1/12/2018 0 Comments Progress as a writerAutocriticism is one of the most difficult things to do accurately. People rarely notice themselves improving in academic skills like writing and critical thinking, because improvement occurs very slowly over time. I used to often assume that I wasn’t learning anything new when it came to writing. I would churn out 1-2 argumentative essays every year, and in the process, couldn’t identify any significant changes to my writing.
To assess my progress as a writer, I will have to look back farther than an essay I wrote a few months ago. Here I will provide two body paragraphs from different essays: one from my recent essay in World Studies, and another from an expository essay I wrote 3 years ago on popular sovereignty. Revolution is not a retired concept. There are revolutions happening right now, all over the world. In the past few years: A Zimbabwean and a Turkish coup d'etat, an Abkhazian revolution, protests in Ethiopia and Brazil, an uprising in Burkina Faso, and many others. There is dissent in these countries for varying reasons, but all have one in common: a conglomerate distrust or disapproval for a person in a position of power. In the west we see this as well, but on a smaller scale. Anti-government extremist groups are exceedingly common in the U.S.A., and surge under the leadership of democratic presidents. As of 2015, there are at least 998 active “patriot” groups in the United States (and over 50 in California). Modern propaganda no doubt adds fuel to this fire, as “fake news” sites continue to spread misinformation about the government and oppositional movements. As politics continue to divide our country more and more, revolution becomes an increasingly comfortable idea for many citizens. As previously stated, one of the values we believe to be important is popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is a fundamental aspect of federalist societies and gives the public the ability to control the government. In Article One of the US Constitution, one of our major branches of government, the Legislative Branch, is defined. Our Legislative Branch is made up of two houses; the House of Representatives and the Senate. The members of these branches are elected by the public, and must be reinstated every 2 or 6 years (of the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively). This exhibits one of our defining values, popular sovereignty. The people are able to elect whatever representatives they see fit, and can resign from re-electing them if they so choose. Popular sovereignty is also expressed in the Declaration of Independence. In the second clause, it states that “Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government.” This means that the people are responsible for altering the government if it becomes too powerful or destructive. At first glance, these two paragraphs seem very similar in their writing style, even if the subject matters are slightly contradictory. There are similar flaws in both (repetitive use of a key phrase, opinions without supporting evidence, and an assumption that the reader is an american citizen), but I can confidently say I prefer the former paragraph over the latter. There are some issues, but I demonstrate a better use of transitions, a more concrete understanding of the subject, and provide better evidence for my point. This semester I want to diversify my writing abilities and try different styles. I am not confident with my ability to write fiction pieces or poetry, and I would like to change that. As always, I will also make efforts to expand my vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. Overall, I want to improve my creativity and mastery over the course of this semester.
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AuthorI'm Sabrina, a student at New Tech High. Archives
April 2019
CategoriesAll After Affects Biology Digital Media Environmental Oceanography Personal Research Tutorial |