Madeleine Seltzer's Reflection
The goals that I had at the
beginning of the semester varied from expanding my knowledge in grammar to
being able to produce a clear essay with an opposing argument. Eventually my goal was to persuade my reader with my research. I did accomplish being able to differentiate
between an exemplification essay and a research essay. My grammar also improved
and I learned about logical fallacies and their importance.
Before enrolling in this class, I was unable to focus on a
topic and I could not narrow down the argument in order to persuade the reader.
This class has helped me discover a way to concentrate on the subject by thinning
down the theme and pumping up the research. I became aware of databases this
semester and the importance of a reliable source. It made my work so much
easier and it let me trust the material I was reading without having to do a
background check on the website. I also noticed how crucial an opposing
argument is to a research essay, and that the counter argument actually made my
initial argument even stronger.
The chunks of my paper that I am most proud of are within the
meshing of global ideas and individual benefits. Before I started writing this
paper, I was having tremendous trouble narrowing down my topic. I wanted to be
able to persuade the reader and I felt like writing a paper about local green
commuting would reassure this. Instead, I decided to go in the opposite direction
and draw the scale much wider. From a global perspective, I was able to achieve
my main purpose of exemplifying the beneficial aspects an individual will feel
while green commuting. At the same time I was able to show why some countries
adapt more than the United States. I think that my revelations and my counter
argument are solid parts of this essay as well. Since my thesis and the point I
was trying to prove was about enhancing an individual’s life by green
commuting, I felt like the counter argument needed to fit that level. Instead
of researching the reason why taxes are not spent on better public transit in
most cities in the United States, I decided to press on the hesitation of why people
do not green commute because of fear of danger and inconvenience. I assume that my instructor will be fond of my topic on a
personal level, because she is a green commuter herself. I also think that my
instructor will be impressed with my counter argument and the thought that I
put into it. It was difficult for me to even find a counter argument for this
topic because it seemed strange to me that anyone would be opposed to exercise,
improving air quality and finding more ways to be immersed in social settings.
I then began to think about why more people do not participate in green
commuting and landed on a couple issues that individuals battle with, such as fear of danger and simple inconvenience.
The technology aspect of this class overwhelmed me in the
beginning. I had barely read blogs let alone published one of my own. I think
that the instructor did a tremendous job on interconnecting more technological
factors into learning. It makes sense as a student, to be introduced to more
web skills because that is where the majority of information can be found.
Formatting my papers in the MLA format was a constant struggle throughout the
class, but by the end of this paper I felt confident in the citations and I was
not hesitant to find more resources just because I did not want to have to cite
them. I enjoyed unraveling the argument and discovering new points
that I could use, I found that exciting and interesting. It kept my motivation
going through this process. I also enjoyed going to the writing center and
seeking out help there. At one point of this process I felt completely
overwhelmed. I had put a lot into the topic that I had planned to write on but
I did not feel attached to it. I felt like it was too far to turn back so I
proceeded with my initial topic. I am glad that I did because in this process I
learned that any topic can have many different features and as the writer, I
did not need to feel stuck, I just had to refresh my research and become more
passionate.
The most useful and helpful part of this entire development was when I gathered all of the research I was interested in and then wrote a
paragraph that explained why those pieces of data were crucial to my topic.
After that, I narrowed down my topic and from there I considered the opposing
argument. Once the opposing argument was set in stone I was able to work around
that and counter it throughout the essay, which in the end persuaded the reader
even more.
Great draft! Make sure you do at least one more proofreading sweep as you revise.
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