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Getting good writing
How I improved my writing
How I improved my writing
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This past semester I was enrolled in DE English 112 at both Brooke Point High School and Germanna Community College. In the span of a few months, I accomplished the following essays: an annotated bibliography, a summary and response, an argumentative essay, a literary analysis, and a multi-genre essay. The argumentative essay and the literary analysis were submitted to Smarthinking, a Germanna sponsored writing center, where professors critiqued each essay in categories such as main idea/thesis, content development, grammar and mechanics, organization, and word choice. All other essays were critiqued by my peers. With the help of
Mrs. Miller, the Smarthinking e-structors, and my peers, I feel that I have improved the quality of my writing greatly
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One of my more pronounced weaknesses would be my struggle of hooking my audience and keeping them engaged in the introductory paragraph. I believe that I have improved in this area, but not to the point where I could consider it a strength yet. For example, in my literary analysis essay I open with “Shakespeare’s famous quote ‘there is something rotten in the state of Denmark’ (I.iv.90) comes from his renowned play The Tragedy of Hamlet: The Prince of Denmark.” By beginning my essay with a quote from Shakespeare, I have automatically handed off my defining moment to another author and taken the submissive role before I have even had the opportunity to state my claim. Although my e-structor specifically pointed out how using a quote from Shakespeare was a great way to hook my audience, I have to disagree because it was not my personal hook, but someone else’s. I also struggle with adding new ideas into my concluding paragraph, which is something that I noted in my last reflection, but I am beginning to learn to morph that new idea into a statement that explains the purpose and the intent behind my paper instead of simply a floating idea. With some more time and practice, I know that I will master the art of concluding my
I believe my introduction meets the exceptional criteria because my introduction grabs the reader’s attention creatively. I have a good thesis statement that explains what I am going to talk about in the other body paragraphs.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a complex play regarding the kingdom of Denmark, and the unusual stage it is going through. The main focus of the play concerns Hamlet, prince of Denmark, and his feeling of ambiguity toward his recently lost father and his remarried mother. Hamlet is a complicated character who plays assorted roles in order to manipulate people. These various roles make it problematic to develop a sense of the real Hamlet. Only during the soliloquies is the reader given a chance to understand Hamlet, they allow the reader to attempt to decipher who is the real Hamlet and what is an act. The first soliloquy allows the reader to initially delve into the character of Hamlet, by showing his anger and distaste towards his mother. The soliloquy also shows that, even through his anger, he is in a coherent state of mind.
The New Cambridge Shakespeare: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Shakespeare, William.
Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The. “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds. X. J. Kennedy, Dana. Gioia.
...t I have improved this area over the course of the semester. I am at the milestone in my writing, however, with hard work and determination I will improve as a writer throughout my college years.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat. , Paul
Major points are stated clearly and are well supported. Content and purpose of the writing are well developed.
William Shakespeare 's Hamlet is considered one of the defining works of Shakespearean literature. It encompasses major existential themes such as love, vengeance, mortality, and the transition for an adolescent into adulthood. Like all great Shakespearean works, these themes are presented with eloquent prose, comedic tones, dramatic turning points, and a theatrical flair unmatched by any other writer in history. However, Hamlet sets itself apart from Shakespeare 's other plays with the enigmatic mystery that is the character Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. Hamlet’s character is topic that has been pondered by generations of literary analysts, students, and every person who has ever
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print
Shakespeare, William. The New Cambridge Shakespeare: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 1985.
Hamlet stands out as one of the most exciting and influential dramas because of its many perceptions. The drama presents a story about Hamlet, a prince and son of King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. Claudius, prince Hamlet’s uncle, kills his father and becomes his successor. This forms the basis of Hamlet’s revenge. More so, Claudius inherits Gertrude- Hamlet’s mother. Most of its setting takes place in The Kingdom of Denmark with very little happening outside (Shakespeare, and Samuel 73). The drama probably leaves many people in suspense because of its associated language difficulties but, once one gets the ability of going past such retardations, Hamlet remains a drama of enjoyment. Shakespeare in this drama presents various life aspects from
During the course of this semester; the variety of writing styles and essays assigned to me in my communication skills class encouraged the development of my writing skills, as well as provided me with more self-assurance in my abilities. My writing, research, and presentation abilities enhanced through practice, determination, and the understanding I gained during this course. With every single writing assignment, I learned new innovative approaches and skills, which enhanced my abilities to improve my thoughts logically, enabling me to write more clearly, and to organize my papers more effectively. At the beginning of this semester; despite the fact that I already knew the terminology MAP: message, audience, purpose; I never really understood the significance of MAP. For this reason, my writing lacked clarity, organization, and my writings appeared less focused on the topics. As a result my research papers and essays did not flow as smoothly from one passage to the next. Furthermore, I was unaccustomed with the precise procedures used when writing an essay. For instance, my previous classes before college, although requiring a reference page, did not require me to include proper citations in my writings. After evaluating the quality of my writing toward the end of the semester, I recognized vast improvements in several areas of my writing. By concentrating on the beginning stages of my writings, I could distinguish ahead of time my audience and my message. As a result, my essays are clear, and I remain on topic. In addition to that using transition phrases efficiently also helps my writing to flow smoothly. The proper use of transitions makes my writings easy to follow from one topic to the next. I also learned that pre-writing...
Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet”. Responding to Literature (5th edition) ed. Judith A. Stanford. New York: McGraw- Hill, 2006. 244- 357
In modern day society, nothing is as valuable as it was once believed. Respect is now a figment of the imagination and other values and morals that were once instilled in all are slowly starting to be corrupted or either vanished. Some things society considers acceptable now was heavily frowned upon in the past. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare displays a tragedy and its effects through complex dialogue of Hamlet, which can directly be associated with similar events we experience today.
first-year student at State College who decided to major in English. I am now a senior in college