Dear Portfolio Reader,
Through my course work in Writing 102 this semester I have gained and fine-tuned a multitude of skills that will be very beneficial to the rest of my academic career, as well as my professional career. I have worked on the textual analysis of a film, the textual analysis of a novel and the research gathering and analyzing process. Not only have I grown as a writer, but I have also mastered the use of sources to verify and further my own arguments.
In writing my textual analysis of The Social Network, I looked beyond merely the plot of the film, instead studying the telling details used by director David Fincher to express the changing nature of identity with the prominence of internet technology. My essay “Exploring Identity: Summing Someone Up by a Profile Page” examines word choice, tone and dramatic irony to prove my thesis.
Following is my work discussing the control that time has on people, especially passing time and the nostalgia that accompanies it. In my essay “The Hollowing Effect of Time and Nostalgia While Growing Up” I use close reading to develop my ideas on Jennifer Egan’s presentation of time in her novel A Visit from the Goon Squad. In this paper I reveal truth about time’s effect on the characters of the novel but also comment on its real world effect that I can see in my own life as well.
Also included in my portfolio is my research paper on unpaid internships. This topic was very interesting and relevant to me. As a college student pursuing a career in the Business field, I will most likely need to take a position as an intern to gain valuable experience in my field. With the increase of unpaid internships I wanted to examine the legality of this free labor and how it is accepted in our society. In “Unpaid Internships: A Valuable Career Tool or an Illegal Exploitation of Free Labor” I use many sources including law reviews, scientific studies, and academic journal articles to provide support to the beliefs I assert on the topic. Writing this paper and analyzing my sources got me very fired up about this topic and I hope that reading my paper has the same effect on you.
I believe that through this course I have gained many skills that will last as a resource for the rest of my life. In the future, I will use my writing skills to send professional e-mails and memos to my coworkers. I will also apply the use of proposing a logical argument backed up by sources and information if I ever give presentations in the office or would like to express my ideas in a meeting setting. I know how to present and acknowledge an opinion that differs from mine while still upholding the relevancy of my point through my work to address counterarguments in my research paper. Finally, I have developed the skill of revisions and the importance of paying attention to the small details that make all the difference in the final product. This is a skill that is not only necessary for writing but for many other aspects of life.
I would just like to thank you for reading my e-Portfolio. I hope that you enjoy reading my work. Also, I hope that you find my ideas and commentary insightful and captivating.
Sincerely,
Melissa Pchelka