ENG101
Final Essay Assignment
Ackeem Vohrnis
During this stressful yet fast ending semester, I have
learned a variety of ways to express different moods, different emotions,
different paces, and different settings in my writing pieces. For example the
last sentence you just read was very repetitive to express the importance of
one of the techniques I have learned ;).
During the course of my ENG101 class, I
learned that the way you say things can have two different tones and meanings.
For example, as my English professor told the class, “may I have a cigarette? And
can I bum a cigarette?” have two different approaches towards the person. The
first “may I have a cigarette?” has more of a polite, formal approach, showing
manners towards the lender, but the 2nd “can I bum a cigarette?” is more of a
casual, nonchalant approach, usually used when you’re comfortable with the
person you’re asking it to. Choosing words that are more formal and polite can
lead to an actual conversation, but using casual words like “can I bum a
cigarette?” just lasts for the moment.
One of my favorite writing techniques that
I have learned this semester is descriptive writing. Descriptive writing really
speaks to the reader and you can actually paint a story for the reader as they
read your writing piece because it is flooded with details sentence after
sentence, and the continuous use of periods and commas can set the pace and
mood for the writing piece you are creating. If I used an excessive amount of periods
in a sentence, it would make the sentence suspenseful and grasp the reader’s attention,
for example: The tall man walked into the hallway. He looked behind him. He
starts to walk forward slowly. He then pauses to realize...he forgot his house
keys. That use of periods creates a “what's going to happen next” effect for
the reader and can turn a OK writing piece into a great writing piece. Another
reason why descriptive writing is my favorite technique is that there is no
limit to details you can put into your writing piece. Every extra detail you include
makes the piece that much better. You can make a reader taste that cheeseburger
that you’re writing about, you can make a reader feel as if they were at the
place you wrote about, the outcomes are endless. "The man grasped the
burger with both hands, the oil from the patty drizzling down the sides of the
bottom bun as he applies more pressure to his grasp", sounds more enticing
than, "the man ate a burger".
A unique technique that I have learned, and
many writers use in their writing pieces, I as well, is giving human like
qualities to objects or non-human things. This writing technique has helped me
elevate my writing experience to a higher level. A great example of this
technique is from the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlette
Perkins Gilman. During the story, the author says " the clouds hung
oppressively" meaning the clouds were very low, but by saying "the
clouds hung oppressively" it gives you a strong image that the clouds are
hanging low to the ground. Another prime example of giving human qualities to
objects is "the leaves danced along in the wind". This sentence gives
you an image of leaves flailing helplessly in the direction of the wind, and
not literally a bunch of leaves dancing in the wind.
This semester has taught me a great deal of writing
techniques and tips to better me as a person, and my writing creations. The
more I learn, the more I will be able to create a solid writing piece that not
only I, but my readers will be able to enjoy, learning is a marathon, not a
sprint.
