Aspects of Modernism in Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf - Essay Example

reflection My journey of academic writing has been full of new explorations and knowledge. When I was given my first essay to write about an analysis of a song in English, I did not know where to start because I was used to writing in Chinese. I consulted an academic writing centre on how I will go about the work and they gave me good guidelines and directions. This was the start of the growth of my writing skills. With the few writings that the Lecturer in English 112 has given us, I have been able to score good grades because of my persistent to write quality and accurate assignments. In my first paper, I had a difficult time doing close reading and making analysis of a song in an in-depth manner. Through the analysis, I was able to have a deeper understanding of the song and was also able to make comparisons. The essay enabled me to have a closer look at other songs and come up with an argumentative essay. “Like that of Green Day’s ‘Hitchin’ a Ride’ or Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘1979’ at least, the drum-filled onset of Arcade Fire’s ‘Keep the Car Running’ sets the mood for the theme and lyrics.” I wrote this to compare the song I was analyzing with other songs. I did this with the aim of making the reader to better understand the point I was putting across. I have learnt how to make clear and structural sentences depending on the kind of work I am doing. My research skills have also widened through this process of writing and I am now able to make good research with the skills I have. I have learnt how to be pro-active in finding necessary and selecting from many sources a few that match with my work. By being give a word limit by my Lecturer, I have developed planning skills and decision making skills as to select specific information that will complete the word count or the page count which has been a challenging task. Discipline is also one of the skills characters that I have developed during my academic writing. This is because I have to follow the instructions of the lecturer as it is and meet his expectations for me to get a good grade. My writing skills have also improved since I started writing. Before this class, I was not able to make well understood and well composed sentences because I was used to writing in Chinese but now I am in a position to make clear and accurate sentences. I know how to choose the rights words to use in writing depending on the subject am covering. In my first assignment of analyzing a song, I was able to critically analyze and find the meanings of parts of the song. “Means that he may be out of sight and not in touch for long, but merely for the sake of overcoming a serious ordeal that barely yields remedy on choosing to remain on the same fixed spot” This statement I gave in revealing a hidden meaning in a song shows that am able to analyze and critically think over something that is not easily understood. In my second assignment, I made a few mistakes when I was discussing about the indie rock/sub-genre. I did not focus on the topic I was given and went to give information about the live performances that Arcade Fire band had performed. This is one of the challenges I faced in my writing because of having too much information at hand. The use of research sources in academic writing requires one to be able to sieve the information and take in only what is relevant. When talking about the recent investment of Arcade Fire band of dealing with social and political issues, I created a background for their actions by stating individuals should not be selfish but should live beyond their immediate selves. I did this because with time, I have learnt that every statement that one makes must have a backbone. At the conclusion of the paper, I explained the ways in which the band markets it music including the use of MP3. I further went ahead to explain what an MP3 is to ensure that the reader is not left in the air because of lack of understanding of what it is. I chose to do this because academic writing ensures that all doubts are cleared by giving information that is needed. Information should be complete. In my assignment of creative and critical application, I started by saying that “while some of us grew up with a musician’s ear, others have no choice to lend their ears to the musician” to draw the attention of the reader. I composed this on my own because of my understanding of music. For me to come up with this, I had to critically analyze the aspects of music. Writing assignment essays especially those that require critical thinking and analysis has helped me to develop skills that can help me in future apart from class. Through writing, I am now able to evaluate and analyze things more clearly. I am able to make a clear and precise decision with critical thinking. I have learnt how to write a thesis statement which I know will help me in future when I will be taking my master classes. During my writing of academic work, my language has improved because I am now able to use professional vocabularies which I gained during my writing. As a student, I think that essay writing moulds a student to be effective in presenting him or herself or even in expressing ones opinions. Writing has helped me in writing presentable assignments and has improved my knowledge of how to write academic papers. I have learnt how to make topic sentences when starting a new paragraph and also how to make good conclusions in a paper. Constant writing of essays develops the thinking a student and widens the capabilities of a student as well. This has worked for me because my thinking now is more diverse and I view things in a critical angle before making appropriate decisions. Argumentative essays have helped me in making clear comparisons of issues and making critical analysis of them. I am now able to effectively argue out my points without having to confuse myself. English 112 is an excellent class for students to be able to be professionals in the near future because of the level it exposes people in learning how to write academic papers. It takes a student through a slow and sure learning process making them professional writers at the end of the course. Read More