at a high standard. While reading Rick Zollo’s ethnography it made me want to add more of the emotion I saw in my interviews, it made me want to incorporate his writing into my essays but make it my style. Zollo made me want to get more in tune with whoever I interviewed and made me see people in a different light. The instructor’s feedback was very helpful. I often doubt myself because I never know if my ideas are good enough. Asking my instructor is very considerate because 1. He does not have to give me supportive feedback but he does. If I do something wrong he does not put me down, instead he helps me. I would like to thank Joseph Furlong for always supporting me and my work because I would have no motivation if it weren’t for him. The class discussions were helpful because it answered questions I did not need to ask directly. My classmates helped me along the way and it was very considerate of them as well. Talking to a group about the assignment shows you are not alone. Whether it is a question you think is “stupid” or if you are genuinly concerened about your topic, class discussions are always there to help you through difficulties. Finally, the course learning outcomes allowed me to progress as a writer because it allowed me to analyze my writing and learn how to better it. The most challenging was analyzing because if I look at it the moment I write it I see nothing wrong, but if I leave it then come back to it I can pick out my mistakes and fix them. To be completely honest, that was the most challenging and most successful part of being a writer.
To make my writing style better I would use concepts like, analysis of evidence, summaries, paraphrasing, and even quotations. I would analyze my evidence/quotations to make the reader understand and know where it came from. I would also use summaries and paraphrasing to help the reader understand what my evidence is saying, that way they can come to terms with what they’re reading. I use ethnographies and culture/subculture, informant, insider/outsider, interviewee, rituals/insider phrases/behaviors/group identities in all my essays. I used the terms in my essays so that way I don’t have to use incorrect terminology. Brainstorming and the free writing helped me write some of my analysis for my evidence in my essays since I had to explain to my reader using my own words. Drafting also helped me since I can pinpoint my mistakes easier and fix them before sending in my final draft. MLA formatting as well as citations not only helps me organize my quotes but it can help my audience find where I get my sources. If they are interested, they can also pick up on the links of the sources I use and obtain their own knowledge of the matter. I feel like we all can learn something from each other and I want everybody reading to be enlightened with the words I write and the sources/articles that are in my citations.
To end off on a good note, each semester I take an English class, it has helped me improve more and more and I am very grateful to have a professor who cares about his students and their work. I am not a great author or writer but I know a lot who are and like I said we can all learn from each other. In the end, all the peer reviews, the interviews, the class discussions, is all just a group of people who are being educated by one another.