First Edition MA1Links to an external site.

Final Draft MA1Links to an external site.

     Major Assessment 1 was an extremely fun project for me, because I was really able to let my creativity flow with such an open-ended prompt. The main outcome I focused on for this piece was outcome 3, in which I was tasked with crafting a complex, persuasive, and inquiry-driven argument with clear stakes. Along with this main task, I believe that this outcome’s main focus is to develop my unique, individual perspective on the natural world while taking either inspiration or scrutiny from other pieces. This is extremely important for good reading and writing, because it is imperative that a writer is not only able to analyze and discern arguments, but is also able to create his/her own assertion with a large emphasis on why their argument matters. I believe that through my condescending diction and tone, I was able to accomplish this sense of high stakes, such as when I detail that “You [the human race] became parasites to the Earth, continuing to act without regard for life besides your own. For a ‘conscious’ and ‘intelligent’ species, you humans exude nothing but selfishness, greed, and animosity.” My sardonic tone heavily contributes to the overall impact of my argument, because this diction along with the use of the personal pronoun “you” singles out the reader and makes my target audience especially clear. Although my argument is clearly already motivated by the impending disaster of climate change (a very high stakes topic), my assertive tone and discerning language are all aspects that are intended to make the audience care more deeply and feel more intertwined with my message.

     Outcome 4 was also very important in this piece as originally it was a cluster of ideas, written down in numerous places such as in my iPhone notes app, google docs, and on notebooks. While the first couple drafts were extremely messy and disorganized, I was able to formulate my thoughts and ideas into sentences and paragraphs through developing flexible strategies for revision through my composition process. In addition, I was extremely motivated to continuously revise this essay, and in doing so I found my writing to continuously improve in ways that I was not previously able to imagine. Because of this, I learned that revision is a recursive process (like outcome 4 states) and that these revisions allowed me to rethink previous choices made in earlier versions while also adding a plethora of new ideas.

4. Labuan Bajo, Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia