Dear Reader,
I have collected six artifacts of reading and writing and looking through them reminds me how much I have grown as a writer and a person. There are some things I wrote that I would totally change and some I would elaborate on. Each essay reminds me of the class I wrote it in and the whole section that was based around that essay. Then remembering the time makes me think of my life around the time I wrote it and how much time I spent on it.
The first essay, Analysis of “The Enemy Within”, was written when I was in 10th grade Honors English. I know that in that specific class I was just beginning to develop the writing skills and I had trouble with fallacies. This essay helped me grasp the subject more but I still felt like I may not have always been correct when answering fallacy questions. One thing I remember learning from this class however was how to weave quotes into my sentences and although I was not great then, I do feel like I have gotten much better.
Next, I have my essay, Say Nope to Dope, which I wrote in 11th grade AP English. This essay was meant to defend my assigned subject and side. I was given the assignment of Against Legalization of Marijuana. With this I had to research and then read the speech to the class. I was really proud of myself after writing this because the way I read it and the amount of support I put into this. I spent a lot of time researching on the computer and through personal interview. I even interviewed reliable sources like a nurse and got brochures from her about marijuana. After that introduction of a research paper, I feel prepared to take on another, now at the college level.
In the beginning of my Senior Year, I began preparing to write college essays. My Senior English teacher had us write about something memorable. Reading that first paragraph gives me the chills because that moment was one of the best feelings in my life. It brings back every feeling and memory like it was just yesterday. I think that is an accomplishment alone to be able to feel what I felt that day by reading this. It may not have been the best essay, but it has passion and feeling and that was what I was most proud of in that essay.
For my Tone in Pride and Prejudice essay, I evaluated tone using specific examples from two characters: Elizabeth and Darcy. Writing a whole essay about tone was not something I had done before however, I had already written shorter summaries about tone. I realize now that I could have quote weaved better. If I could change this then I would rewrite better and more fluid quote weaving. Despite that, I think this essay was good for me because I had to elaborate on something I had not before.
Getting to the end of Senior Year, I needed to write letters for scholarships. One that was important for me to get was the cheer scholarship because I felt that I had a lot of history there and deserved it. I remember writing this and thinking about all the bad cheer had done in my life. I remembered the bullying and the harsh, rude girls. Writing this made me have to think about the positive however. I thought of lessons that should have been taken away by everyone and made me stronger. Thinking about the effect of cheer was much better than the cliche writing of how cheer was the best and coolest to be in throughout high school. I was proud of myself for thinking outside of the box and writing stuff that showed more long term effects. I did end up getting the scholarship and I know that it was because of my future thinking, learning the right lessons and making goals outside the sport.
Finally, in the beginning of the summer I read “The Fault In Our Stars” by John Green. It was about a girl with cancer who fell in love. I read about her struggle with the equipment she needed to wear and her love’s unexpected relapse. It was sad but I really enjoyed the book. Just thinking about it makes me feel upset though!
All of these artifacts had a big impact on me and made me improve or realize something. At the time, I would have never thought it could be that important, but now I see.
Sincerely,
Christine Patrikian
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