Writing Reflection

Ideas and Content

My writing almost always makes sense, and I always have a clear and focused topic. Most of the time I know the topic well and include interesting and relevant details. Also, I almost always explain how my quotations relate to the main idea of the paragraph. In the Alchemist, I gave this quote and explanation, "But he decided to take a chance. A shepard always takes his chances with sheep and with drought, and that's what makes a shepards life exciting." (12) It is in Santiago's nature, as a shepard, to take chances and to be daring, whether dealing with his sheep, or his life. If he does not do so, he will never be able to learn from mistakes or move forward in his life to new and greater things." In Julius Caesar, I gave this quote and explanation, "That I did love thee, Caesar, O, 'tis true! If then thy spirit look upon us now, shall it not grieve thee dearer than thy death, to see thy Antony making his peace, shaking the bloody fingers of thy foes..." (pg 118) Antony wishes that if Caesar can see him now, he will not grieve to see him "befriending" the conspirators. Antony believes that his loyalty to Caesar is getting weaker, and because he values it so greatly, he prays Caesar will not think badly of him." One way in which I can better express my ideas and content is explaining even more how my quotes relate to the main idea of the paragraph. Though I do explain them, I only occasionally include the big picture in the explanation, and so I need to try to move away from the smaller ideas, and talk more about the big one.

Organization

My writing demonstrates appropriate organization, because I always have a clear thesis statement, that tells what the essay will focus on. My thesis for the Alchemist was, "Santiago's risk taking, spirituality, and open mindedness contribute to him achieving his destiny." My thesis for Caesar was "Antony is driven by his loyalty to Caesar, and the revenge he wishes to get on the conspirators." I also establish context prior to introducing a quote, and usually close my body paragraphs with transitioning/summarizing sentences. One way I could improve my organization is in my conclusion. As it is the final paragraph, I often do not have enough time to complete it, and to solve this, I can draft the essay before writing, and divide my time evenly between all paragraphs.

Personal Growth

I think that for the most part, my actual writing in the Julius Caesar essay has improved. The one exception for this is my conclusion, which got significantly worse, due to my running out of time. It was easier writing the Alchemist essay, because I was able to take it slow, and draft and revise it, before it was assessed. I felt a lot of pressure when writing the Julius Caesar essay, because I had a time limit and no chance to revise. Therefore, towards the end of my Julius Caesar essay, the writing started going downhill, but if you compared the beginnings of Caesar and the Alchemist, I think my writing did improve.

SLR Reflection

I communicate effectively when writing an essay, so that the reader does not get confused, and can easily follow along. I try to think of my audience when writing, and since it is my peers and teachers, I know that I cannot be too simple, or too complex with my words. Also, I try to make the essay easy to read for anyone, whether they have read the book I'm discussing or not, and so I therefore must have explanation of the text and story in my writing. Lastly, I must stay on topic when writing, so that the reader understands the point I am making and doesn't become lost when reading.

"Alignment"