Learning Outcome 1
Throughout my revision process, I have learned to use drafts as more than just basic fixes to grammar and structure in my writing. When writing my second essay, I found it difficult to connect the diverse ideas presented in the different sources I used. Organization was a challenge, and connecting these ideas in an organized way was my main trouble with writing the essay. However, after writing my first draft, I found that I was able to develop a better connecting thesis for my essay, which helped with organization and flow. It also gave me a better focus, something to support in my essay with the evidence I had already found. This was the point where I learned to “re-view [my] work again, as it were, with different eyes, and start over” (Sommers). Looking at a paper with a different perspective, as though it isn’t your own, allows you to uncover errors or miscommunications you may have previously thought didn’t exist. By doing this, I was able to craft a better final product with the materials I had already compiled on the paper. I was able to cut out much of the unnecessary content, focusing on the larger picture of my essay. This focus on content rather than context, though not perfected, was a large improvement in my writing and revision quality.
Learning Outcome 2
In my second essay, I used a variety of sources, both peer-written and professional, to provide evidence in order to support my thesis. To do this, I first started with a small amount of context from the text, as well as some of my ideas, to introduce the topic. This allows the reader to understand where the quote is coming from and why it is important to my argument. Next, I inserted the quote in a way where it blends with my own words, making it flow more smoothly. This prevents the awkward and choppy wording that lowers the quality of the writing, making it difficult to read. Finally, I explained the meaning of the quote in the context of my essay. This gives the quote an almost new meaning, adding it to my argument and enhancing my essay and thesis. Here is an example of a quote I used in context, from an essay by Alexandra Kennie
Her grandmother, who now has Alzheimer’s disease, taught her father her way of making American Chop Suey. She described this meal as “a dish that connected [her] to [her] family and was something that always cheered [her] up in times of distress”. Much like the end of Carver’s story when Ann and the baker reconcile and bond, food plays an emotionally conciliatory role, comforting her when she is emotionally downtrodden.
As one can see, the quote is introduced with context so it makes sense to the reader and can be connected to my essay. Then, the quote is inserted in context, to make the wording flow with my own. After this is done, the quote is summarized, and given meaning in relation to my thesis.
Learning outcomes 5 and 6
In my second paper, I learned how to site sources from peer writers, as well as short stories. Before, I only know how to cite sources from the internet, as it was usually articles I found online that I used for evidence in high school papers. I also usually used EasyBib, as it was a simple way of quickly gathering my sources, organizing the information and generating a bibliography. This project, however, used a short story within a larger book, something I hadn’t had to cite before. With the guidelines given, I was successfully able to cite this source in my bibliography, crediting both the book itself and the story within it. This essay was one that required significant revision, so it was imperative to continually check sentence structure to ensure that there were no grammatical errors or typos. This helped me to improve my basic revision skills.
