Blog 1: Writing Experience

Up unti last year, essays were somewhat of a joke at the highschool I attend. Whenever a teacher assigned an essay, he or she would do just about everything except write the paper itself. Planning, rough-drafting, even the information incorporated in the essay, was pre-planned by the teacher, so the students never had to lift a finger, except when he or she looked at the "100" on his or her paper. One can conclude from this analysis that essays at my school hold no threat.
Last year, during the last six weeks of my sophomore english class, my teacher assigned everyone to do a book report. In this report, we were required to have 6 examples of syntax, 8 examples of annotations, 10 literary elements, and a strong thesis and introduction. The paper itself had a required length of 4 pages minimum. For me, writing this essay was the strangest thing Ii'd ever done in my highschool career yet. Honestly, the most intimidating crediential for the essay was the length. Teachers in past years were satisfied with 1 1/2- 2 page essays, and now I had to write AT LEAST 4. After practically dissecting my novel, I eventually found all the required rhetorical devices.
The thesis and conclusion were surprisingly difficult because I didn't know how much information to put for the general summary if I would continue to summarize the book throughout the essay. Once having conquered that obstacle, I decided to organize my essay by grouping the syntax together, and arranging the other rhetorical devices similarly. Thus, my essay was finished.