Brian Wilson-McCall

Comp2 Prof. McGriff

Reflection Essay

Taking Composition 2 this semester has been truly a great experience. I have always
love to write and express and myself, but I often times face opposition when it comes to
grammar and some of the other technical aspects of English. Having already taken Comp 1 with
Prof. McGriff, it taught me the valuable lesson that we should be mindful of the type of
communication we use while dialoging with others. Comp 1 also reminded me that every
situation is a writing situation, and that we have a perspective and input on all issues. Comp 1
also helped me to better strengthen my grammar and overall understanding of the meaning and
purpose and of communication. And as I now reflect upon my experiences in Comp 2, one of the
main things I have learned is How to articulate and effectively make an argument. You may be
asking, What exactly does that mean? Let me explain, the first step is to make sure that you
are able to properly define and comprehend the topic. This mean that you are able to identify the
problem, and all the implications that come along with it. Secondly, you should be able to
examine the topic from every perspective. This means researching in detail the opposing views,
making sure that you can accurately understand what they are saying and not building straw man
arguments. Thirdly, you should make sure that you have enough credible support for your
argument. It is very important that you argue from a rational and logical perspective combining
that with passion. We should not argue solely based off of emotion, but present the evidence and
your structure and basis. We should also understand the difference between objective truth and
subjective experience. We often like to merge the two. We all have experiences that can vary
from one individual to the other. However, objective truth is the consistent facts and
circumstances that remain the same or evidential, regardless of any outside influences. Ive also
learned that there is complex aspects to every argument that must be considered and accounted
for. And that just because a situation does not immediately affect you, doesnt mean that there is
not a problem at all. Many times we will avoid controversial topics or issues because they dont
seem important to us. But we must be both sympathetic and empathetic to our neighbors. In
conclusion this class, left me with a renewed passion for writing. It has taught me in order to
make an informed decision or position on a topic, you must consider the facts.