Kastensmidt 1

Caroline Kastensmidt

Mrs. Tatum

AP Language, 4th Period

16 December 2019

Reflection

Throughout my time in AP Lang, I have not only grown as a writer but also as a person. I

have learned how to effectively substantiate my own claims using strong rhetoric, along with

being able to analyze others claims and how they support themselves. I’ve grown from a mere

neophyte to an experienced writer that can identify and understand several aspects to writing that

I would not have been able to before.

With my own writing, there has been a tremendous amount of growth. For example, on

the very first Writing Wednesday we ever did in class, I got scores of 1, 1, and 2 from my peers.

On this specific Writing Wednesday, we were told to discuss the rhetorical techniques

Crèvecoeur used to support his claim and how his use of rhetorical strategies made his argument

stronger. According to the scores, I started at the bottom of the writing ladder. I earned these

scores because I did not even include a claim that distinguishes which rhetorical strategies

Crèvecoeur used in his series of essays. I simply stated that he used rhetorical strategies, but I did

not go into further detail as to what those strategies were or how they affected his claim. Now, I

can easily write a rhetorical analysis essay that goes in depth discussing the strategies that

different authors use, going from Jon Krakauer to F. Scott Fitzgerald. They may not be the most

perfect essays or analyses; however, there has been a drastic change from what my rhetorical

analysis from the beginning of the year was to what it is now.

 Kastensmidt 2

In other areas of my writing, I have also had great growth. I can now write a synthesis

essay that supports my claim. At the beginning of the year, I didn’t even know what a synthesis

essay was. If I’m being honest, AP Lang has taught me how to truly be a writer. With this class, I

learned that not all essays are simply an introduction, conclusion, and 3 CEI paragraphs in

between. I actually have to think about what I write, and use different tactics to get each person

in my audience on board with my claims.

Overall, I have improved so much with my writing. I have grown to levels that I didn’t

think I would be able to reach before this class. I know I am not a perfect writer; however,

compared to what level I was writing at at the beginning of the year, the transformation is unreal.

Without this class, my audience would be subject to my old, infantile style of writing. Now,

according to Carol Dweck, I can only improve off of my growth from this past year.