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Zhouwei's Writing Portfolio
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Cover Letter
To whom it may concern: This portfolio records my accomplishments in the Academic writing class. You can find below this letter five items: three drafts of an interpretive essay, one reading log, and a piece of timed-writing. I find them effective in reflecting both the elements that constitutes the Academic writing class and my gradual improvement in taking the class.
The timed-writing is identical to free-writing in the way that they both emphasized improvised work. Fluency, I suppose, is the keyword of timed-writing: fluency in the thread of reasoning, fluency in generating and demonstrating ideas, fluency in sentence composition and fluency in overall arrangements. I have done timed-writing three times this semester, and step by step, I learnt to free myself from the tension of time limitation and to write with fluency at last.
When working on a reading log, we are not supposed to concentrate on what the story told us, but to write down our own feelings. I was not quite used to it at first, while later, I started to realize the role “subjective feelings” plays in literature. If too much focus was put on interpretation, and subjective feelings tended to be neglected, we will witness an expanding number of critics with a shrinking quantity of innovators. I read each of the stories twice, once before writing the log and once after. The feeling was quite different: in the second reading, I become more sensitive to the specifics of the article, and more absorbed in it. I concluded that reading log helps to read better.
The three drafts of the essay occupies weeks of effort. I chose the thesis statement, “The essence of Americanization lies in the leniency towards non-native cultures”, on the work The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen by Bruno Lessing. I hoped that a thesis based on the theme of an article would turn to be more attractive and interesting than one which analyzes merely the setting of the story (e.g. the main character). What I failed to notice is that the thesis lacked evidences. Finding adequate evidences thus became the main task of mine in outlining the first draft. Then in the second draft, bricks were added into the framework. When I received comments from my instructor, Mr. Corio, and my peers, Linda and Anna, I was shocked by their similar remarks: I do not quite understand what you are writing about. The problem was clear: I failed to convey my ideas clearly. The interpretation of evidence could be extremely intricate: In substantiating the assumption A, we need to refer to evidence B, while understanding B involves the helps of context C and D, however, C and D seemed contradictory to A in the first place, but when we read E, we knew that they were not. It was hard enough to express to my readers how I think, or the whole process of my deduction. I kept working on it when writing draft three, and though it may still appear unclear, it is much better than it was.
The experience of drafting, reviewing and revising is beneficial, more beneficial than the result of the essay itself. It was through the process that I practiced my language, I learnt the principles of academic writing, and above all, cultivated my own way of writing-though it is still too immature to be called “a style”. I find myself tended to be strict with structure, both inter-paragraph and inner-paragraph. I also tend to be strict with logic. These tendencies bear both merits and drawbacks. I am quite sure that my writing makes sense, and is free of meaningless statements. Nonetheless, for my reader, as is mentioned before, it may be least enjoyable to read my writing since it shows no sign of perceptiveness. For me, demonstrating my ideas clearly is a torturous procedure-to find the equilibrium between inadequacy and redundancy is unexceptionally difficult. Also, in compromising to the structure of a paragraph, I tend to include too much information in a single sentence, rendering it long and complex. According to someone’s remark, my way of writing concerns something similar to the Stream of Consciousness, seemingly fruitful in innovation works, but quite dangerous in interpretation.
Different languages grant writing with a variety of beauty. I was amazed at English writing by its precision, its rhyme between lines, and its special way of humor. Thanks to Academic writing class, I knew about English writing better. Thanks to Mr. Ron Corio, I grasped the rules of formal writing and enjoyed the convenience of a platform of peer review and peer discussion. Thanks to my peers, Linda and Anna, your praise kept me away from frustration, your suggestion kept me reflecting on flaws I ignored, and your punctuality kept me ashamed of each action of postponing. Thanks to those who granted me remarks of any kind: “Amazing!” or “Good job!”, “Can’t you write better” or “You call it English?”, alike.
At last, thank you for your patience to finish this letter.
Yours sincerely
Zhouwei Zhou
06-18-2007
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(20.9.11 09:51)
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Zhouwei's Writing Portfolio
