Constructing the narrative: the usefulness composition course

Final Portfolio Throughout this semester I have learned a considerable amount about composition and the way it can be implemented to help my life. While communication occurs in a multitude of contexts, including through verbal and body language, written communication represents a cornerstone element of society. My experience in this composition course has in many ways allowed me to recognize the multitude of ways that written communication differs from the spoken word. In these regards, there is a specific cadence and symbolic form of communication through the rules of grammar and punctuation that slightly differ writing from speaking. As an individual hoping to enter a professional environment, I’ve come to recognize then that it’s necessary to intimately learn the rules of formal composition as a means to differentiate and succeed in these contexts.
Within the specific work that I have done I have come to recognize a strong variety of elements. One of the most overarching recognitions is the importance of planning and pre-writing. The composition process in many of the writings I accomplished for this course necessitated not merely a short paragraph, but a lengthy analysis or narrative. For instance, the My Turn story ‘ Alone and Lonely at the Ebb End of Life’ necessitated I construct a lengthy narrative from my personal life. While specifically writing is important for the reasons examined earlier, constructing this story made me recognize the ways that elements early in the narrative can set the stage for later elements. In these regards, I experimented with a variety of ways of constructing the narrative. Ultimately, I determined that I would begin the story with the most concrete elements – notably Martha’s loneliness – and then progressively move towards more abstract and symbolic components. In this sense the story ended by considering that it would be important to realize the essential nature of the elderly in the social fabric.
Another consideration I came to recognize is that the form of writing also informs the nature of structure. While narrative writing must be structured in a way that considers more conceptual elements, I came to recognize that more analytical forms of writing necessitate a clear and structured format. For instance, the essay I wrote on Syria was structured to ensure that the information was relayed in a clear and concise matter – this involved an introduction and a conclusion paragraph. The recognition of the difference between these forms of expression I believe is indicative of larger forms of writing. The recognition is that composition isn’t simply about the way words are formed, but also about the larger context of form. I believe this was one of my strong suits in the course and something I can apply to different situations.
While there were many areas I improved, I recognize that there are still areas I struggle. In these regards, I believe that I could improve in developing novel modes of composition; this would involve sentence structure and word choice. I believe through increased practice I can improve these areas and apply them to my life writing, speaking, and listening.