In the beginning of the semester, I never thought my writing would improve as much as it has. I have never been confident in my writing- from creating original arguments, to organizing a paper well- it has all given me a lot of trouble. But after this semester and after focusing on having a strong main claim, strengthening it with quotations, and improving my topic sentences and transitions, I feel that my writing has become much stronger and more effective.

      My first essay showed me specifically that I needed to work on making a strong main claim and clear organization to prove that idea. For this first essay, I took both sides of the issue, which made for a weak main claim and confusing organization. The first 3 paragraphs were history of the case but I never clearly stated my argument, until the final paragraph:

 “In my opinion, Ms. Abbot wrongfully suffered discrimination. The Supreme  Court was correct in ruling in favor of Ms. Abbott because not only was Ms. Abbot disabled under the ADA’s definition, but also because the CDC and American Dental Association decided Ms. Abbot’s treatment could be performed safely. The justices’ argument could have been expanded, that her disease limited her ability to reproduce but also to live an independent life. I feel that Dr. Bragdon’s liability claim did not need to be remanded to the lower courts because of the CDC and ADA are respected organizations and their evidence was strong enough. The Supreme Court’s decision expanded justice to HIV patients and increased tolerance from medical professionals.”

There is no clear thesis and this argument is made at the end of the essay. After reading Dr. Bourrier’s final comments on my essay, I realized I needed to make a clearer, stronger main claim, and better topic sentences for better transitions between arguments. For this final portfolio, I revised this essay and made a clear thesis from the beginning, and changed my topic sentences so they introduced the argument of the paragraph and connected to the argument of my thesis.

            For my second essay, I took what I learned from my mistakes with my first essay and I focused on making strong topic sentences that introduced the argument in the paragraph and supported my thesis. Looking at the multiple drafts I edited, one can see that I made sure the topic sentences introduced the idea of the paragraph as well as maintained relationship with the thesis. For example, my topic sentence for my naysayer is, “Diseases such as Huntington’s and Down’s syndrome allow a person to live a full and meaningful life despite their limitations but still some argue that these limitations give parents a right to terminate pregnancy”. From this sentence, the reader knows that I disagree with critics who feel that a person cannot live a full life when they have Huntington’s or Down’s syndrome. As my topic sentences became focused on a specific topic, the paragraph was easier to understand. After rereading this essay and the final comments I received, I have changed my thesis statement and the first paragraph to include why my argument adds something new to the discussion on prenatal testing. If I had more time to reconstruct the essay, I would include more throughout the essay as to why my argument is new and different in comparison to Purdy and Saxton’s.

            In my third essay, it was difficult to come up with an original claim for many other people have as strong of an opinion of the similarities and differences between Mark Haddon’s novel and Oliver Sacks’ essay. Once the main claim was constructed, with the help of the chart we made in class, it was easy to work off that main claim to develop into a strong essay. My goal for this essay was to make strong transitions from one thought to the next. My multiple drafts are evidence that I paid special attention to the topic sentences to make sure that they connected the last thought to the next thought and as well as connect to the thesis. For example, when addressing Sacks’ discussion about Autism I wrote, “In addition to acknowledging the science behind Autism, Sacks addresses the social aspect of Autism by rejecting common stereotypes”. From this one sentence, the reader knows my argument from the preceding paragraph and it introduces my argument for the next paragraph. I was successful at reaching my goal of making my topic sentences stronger.

            When the semester started, I set a goal for myself to become a better writer. After writing the first paper, I saw specific issues with my writing style and set goals for myself for the second and third papers to address these specific issues. For the second paper, it was to make strong topic sentences and for the third paper, it was to make a clear, original thesis and make strong topic sentences that make a good transition between the two paragraphs. I paid special attention to these aspects of my paper and I was successful at accomplishing these goals. While I feel I can still improve to make better strengthen my future theses and topic sentences, I have made great progress over the semester and have built a strong foundation to make progress for next semester and my future writing endeavors.