End of the Year Writing Reflection

The first essay we formally completed in class this year would be the synthesis on
libraries in modern day society. My writing from this essay embodies my earlier
writing techniques and my origins as a writer because of the common mistakes and
habits throughout the essay. Starting off, my thesis sentence is clear, but fails to
provide specific details in regards to my argument in the essay. I am writing that
libraries play an important role in modern day society with the thesis, “Libraries will
continue to serve the community as a reliable source of information and knowledge
while adapting to the evolution of the technological era to continuously fulfill the
needs of the community”. I make evident claims but I do not include evidence on
how libraries will serve the community or how they will continue to serve as a
reliable source of information. As the essay progresses, my counter argument is
unclear and I fail to delve deeper into “the bigger picture”. My explanation and
analysis is also lacking in regards to the main argument. Even though the essay is
undoubtedly flawed, the structure is clear and I address the prompt with evidence
that is properly cited from each source. Overall, the essay demonstrates my earlier
style of writing as I struggled with analysis in connecting the work to the bigger
picture and I struggled with clearly and effectively expressing my own argument.

A more recent AP essay that demonstrates my current writing skills is the rhetorical
analysis on Leonardo Dicaprio’s UN Climate Summit speech. In the essay, I focus
on Dicaprio’s use of logos, pathos, and imagery. Despite a few minor grammar and
spelling errors, my overalll prose is clear and my analysis connects to the larger
idea- that being the need for global involvement in protecting the environment.
In the essay, I overcame my previous struggle of providing more analysis while
effectively answering the prompt in tracing Dicaprio's argument through his use
of rhetoric. The rhetorical analysis traces my evolution as a writer as I improved my
AP score and adjusted my style of writing to fix the previously mentioned
issues.

This year was definitely the most I have improved in my writing skills. I strayed
away from a strict and choppy structure while finally being able to include deeper
analysis and connection in my writing. It was very challenging at first since the
AP essay formats were new to me but I adjusted gradually and learned more
about my style and diction as a writer. Analysis was by far my biggest challenge
coming into this year along with completing essays in a timed manner
but based on my writing throughout the year, I was able to overcome both of
those challenges. In regards to the future, I hope to deepen my connections in
writing while being able to include a more personalized or unique tone/style in
my essays.

The "Universal" Language

 Each language and dialect has the astounding ability to convey an almost limitless array of 

emotion in completely different ways. The variation of languages and dialects around the

world has allowed for the diversification of cultures and expanded the ability for individuals

to express an intended feeling or meaning.

Throughout my own life, I have developed multiple speech patterns or “Englishes” to match

those around me and express what I want to say as accurately as possible. The first English I

ever used was a Chinese-English mix. Growing up, I was exposed to two drastically different

languages: English and Chinese. As a child I would commonly replace simple words with the

Chinese translation saying “ I 要 (want) 水 (water)” or “This room 太(too) messy” mostly

because it was more work to speak in entirely one language or I knew people around me would

understand me better. I still replace some words with Chinese when I speak to my family but

for an entirely different reason. Growing up, I began to speak less and less Chinese and my

parents began to understand English much better. Now I replace certain expressions or phrases

with Chinese in a comical and almost exaggerated way. I could spill something and yell “糟糕”

or “啊呀” so my family would know I was mad in a less serious way.

The most common English I use would be how I speak to my friends. I tend to speak colloquially

but rarely ever with slang since I don’t find myself having a use for it. I don’t usually think

before I speak in these “everyday” or “casual” scenarios so I say what immediately comes

to mind. This form of English happens to be my favorite as it is unfiltered and the most accurate

accumulation of the speaking characteristics and overall personality traits I have gained over

the years. I often find myself yelling or complaining in this form of English which is unsurprising

since that's 60ish% of what I do.

My "formal" or "refined" English is how I write most of my essays and how I speak to

most teachers and adults. When writing an essay, I try to keep every phrase as direct and

sophisticated as possible. I'll throw in a few words that I had to look up first as an attempt

to seem annoyingly precocious or somewhat knowledgeable (I guess it just sounds better to

me that way). Teachers and adults tend to speak in a formal way so I try my best to reflect the

same tone of voice and diction. I'm not too familiar with most teachers and adults in my life

so I try to stay more distanced and respectful to avoid any miscommunication or possible

indications of disrespect. This "standard" form of English is what many expect from all

residents of the U.S. This English is clearly not the only one yet many perceive other Englishes

(possibly my Chinese-English mix) to indicate incompetence or lack of intelligence. As Amy

Tan's mother had experienced, people who speak "broken" or grammatically incorrect English

are unfairly mistreated and ignored. The truth is that different "Englishes" or dialects allow

for distinct differences in families, friend groups, or whole cultures that diversify people

around the world.