As an incoming freshman, I was never the strongest in literature. I could never express myself the way I wanted to, and the way I wrote my thoughts and opinions were never “formal” academically. So when I had to push myself in the first month of my semester to write a Literary Narrative, an assignment that reflected my reading, writing, and language experience that shaped a part of me today, I was stuck. This was the biggest obstacle for me in the course because this was about me, someone who struggles to identify who they are. However, when I completed this assignment, I felt as if the other assignments to come were a breeze because this assignment taught me so much about my style. I only looked forward to how my other works, such as the RCA essay, Exploratory Essay, Discussion Posts, would improve my writing. 

     On my portfolio, I have my draft, final, and reflection for my Literary Narrative. one of the few things I struggled with in this assignment was clarity, structure, and flow. Since this narrative was around me, I had to talk about how various events in my life concerning literature led up to the big moment of how it shaped a part of me. As a result, my narrative’s overall structure became messy, as if I were hopping around events and not connecting them to point out how significant they are. My chaotic system inevitably caused me to struggle with the clarity of my point and my narrative flow. However, with constructive feedback from my peers and friends, I successfully changed my narrative flow to demonstrate my points concisely and form a strong structure. As stated in my Literary Narrative reflection, I evaluated and reevaluated my narrative by editing and rereading it until I produced the most authentic version of my assignment to the best of my ability. With this assignment, I learned that I efficiently read/reread and edit my work best when receiving constructive criticism from an outside party and returning to my assignment after taking a little break from it. 

     In my Exploratory Essay, I chose to speak about Little Red Riding Hood and how various fairy tale versions had elements that depicted a linkage to sexualization and women in their coming of age. My essay’s idea was great, but I struggled a lot with phrasing my words accurately and procrastination. If I did not word my thoughts right, it would convey a confusing or different point than what I am trying to prove. Trying to stitch my thoughts together in an accurate manner overwhelmed me. Looking back now, I realized I had over-stressed myself with so many ideas and sources needed for my essay. I was mentally exhausted, and even though I deserved and needed rest, I would not allow it because my mind would always wander to this assignment in my leisure time. In my Exploratory Essay’s reflection, I acknowledged that procrastination was my biggest weakness. I overcame my procrastination in this essay assignment merely because of the deadline. However, my peer review partner helped a lot as she guided me through my ideas and commented on which sounded the best. She comforted me, saying that she was in the same boat, and hearing that calmed down my nerves, and I was not overwhelmed anymore. With a clear mind, I analyzed and evaluated what sources worked best for my essay. I could also implement a strong structure in my report that would allow me to maneuver through my points straightforwardly without conveying a confusing or unintended message. In the end, I received a good grade and understood my weaknesses. I knew they were to show again in my next writing, but I had developed a strategy that would let me have the advantage. 

     For this class, the Research Critical Analysis was the last essay assigned. This essay was related to our Exploratory essay, meaning that we could use the same idea we had, intend our message to particular audiences, and more. What was different was the amount of elaboration and sources (primary and secondary)  we needed to provide in each paragraph. As previously stated, this essay made my procrastination a struggle. However, I was able to overcome this struggle as I knew how to overcome it quickly. I was able to relax more and take things slower and not rush and overwhelm myself. With a clear mind, I evaluated, reevaluated, and synthesized my essay to produce the best version of my opinions and thoughts in an organized manner. I assessed the sources I needed, compared them, and reevaluated them to get the broader message or theme to strengthen my RCA stance. 

     Overall, this class pushed me to work harder on my essays. For my Literary Narrative, I received a 93 as a grade. For my Exploratory Essay, I received a 92. For my RCA, I also received a 92. You may think that I have gotten worse at writing, but I would say that my writing was relatively stable. With my peer review partners’ help, my professor’s feedback, lectures, and readings, I learned about myself and my writing techniques. For my next semester, I am excited and confident to utilize the things I have learned and better myself as a student. From this point on, I only look forward.

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