Introduction
Having completed my first semester at UNC Charlotte, I have gained valuable knowledge in all of my classes, and English 1102 is no exception. As Dr. Minslow and I discussed, I was fortunate to have already been a strong writer upon entering the course in January. I have always felt blessed that, in general, I am able to intelligently and clearly communicate ideas in my writing. In somewhat of a paradox, I have never much enjoyed large-scale writing, yet I do enjoy manipulating the English language and hold myself to a high standard of verbal and written discourse. In English 1102, I have given my best efforts to continue achieving at this standard. While aspects of my writing have improved over the course of the semester, I feel I have developed most significantly as a researcher.
The transition from my “Writing the Essay” class at New York University to English
1102 at UNC Charlotte was not seamless primarily due to the difference in writing focus between the classes. In my writing class at New York University, we rhetorically analyzed texts, gleaning ideas from multiple works; selected a single idea about which to write; cross-referenced our chosen text with another that contained a theme related to and capable of strengthening our idea; and wrote a paper in which we placed our texts and personal experiences into conversation with one another in an attempt to convey our developed idea (explanation taken from my 1/21/12 blog post which is not one of my minor writing assignments in my portfolio). The resulting work was very personal in nature. Our conversations in class often centered on incredibly deep ideas and such active thought understandably transferred into our own writing. The beginning of spring semester in English 1102 focused on rhetorical analysis in different contexts. Having actively studied rhetorical analysis for three years (two AP English classes and my NYU class), I

feel my analytical abilities are strong. The first minor writing sample I have included in my portfolio reflects my rhetorical analysis skills at the beginning of the semester.
In my analysis of Clay Jones’ cartoon, I feel I effectively employed language to convey my interpretation of the author’s intentions, as exemplified in the sentence “The puny fish to which the large fin belongs represents the artist's belief that Iran's threat was a misguided display of false bravado that the country could not uphold if the situation were to escalate.” While certainly far from a fully-fledged rhetorical analysis paper, my brief analysis clearly and concisely communicates my perception of the author’s purpose and his techniques for conveying that purpose to his audience.
The second minor writing sample in my portfolio is the reflection accompanying my
Identity Collage. After creating the collage in class, we were given questions to answer regarding our work. The second question related to a quote we discussed in class that argued,
“photographs do a disservice to memory.” Consideration of the question and potential its potential answers led me to formulate a response that I was not sure directly answered the question but proved interesting and worthy of exploration. I stated, “If some argue that photographs do a "disservice to memory," I would argue that images do a disservice to identity” and proceeded to argue my point. Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever received came from my 11 th
grade AP English teacher, Ms. Smith. While in her office discussing a paper on which she felt I performed particularly well, I asked what she believed accounted for my success. She stated I excelled on the paper because I took a risk in composing it with an atypical structure.
She proceeded to emphasize the importance of taking risks in writing: whether the risk succeeds or fails, we as authors can never diversify our arsenal of techniques and vary our presentation of ideas if we never try anything new. In my Identity Collage reflection, I took a risk by choosing

to respond to a question by exploring a closely related idea in depth. My risk paid off because I managed to form an intelligent, thoughtful argument that Dr. Minslow appreciated.
My final two minor writing samples exemplify my growth as a researcher over the course of the semester. My “Summary and Reflection 2/5/12” represents the starting point of my Major
Inquiry Project research. I began with the intent to advocate the need to keep music programs in
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). This topic would not remain for long because, shortly after my February 5 th blog post (and before any research had been done on my proposed research subject), I had a conversation with Mr. Stevenson, my high school band director, that caused me to change my focus. My new topic centered on the negative effects of non-music summative exams in CMS music classes. Unfortunately, I discovered weeks later during my interview with
Mr. Stevenson that we had miscommunicated and that topic was nullified. Following our interview, however, I was able to use the information I learned through individual research and my interviews with Dr. Whitaker and Mr. Stevenson to refocus my research for the final time to explore “The Potential Effects of Shifting Evaluation Methods and Instructional Expectations on
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Music Programs.” I detailed this transitional process in my
“Summary and Reflection for 4/8/12,” which represents an important step in my development as a researcher. Never before had I changed the focus of my research based on information I gathered during the research process. For the two research papers I wrote in high school, including my Senior Exit project, I developed very cut-and-dry topics of investigation and gathered research that specifically fit those topics. While both were good papers, the research and composition process behind them was quite predetermined. My experience with this Major
Inquiry Project proved significantly different. I was initially hesitant to begin research because I was not excited about spending hours uncovering and subsequently pouring over sources for

information explicitly specific to my set topic. At this point, I failed to view my research as an opportunity for exploration and discovery. Once I did begin my research in full force and realized a topic shift was in order, I had a quasi-epiphany. I realized that the key to successful research followed the model half-heartedly preached in school for years but hardly ever internalized: a researcher must begin with an inquiry that will lead him to a starting point and, from there, allow the knowledge he discovers to guide his research. Attempting to allow a research topic to statically guide research itself can lead to a disregard for opportunities for research to branch off in new directions. Accepting the fact that I needed to refocus my research allowed me to openly consider the research I had gathered to that point and develop a new, stronger topic based on information I had already compiled. Further research became far easier because I was able to build on a sound foundation. I feel my paper overall benefitted from my open mindset: because I was comfortable with considering more than one possible avenue of research, I was comfortable with considering more than one possible view on my argument.
Because of my experience in English 1102, I believe I have increased my ability to think in an academic research context. I now view research papers as a process rather than as a clearly defined progression from point A to point B. This skill will prove incredibly useful for writing further music research papers as I progress through the rigorous music education curriculum at
UNC Charlotte. Ultimately, as a graduate student, I will build upon the knowledge I’ve gained this semester and apply it to my master’s thesis and potentially even a doctoral dissertation.
As I’ve expanded my literary knowledge this semester, I’ve found myself striving even harder for clarity and conciseness in my writing. My perfectionism tolerates no lack of communication skills, and, as I continue learning, I continue raising the standard to which I hold myself as a writer.