Bonehead Writing Analysis

Transitioning from high school to college can be overwhelming. Before English 1301, I did not worry about preparing for college. I quickly realized that my little background in writing essays was not enough for college courses. Writing is not just a skill that I will need for English classes. In college, I will have to use effective writing skills in all my classes to complete research papers, essay tests and communicate with professors. Throughout my education, writing strategies persisted to be a challenge for me. I dreaded writing because I could never find ways to transition my thoughts from my mind to the paper. Ironically, a class that petrified me due to the amount of required writing ended up helping me in numerous ways. English 1301 and my professor prepared me for college and real life by giving me a foundation of effective learning strategies.

“Should everybody write” is the question that is argued throughout the article Should Everybody Write by Dennis Baron. Baron, an English professor at the University of Illinois, incorporates essay styled writings in correspondence to English problems faced in today’s world. His main concern in this essay is to demonstrate to his audience a proper answer to the argued statement and uses rhetorical strategies throughout his article to support his claims. The use of tone is incorporated when he discusses the context of writing history. His purpose in this article is discussed using his strong sense of logic and he also conveys to his audience’s emotions to caution them on their own writing or writing fears. In this article, Dennis Baron expresses that not everyone

Gerald Graff’s “Hidden Intellectualism” goes through many reasons why not being book smart could be a good thing. The sports world is a way of people connecting through the competitive sports that always lead to some sort of debate (268). Graff grew up always liking sports and being “street smart” living in Chicago. He always read sports magazines growing up and realized that reading magazines was a good tactic for schools to teach street smart kids how to write good essays based on their hobbies of reading magazines (265). “What doesn’t occur to us, is that schools and colleges might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts and channel them into good academic work”(264).

As I look back over the past semester of English Composition, I realize that I have grown as a writer. Not onlyhas my understanding of the writing process changed, my whole attitude towards composition has too. This composition course has made a significant impact on my learning experience and has given me tools to take forward into my future educational and professional goals. Throughout this course, I have discovered things about myself as a writer and know some of my strengths and weaknesses. I now feel more prepared for future writing assignments, whether for work or for school. With the instruction given to me over the past few months, I have grown as a writer and gained confidence in my writing skills.

When I write, I try to put myself in someone else’s shoe. I imagine how they would feel, think, and behave in response to my writing. I try not to be biased in any way. Most of the time I would directly state what I am trying to prove. A good writer uses logos, ethos, and pathos, but also influences their audience in a new way. They capture their attention and leave them with inspiration, knowledge, and creativity. Even if the writing is based off of a template, it can make a piece of writing go a long way. Once the writer knows the basics, they can make they writing unique as an individual and as a whole.

In his 2011 essay “How to Read Like a Writer,” author Mike Bunn provides useful tips and tools for college students, in the hopes that they will be better prepared to tackle the various kinds of essays and writing assignments that will be given to them throughout their college careers. Calling back to 1997 and his time spent as a college graduate working at the Palace Theater in London, Bunn introduces how he stumbled upon the titular technique through an anecdote about his time spent as a Red Coat on West End. One of the key things Bunn points out in this recollection is his realization that “all writing consists of a series of choices” (Bunn 72), which leads him down a path of discovering intricacies about the relation between reading and

In her essay "Does Texting Affect Writing?", Michaela Cullington presents her argument that texting does not impact formal writing written by students. She discusses the concerns presented by many people about how texting language can transfer into writing, but through the use of personal experiences and credible sources she discusses how this is not true. Her use of multiple different studies and situations help boost her argument and allow the reader to truly see how students actually do formal writing. She presents a strong argument as to why those who believe students don't have the control and knowledge to write formally, instead of with text speak, are wrong.

After reading the first chapter, writing with Style, from “Thinking Well”, by John R. Trimble, he made it seem as if he was writing about my writing when he explained a novice writer. Trimble explains how a novice writer would write by giving examples of how their style of writing looks like. For example, Trimble explains how new writers unconsciously write and how they are not aware of their egocentrism. He states what a novice would have to achieve objectivity, empathy, courtesy and social sensitivity in order for him to have a readable style. Trimble then discusses what makes a veteran writer and how their thinking process reflects their writing situation. He lists four fundamentals that would help win the readers and the only way to win readers is by courteously serving them with their satisfying needs. There are five ways to serve the readers needs: Phrase your thoughts, speak to the point, anticipate their reactions, offer them variety and talk to them in warm manner. I found everything that he had to say about a beginner and veteran particularly true. From my personal experience, Trimble makes

The Little Seagull Handbook by Richard Bullock discusses the documentation, punctuation, grammar, and the steps in writing a paper. This book is a guide for many types of writing including MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE. The material makes up three sections which are how to write, research, and edit your paper. This handbook includes many great resources for helping you find what you need to write a paper.

Over the course of the semester, my main goal was to become a more precise writer and develop my identity as a writer. According too, the Portfolio Letter assignment sheet, becoming a better writer consists of precise planning, draft and revising. It also includes understanding a variety of academic genres by examining the basic characteristics that defines each type. In order too efficiently meet my goal of becoming a better writer, it was very important to have my work evaluated by others and myself as well. The use of rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, reading and writing all are the important aspects in this course. All of which helped tremendously with becoming a more precise writer and developing my identity as a writer.

Many people have difficulty writing and the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, author, and lecturer, Michael Dirda, can support that. Flaw-speckled writing is dealt with over and over again by everyone who aims to write, and in the article written for the Browsings column entitled, “Language Matters”, Michael Dirda explains just that. In Dirda’s article which aims to show what goes into a piece, how it all fits, and the large amount of work needed, he describes the struggles of the modern author when writing. Directed to the readers of The American Scholar, Dirda uses many examples of rhetorical strategies such as outstanding word choice and the audience’s self-interest.

My writing process started off as writing the essay, but not clearly understanding what the article meant. After my first draft I had to really figure out what I wanted to say about the article, uncertain if I was writing on how the article was effective or not I choose to write about both sides, which resulted horribly. My peers were confused while reading my essay. They didn’t know if I agreed with the original

The writings presented by Stewart and Teller present vastly different views on composition instruction. While Teller presents an argument that criticizes many of the techniques implement in a composition course, Stewart defends most of them. Both authors convey possible solutions to the problem, however, Teller, definitely presents an overtly pessimistic tone throughout the article. Assuming the blame for the failure of the students is one of Stewart’s main points, however, Teller shifts the blame from himself to the students and their irresponsible behaviors.

Writing is a way to communicate with the world around you, express yourself, relate facts, influence people, present arguments, connect to people, and participate in conversations. Writing is how we communicate with our world everyday. Some people only communicate through writing and if they don’t rock it then there message will be lost. An effective writer must know who they are writing for in order to reach that audience. A writer must be aware of the rhetorical situation when in order to effectively communicate with an audience. Analyzing past writing experiences such as an essay, an email, and a social media post, shows how each communicated with an audience. All audeinces are different and you need to talk to them differently. I know

Compare and contrast Kilfoil and Van der Walt’s views with Nunans’ views on the teaching of writing as a process and as a product.