Introduction Paper 1/12/12

Emily Wyatt

English 102-111

January 11, 2012

Paper 1, Draft 1

My English 101 Experience

            During the fall of 2011, I was enrolled in English 101 here at the University of South Carolina. This course required me to compose four different essays. For the first assigned essay, I had to analyze a photo. I was to describe the design and why the design elements worked together to make the work a meaningful whole. I chose to analyze an image called “Car With Political Bumper Stickers.” The photograph was of a Ford pinto from the 1970’s that was plastered with bumper stickers that addressed political and social issues in the United States. In my paper, I focused on why the driver of the vehicle felt as if he or she had to express their feelings on the back of their car. I argued that the driver felt this way because there is not a proper political forum for citizens to express their political stances in our country. In essay two, I had to closely read and analyze a small section of a short story. This essay required me to focus on a few textual elements that contributed to my argument. I chose to look at two paragraphs from Annie Dillard’s “An American Childhood.” I focused on the diction, imagery, and repetition that Dillard employed in the story and argued that by using these tools, she emphasized the blamelessness of childhood. Essay assignment three found me examining a film. I was to watch Boyz N the Hood and decide which historical or cultural contexts shaped the plot of the film and illuminate my understanding of it. I looked closely at a few scenes from the movie and described how the director clearly depicted the time period in his story. The last essay, essay four, had me compare and contrast a pair of texts that were in conversation with each other. I paralleled a still image from the 1933 King Kong film and a still image from the 1976 King Kong film. I argued that relationship between these two images signified the importance of American symbols and that the images related to America’s overall state during the two different time periods.

            My greatest accomplishment in English 101 was that I received an A for the course. I was proud of the hard work I placed into developing the four essays that I wrote. My best writing experience would have to be writing the first essay in English 101. I felt as if this assignment provoked my thoughts the most. I worked hard to plan out a well-developed essay and ended up earning an A due to the fact that I worked hard. My worst writing experience was the third essay that I wrote. I had a difficult time writing the essay because I felt as if I had to summarize the entire film. This second experience affected me the most because I learned more from it. After essay two, I rewrote another draft and figured out how to not summarize as much of the film. I learned more from writing essay three.