Myra's Presentation

I have left specific comments on Myra's Blog regarding her presentation. To sum them up here, I think it is wonderful that exercise, and the Zumba workout in particular can be used to decrease symptoms relevant to Bipolar disorder. And, I think it is outstanding that Myra uses her own experience in the presentation to give a more personal touch. Zumba sounds like an excellent workout, and I have no doubt that it will continue to gain popularity.

Three Very Important Lessons

While in English 112, I have learned many valuable writing techniques - techniques that I will take with me to all future classes. Three of the most important techniques I have learned are as follows. First, I learned that even though using sources to support an argument in argumentative writing is important, making sure that there is also some of "you" in these essays is also important. I learned this lesson quite early in the course (during the writing process of my first essay), and the lesson has stayed with me. Second, I learned how to effectively draft introductions and conclusions. While I already had some experience in doing so in past writing, our textbook for the course showed me some other options that I may consider in future writings (e.g. beginning an introduction with a narrative and the minding the gap introduction, and showing readers what is new and answering the question "So what?" in the conclusion). Last, but certainly not least, I learned how to correctly cite sources both within my work and on the works cited page, especially online academic journal articles. This lesson, like the others mentioned here will be quite helpful in future classes especially when research papers are a regular part of course work.

My Presentation - Essay 3

To make my presentation of essay 3, I decided to use a PBWiki. On it, there is a brief overview, pictures, and a link to a video. The link to my wiki is:
www.seriousaffectsofdomesticviolence.pbwiki.com

If you are asked for a password to log in it is: tigger02.

Applying Lessons Learned

Much of what I have learned in English 112 I feel will be useful in other classes as well. For example, annotating texts and paying close attention to how writers frame their arguments can be helpful in any writing assignment (whether it is to be an argumentative paper or an informative one). Drafting effective introductions and conclusions can be useful in that they will give anyone who reads my work in the future a better idea of my overall points. Writing effective main points by using topic sentences is another helpful thing I have learned. This will be effective in my future writing because it will help my reader(s) to better understand what direction each point is going in. And, combined, each of these aspects will make for what I am sure will be extremely strong essays overall.

Another skill that I have learned that I feel will be helpful in writing for future classes is writing a proposal. In doing so, I can organize my own ideas as well as give my instructor and readers a better idea of which direction my writing will be going in and what specific sources I will use. All of the skills listed in the above paragraph will also be useful in writing proposals for pieces I intend to write in other classes, and an effective proposal can help make an effective essay.

Writing as a Process

My writing process for Essay 3 has been a fruitful expedition. Along the way I have come across facts that I recognized as well as being enlightened to others. An example of my enlightenment concerns the phases of domestic violence and how one phase tends to lead to the next. For example, the first phase of domestic violence is often a "nonviolent" phase and is centered around emotional abuse. This phase in turn leads to a progression of violence.

Without my textbook, it is very likely that my writing would not be nearly as strong on this subject as it has become. In reading the chapters assigned throughout the semester, I have learned a great deal. For example, I have learned the value of inquiry as well as the value of annotation of texts. I have learned how to research a topic and what kinds of articles are best for academic research. I have learned how to effectively draft both an introduction and conclusion, and I have learned how synthesis has a strong impact on essays and the audiences who read them. Had I not learned about each of these skills, no progress in my writing would have occurred.

An Editorial

Domestic violence is a serious issue that has profound effects on women and children. But just how serious is this issue, readers may ask. Though they may recognize the seriousness of the affects of domestic violence on women, readers may wonder, "Are children seriously affected, and if so, how?"

It is all too often thought that young children cannot be seriously affected by domestic violence. Some may say that this is so because young children (those as young as two to five years old) cannot remember events that they have witnessed. However, as Betsy McAlister Groves, LICSW, points out in her online article, "How Does Exposure to Violence Affect Very Young Children," "In reality, even young toddlers can often remember and reenact a traumatic experience quite well, and they are likely to speak freely because they have not yet learned to withhold information." Because of this fact, it is extremely important for women and their children to escape an abusive situation as quickly and safely as possible. If you are in an abusive situation, it is important to seek help immediately. Call 1-800-799-SAFE today.


Writing the above editorial can help me with Essay 3 by helping me to think about constraints of this topic as well as by helping me to organize my thoughts in a way that will be helpful in persuading readers of the seriousness of the issue at hand. It can also help me to organize effective counter arguments and rebuttals for this essay as the essay is not merely a report, but rather is an argumentative form of research.

The Importance of Proposals

Proposals give writers a better focus on the topic they intend to write about. They help to organize one's thoughts, points, and sources. Not only are proposals helpful to writers, they are also very helpful to those who will later read the finished product. They can serve as a preview of the topic at hand and are a great way for the reader to get a general idea of the direction a paper will take. For these reasons, proposals are not only important for students of composition classes, but can be used in other classes that require research papers as well (I have already used the techniques I have learned by writing my recent proposal for English 112 to write a brief proposal for another class in which the instructor asked the students to choose a topic to write about. I turned in the proposal to that instructor, and based on it, he said that my topic idea was a great one!).

College is not the only place proposals could be effective for me. As a domestic violence counselor in the future, I may be asked to do extensive research involving domestic violence. Or, perhaps I may want to write articles for women's magazines concerning this topic. Who knows, at some point I may write a book discussing this subject (a big dream perhaps, but entirely possible). In any of these cases, I feel that a proposal would be an important first step not only for myself, but for those who are considering backing me up in my writing endeavors (magazine publishers, my employer, or book publishers).