Blog Post #2

Student Sample Analysis

After reading Kafka’s paper I realized that she had a tough time acknowledging the opposing side of some of her claims. I believe that this is a key point in an essay because it makes your argument stronger. For example, when Kafka states that trash is ” trucked to landfills, dumped into the oceans, or just left to roll along our sidewalks, streets, and dirt roads” she forgets to also mention that the vast majority of people do recycle. It is easy to point something like this out when you are just a spectator towards an essay. I know because I make this mistake unknowingly when I write as well. This is something I hope to improve on in English 102. Another aspect of Kafka’s final essay that I relate with includes being able to tell a story well and get the point across. I am not just talking about the point you are trying to make, but overall what your paper is about and items you will touch on. On the contrary, from reading Smolka’s paper, I realized how well an essay can flow which is something I would like to learn myself. In my writing, I can be thoroughly informative and also provide enough background knowledge to allow the reader minimal question what I am talking about. Although having an informed reader is good, sometimes my paper can become choppy and not fit well together making my essay sound scrappy and be hard to read. I know that my skills will improve not just by taking this course but also because of the help of my peers, and I look forward to it.