Michael Kaczmarek

English 1106 Sec.09

Introductory Essay

What I Learned

            Over the last couple of months, I have learned a lot about becoming a stronger writer.  Steve Dalager’s Comp one class has introduced many new techniques for writing into my life.  All of which were very helpful, not only for his essay assignments, but also for writing letters and e-mails to friends and family.  The importance of a strong thesis, comparing and contrasting, and having concrete primary and secondary support, this class covered all the basics needed for effective essay writing.

            One of the hardest things for me when it comes to writing has always been coming up with an effective thesis.  Steve taught me how to make great thesis statements.  He always stressed the point of making the thesis statement strong.  “Make sure you get your point across, without saying too much or too little.”  This was the most important technique I learned this semester.

            Comparing and contrasting a topic in an essay, was another fun thing I learned how to do in Steve’s class.  At first it seemed like it was going to be a tough essay.  After Steve went over this assignment with me it was all very clear.  Making sure that I had three specific body paragraphs, which supported my arguments was the main focus.  Comp one was a big help in improving my writing skills, and it proved to be quite effective.

            Finally, this class taught me the importance of providing support for my arguments or points.  Without support, I learned that the points I was trying to make did not mean a whole lot.  Providing support is a critical component for effective essay writing.  Good examples of support are quotes, statistics, and even actual examples from books or movies.  Support is everything, when writing an essay.

            When writing an essay there are many components that are needed in order to make it effective.  Steve’s class did a great job of explaining all of the basic components for everyday writing.  I see myself as a much stronger writer now that I have almost finished comp one.  I now know how to make effective arguments and support them.  I also know how to write an organized essay that has a clear, fast flow to it.