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Samarth Nair

Professor Littlejohn

Writing Seminar-111

30 November 2023

Critical Reflection “Essay”

Writing and research processes:

● Describe your writing process.

My writing process usually consists of five different steps. Step one is about brainstorming. I like

to gather my ideas for my potential thesis. I also like to gather evidence that would be strong

enough to support my thesis. Step two is about writing a rough draft. The key word in this step is

“rough.” I like to formulate my ideas and put the words on paper, and I also like to follow a

guide that might include the minimum number of pages and the content that should be included

within the essay. This draft is to be of the lowest quality, however, it allows me to organize my

thoughts later on. This brings me to my third step, which involves editing my rough draft. Most

times it upsets me to look through the draft and see the countless errors that I have made,

however, I spend a few hours going through and making those changes, which then makes the

essay better. The fourth step is peer reviewing, which could include a friend or a teacher looking

over the essay and correcting any mistakes in flow, content, grammar, and many more. The final

step is looking through those comments, and fixing the essay to properly perfect it.

● What do you like about it and why? What would you like to change and why?

I like and dislike the length of time the process takes. The length of time is great as it allows me

to review my work at every step and ensure that I am putting out the best essay that I can. I also
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dislike the length of time the process takes as it takes a significant amount of effort on my part to

complete it. I do not consider writing to be my strong suit, so actively trying to follow through

with this process becomes difficult at times. This being said, I would not change my writing

process as I find it to be quite successful.

● What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

My strengths as a writer include researching, developing a thesis, and organizing my thoughts. I

find my writing to flow quite well. My weaknesses are that my sentences tend to run on, and I

often get sidetracked in my writing.

● What strategies will you employ to address your weaknesses?

I usually attempt to fix these weaknesses during my peer review process, however, I should

focus on trying to improve it in my rough draft itself. Since I tend to combine ideas, I should

start differentiating between them and ensuring that the writing makes sense.

● How do you feel about your research topic now that your essay is completed?

I feel as if my research topic is strong, and the supporting evidence does a nice job of solidifying

my argument. However, again, I need to differentiate between a few ideas as in my last body

paragraph because it is unclear as to what my point is.

● Describe your research process. What steps do you take when tackling a research

project?

I attack the research process in the same way I do in my normal writing process. I still

brainstorm, write, and fix the rough draft, then peer edit, and then review the peer edit and make

the necessary changes. I will say that in this process, that I ensure the research I use to support
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my argument is sound and trusted. I also tend to review my research paper thoroughly more than

once as it should stay formal and not deviate from the thesis or argument that I present.

● In what ways did writing help you think through complex ideas raised during your

research?

I was able to organize my thoughts and properly formulate my ideas. Even when the writing

became unclear and confusing, the process of writing itself allowed me to discover the points I

was attempting to make.

● In what ways have you developed your ability conduct research?

For one, the readings in class have allowed my reading and analytical skills to develop. I tend to

delve into the readings a bit more than what I previously was able to do. I am now able to

decipher the meanings of reading behind the more challenging vocabulary. Another way that I

have developed my ability to conduct research is through repetition. I have done numerous

amounts of research projects in high school, and have done a few thus far in college. Being able

to constantly go through the research process has allowed me to write well-thought essays and

analytical papers.

Literacy and Rhetoric

● Now that we are at the end of the semester, what is your definition of literacy? In

what ways has it changed over time?

My definition of literacy now is a person’s ability to understand and make meaning of the world

around them, whether it be reading, writing, gestural, financial, the list goes on. It has changed

over time as I simply thought that one’s literacy has to do with their ability to read and write. I

did not take into account the infinite amount of literacies that help us understand the world.
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● What is your definition of rhetoric?

The ability use employ techniques to persuade someone to do an action

● Which of the readings did you enjoy the most and why?

I liked the “From the Vocabulary of Comics” by Scott Mcloud as it was a fun read, which

explained how our brain is able to relate to images and pictures that are simple. It also brought it

into a comic form, which is acting out what it explaining. The reading was also direct, and very

easy to read, unlike many other essays that we have read in class.

● Which of the readings did you enjoy the least and why?

I least enjoyed “The Banking Concept of Education” by Freire as the language was complex, and

I just could not understand the reading until we discussed it in class. There were many other

readings like this, however, this one stood out to me in particular as it was one of the first

readings that I had a difficult time understanding. It was an introduction to how the rest of the

semester would pan out in terms of reading as well as knowing what to expect when reading

papers at the collegiate level.

Your Digital Portfolio/Website:

● Describe two or three moments when you made intentional decisions when curating

your work. What contributed to those decisions?

I intentionally chose to talk about my writing over the years in the “About Me” section as this

portfolio is about showcasing the utmost quality in writing that I can currently provide. I thought

that I should give background about my journey with writing, and have the reader reflect on how

my writing has improved. I also made an intentional decision to minimalize the website design as

it should contrast the writing which is more complex as it is a short collection of collegiate
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papers. I had always seen that collections of art are located on simplistic websites and museums,

so I thought that it was applicable here as well. The website should not take away from the art.

● What was the best part of doing the website?

It was nice to dedicate a website to my work and have a platform that I could use in the future for

other projects as well.

● What was the most challenging part of the website?

The most challenging part was to decide on the format as well as putting the essays into the

website itself in a way that did not look out of place.

● If you had more time to work on this project what would you do differently and why?

I would not do much differently; however, if I had to do something differently, it would be to

add more pictures of myself. This way the viewer can familiarize themselves with me as the

writer.

Education and studenthood:

● How well did you turn in your assignments on time? Why or why not?

I turned in the majority of my assignments on time, with the exception of the few times I was ill.

I make sure to do this well as I do not want to lose points, and I want to ensure that I do not fall

behind in class.

● How well have you followed directions this semester for your assignments? Why or

why not?
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I believe that I have followed directions for my assignments to the best of my ability. I do not

feel as if I left out anything as I always make sure to read the rubric. Not reading the rubric leads

to losing points, which could affect my grade heavily.

● How well did you pay attention in class? How well did you contribute to class

discussion?

I paid attention in class to the best of my ability, however, it was very difficult as the timing of

the class was very late. I contributed to class discussions occasionally and would often ask

questions regarding the readings because parts of the readings would often confuse me.

● What are your goals for yourself as you pursue your education and why?

My goals are to gain as much knowledge as I can in a variety of areas so that I can become a

fully functioning and contributing member of society. I also want to maintain and build my

curiosity with learning as I feel that curiosity allows me to progress as an individual. I also want

to further develop my problem-solving skills, and my ability to face a challenge head-on. What I

mean by this is that I would like to improve my process of facing challenges such as hard

subjects and topics that I learn in school.

● In what ways did you contribute to meeting those goals?

My general exposure to more difficult classes at Wake has definitely contributed to meeting

those goals. Most of my classes are interesting, so I find myself reading more and more about the

topics that we discuss in class. The material is challenging, so I am always finding new ways to

overcome those challenges.

● How has AI impacted the way you engage with your classes?
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It really has not impacted the way I engage with my classes. I rarely use it, and if I do, it is

mainly for ideas regarding papers.

● How has AI impacted the way you write?

I rarely use it, but if I do, it is mainly for ideas on which topic I could potentially choose. I have

noticed that the evidence that ChatGPT gives can be very wrong, and can give fake sources and

information to support its points.

● If you could change something about your student life so far, what would you do

differently?

I would not change anything as of right now. I like Wake Forest and its challenging curriculum

very much.

● Any final thoughts you want me to know as I read through your project?

I hope through my writing this semester you learned about me and how I perceive the world. I

also hope that my writing is up to par with where I am at in my life, and if not, I look forward to

improving it.

● How did conferences help you as a writer?

The conferences were wonderful. They helped immensely as I was able to hear my essay from a

different voice other than myself. Hearing my words from another perspective allowed me to

hear the changes that I need to make. It allowed me to develop the language of my essays

properly. On top of this, I would adjust insert quotes without explaining, so conferencing

allowed me to catch that mistake and explain it thoroughly. I was also able to catch grammatical

errors and catch errors in my MLA formatting.

● How did giving and receiving peer review help you as a writer?
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It was very helpful as well. Again, I was able to catch grammatical errors, and it was very nice to

get another student's perspective on my writing. It allowed me to further develop the flow of my

paper. I was also able to incorporate some of the positive aspects of their essays into mine as

well, which helped develop my paper.