Edison Hua
Letter to the Portfolio Reader
To the Portfolio Reader:
This writing portfolio showcases the collective writing I have accomplished in the
Writing 102 class. You may notice an improvement in the quality of my writing and
arguments as the essays progress chronologically. This is due to my learning of valuable rhetorical and discourse skills, and the ability to cite and weave arguments from cognoscenti, mavens, and other valuable experts in particular fields. I hope that you will enjoy reading my fifteen pages of essays.
My first piece is an essay comparing real currency vs. virtual currency. It contains
research, and argument on which medium of money is more preferable. I admit it is a
very simple essay, extolling the virtues of virtual vs. real, but its simplicity permits me to display my skills in a transparent fashion.
My second essay is a critical analysis of a magazine advertisement for Apple. This
advertisement was selected by my professor, but I happened to stumble upon the very
same ad in a WIRED magazine. I do believe I violated the sacred architectural adage of
“Form follows function” in this essay for the fulfillment of tone over analysis. However,
my analysis is rock-solid, and brings up very good points that would be difficult to argue
against.
The third essay is a research essay. This essay is titled “The Democratization of Luxury.” It describes our current modern day consumerist culture and poses the question, “Are the things we buy worth it?” It delves deep into a theoretical discussion of quality and luxury, and the modern near-ubiquitous presence of luxury brands in a materialistic consumer-centered culture. In fact, much of the essay is spent giving a definition to the word luxury, and giving examples of luxury throughout the ages. This essay is poignantly relevant to our prosaic day-to-day selves, and perhaps will let us hesitate, and reconsider whether we should wear that Louis Vuitton branded accessory to work today.
The last piece is a letter to a school official. My letter is addressed to the President of
Stony Brook University, on the subject of allowing students to pay with campus meal
points at the Simons Center Café. I think that the letter is a more personal piece due to its inherent format. I do appreciate that, and it expresses more of my own voice for that reason. It draws a lot from a personal sense of morality and justice.
In conclusion, my dearest wish is that you, the portfolio reader, have a wonderful
and super-fabulous time reading my portfolio. I believe the pieces that I have written
represent me as an individual with my own voice. I hope that you notice that and are
appreciate my arguments. Thanks for your time, and enjoy reading them.
Written by,
Edison Hua
Undergraduate Student at Stony Brook University