Jim's Writing Portfolio

As the semester draws to a close, many people are too caught up in what they have to pass finals to reflect on the progress, if any, they have made in the academic stretch. For me, however, I not only reflect on what I’ve achieved but this form of self-assessment is part of my final English assignment, this assignment. While I analyzed the four essays I’ve written this semester I noticed a substantial growth in my writing capabilities. From the opinionated yet flawed and personally detached essay one to essay four, the latter being probably the best essay I‘ve ever written, I have gained a grasp on the essay format that never had before.

Above all else I find that I have no problem forming an opinion or side in my essays. Even in the first essay, an essay based mostly on reporting information, I make point to include my opinion on how money doesn’t make people happy. I also found that I have a taste for long, flowing sentences. This, however, also seemed to hurt me as much as it helped me, and that’s not to say my papers are without any other flaws.

Often when writing, I like to use long descriptive sentences. The biggest problem with this is that in doing so I write many run on sentences, something I’ve always had trouble spotting and evaluating. Along with my tendency to write run-ons, I find I often get bored with the subject of the essay as I write the paper. Though I am unsure if others have noticed this flaw, when I read my own writings they sometimes come off as uninspired.

What I developed the most this semester is what I believe my overall writing style. While many authors and writers that I have interest in helped guide me in the right direction, it was these essays that got me to head that way. I also gained a strong appreciation for the use of ethos in essays and argument. While even my first to essays contained ethos, having only vague knowledge of the subject left any use of it raw and not always intended. Now I find my self purposefully injecting my papers pieces of my identity in hopes of creating a better paper.

In the end, I feel I have grown substantially as a writer. I went from the idea of being a writer was possibly the worst thought I could ever conjure up to now actually considering the possibilities. Though I may have far to go before I reach the pinnacle of my creative essence, knowing that I’m now going in that direction is quite satisfying. While my class and assignment participation may have been less than mediocre, I think my writing my essays deserve no less than a B. Sure, they’re not perfect. But maybe someday, after more years of practice, I could say that I have written most perfect paper that I could ever materialize.