As you can tell, this essay created a lot of stress for me due to several factors. This paper was the first essay I've ever composed in my life that included a very different version of the types of papers I'm used to writing. Mr. Allen was looking for a very specific structure but in those structures, his instructions were very vague, especially when it came to Section II. I'm accustomed to teachers telling me specifically on what to write about and what they want from me. The instructions posted on how to write this essay was a little unclear for me and I wasn't sure if I was doing it correctly.
An example of doing it incorrectly and where confusion took place was when Section I was due. In the very beginning, I thought that this paper will ONLY consist of 3 paragraphs (as explained in the instructions of Section I). So all I wrote for my first draft of Section I are the opening paragraphs, without the question and explanation of why to explore that question. After I got that part back and saw my grade, I realized the big mistake that I made. It was my fault that I didn't ask Mr. Allen to distinctly re-explain the rules.
Then Section II came along. We had several days to complete this section. I understood that we were supposed to incorporate 5 sources used in class in our essay and only use 3 quotes. But the challenge I had to face with this section was to carry out the question throughout this section. It was pretty difficult because as I was writing this section, I thought that I was just repeating myself over and over again in order to keep the question in mind while the readers would read it. In addition, I had to take more time in order to write this part, therefore I used a late pass to extend the time to write this essay.
Finally, Section III. The conclusion. The instructions were also a little vague for me. Overall, it was just the problem of pleasing Mr. Allen with my essay and writing what he wants us to write, even though he didn't say much on how he wants us to write it.
This definitely was a challenge to write this essay. However, I realized that this has to be written and I just can't simply avoid this assignment. I had to face the approach of actually sitting down in from of my laptop and just typing away.
And only reason why I finished this paper on time is by seeing the due dates for the different sections and allowing myself some time to write those different components. Even though I technically used an additional day to write the essay, I was able to finish a completed paper on time!
On the bright side, I did identify some positive outcomes from this assignment. It demonstrated a unique style of writing and I'm sure most of us in the class have ever written an essay like this. It also showed me how to express the concept of creativity on a piece of paper. I never realized how hard it is to describe creativity and then actually writing about it...well that never came into my mind.
I'm glad that I was faced with this kind of assignment because it opened doors to a whole new world of originality.
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