Amit Hasan

English 101: Section E

Professor Conroy

20^th December, 2019

Theory of Writing

   Writing is an important skill any human can obtain because it allows people to communicate with each other without speaking. Writing is essential in almost all fields of life ranging from students in kindergarten to scientists who build rockets. When people write, there is usually an audience that the authors are trying to write to. There may be points that the authors expect readers to understand while there may be points where the authors want the readers to make whatever they want of it. Writing can convey so many types of emotions, such as the feeling of pride and courage when the Declaration of Independence was written, or a feeling a loneliness and distress when a soldier writes a letter back to his/her family. Writing is an important skill all students over the world are taught to do when they first start learning any language. Whether a person chooses to pursue a career in writing or is just trying to complete an assignment for college, there is always a set of personal guidelines that every individual follows before, during, and after their writing process. My theory of writing is the personal experiences combined with academic skills to produce a purposeful piece of writing which may or may not necessarily give a message but shows the personal perspectives of the author. To create any piece of writing the planning of a topic, doing research of a topic, organizing ideas, using evidence, providing analysis, and making conclusions are all important things that should be done.

   To begin, before starting to write any paper or piece of writing it is important to plan ideas about the topic as well as do research of the topic. One effective technique to plan ideas about a topic is to brainstorm whatever comes to your mind about that topic, whether it is accurate or not, and to also write down potential ideas to use for the topic. It is easier to brainstorm by writing things down on a paper so the ideas are out of your head and you can clearly see which ideas seem relevant and which ideas don’t fit or connect to the main topic. Free write helps as well but I think making a list is easier to understand and organize the relevant and irrelevant ideas. I have always had a brainstorming session before doing any pieces of writing because it tells me how much I already know about the topic and what I still need to learn about the topic. For example, when I wrote my personal statement for college, I created a list about potential ideas about events in my life that taught me a valuable lesson and once I picked the topic, I brainstormed how I would approach my story and what I needed to include for the statement. For my senior thesis, my topic was about health care being available to everyone and I brainstormed all my ideas and knowledge about health care and what facts and information I still needed to research about health care policies and how many people actually have health insurance. This is when I looked at sources from the government about health care as well as articles from experts on this topic in order to be able to smoothly transition from basic information to specific information when I started to write my essay. For my source-based and inquiry essays this semester, I planned out my ideas for the information I already knew about readings books, expanding knowledge, as well as how standardized testing has effects on students as well as parents and teachers. Since, I have experienced these situations in my life, my knowledge about these topics originate from these experiences. That was not enough because in order to understand my stance on the topic I needed to research and find sources which provided both sides of the argument about classroom environments for students reading and learning from books as well as students who do drills for standardized testing. For my composition of two genres, since I chose to do a cartoon and satirical ad, I planned out the drawing with sketches before I started to draw the final drafts. In this case, I did not need to find sources but instead look at templates to help me understand the format of the genres and the drawings I was trying to achieve. These examples highlight the importance of planning out ideas by writing it down or making sketches in order to organize ideas and the stances before doing the final draft. When I am able to understand what to include in my writing, these two techniques help me introduce the topic in my introduction because it is important to give background information about a topic before the audience reads it. Finally, the importance of finding reliable and relevant sources are a big part of researching because they not only help you understand the topic better but also give strong evidence to support your claims.

   To continue, the organization of ideas and using evidence is a big part of the writing process because it allows the author and the audience to understand the purpose as well as main arguments clearly in order to convey a certain message or perspective. I like to call these ideas my reasons to support my thesis or my topic sentences that I will discuss in my body paragraphs. This provides the audience for what’s to come in the writing as well as show how I will try to prove my arguments or perspective. For the evidence, it is best to use quotes from the sources and also use paraphrases sometimes because the quote might be too long. For example, in my senior thesis, one of my evidence I used to prove one positive effect of people having health insurance was “Healthcare growth. BLS projects healthcare employment to grow by 26 percent between 2012 and 2022, an increase of about 4.1 million jobs.” For my source-based essay, one evidence I used to show why students don’t read was “for the older children — ages 12 to 17 — one of the largest predictors was whether they had time to read on their own during the school day.” For my inquiry-based essay one evidence I used to show how both students and teachers are effected negatively by standardized tests was “One study found that teachers lose between 60 to 110 hours of instructional time in a year because of testing and the institutional tasks that surround it.” Lastly for my composition in two genres as well as my personal statement I did not use any evidence it was either a drawing or an experience that I described, and this shows why different genres require different types of evidence. I was able to use examples of learning valuable life lessons from situations for my personal statement and for my drawings I was able to use details and colors which helped prove and emphasize the arguments I was making. Whether the evidence is a quote or a paraphrase, it has to be relevant evidence from reliable sources which help explain and connect to the thesis or the big picture.

   Lastly, providing analysis and making conclusion and connections are important aspects to include in any writing piece in order to have your own voice as well as show the audience the connections that can be made to understand the topic in the real world and in personal lives. For example, I used analysis for my personal statement to explain certain situations and made a conclusion that “sometimes personal growth comes from failure because you are able to discover how strong you are,” and this can connect with many people who have noticed self-improvement following certain failures in their lives because they felt for motivated and a purpose in life. For my senior thesis, one conclusion I made was “Health care will allow people to understand that health isn’t an option but a necessity in life.” This was my personal opinion but the reason why many people would agree with this is because health is one of the most important things in any person’s life in order to live a happy and healthy life. For the source-based essay, one conclusion I made was “Reading is more beneficial than people may think because it allows them to assess the information they learn in their own personal lives.” Lastly, for the inquiry-based essay, one conclusion I made was “Better environment and teaching techniques need to be established in order for students to perform well and be able to learn more at the same time.” For my composition of two genres, the dialogues I included helped explain the main perspective and stances that I had for the effects of standardized testing for students, teachers, and parents. These conclusions I made were linked to the analysis for each writing piece and these conclusions help summarize my perspectives and arguments at the end. This allows for the readers to understand where my points were coming from and also encourages the audience to think about their own perspective and whether they agree or disagree with me. This is how analysis and conclusions are linked with each other because they not only explain the evidence but also allow me to share my perspective on the topic which is an example of me having my own voice in the pieces of writings that I produced and will produce in the future.

   To describe my improvement from the beginning of the semester to now would be the idea of being comfortable and also being able to express my views in my works of writing. The use of rhetorical elements has helped me achieve a lot of new skills such as purpose, language, stance, and genre which I understood are important tools to use in any works of writing. The use of rhetorical elements gave me confidence in my work which is important because this helps the audience trust me that I am making valid arguments and conclusions with strong evidence from reliable sources. The idea of also having my own voice was probably the most important thing I learned because this is what allowed me to have the theory that writing doesn’t always have messages, but it has perspectives which is very important. These are my improvements that I believe I have made during this semester which has influenced my theory of writing.

   In conclusion, my theory of writing is the personal experiences combined with academic skills to produce a purposeful piece of writing which may or may not necessarily give a message but shows the personal perspectives of the author. To create any piece of writing the planning of a topic, doing research of a topic, organizing ideas, using evidence, providing analysis, and making conclusions are all important things that should be done. Everyone has their own guidelines and techniques when they write and that is what allows every writer to be special and unique because it is not just the different perspectives but also how the writers achieve the understanding of these perspective. Since there is no right answer for the theory of writing, this means that anyone can be a writer and this gives people the power to share their own views which I believe is the most important aspect that writing allows everyone to have and be proud of their works of writing.

 

Works of Writing Before This Semester That Have Been Cited

Personal Statement for College

   “Don’t even try-out man, you’re not getting in.” A player on the varsity team said this to me when he saw me show up to the tryouts. These words still stick sharp in my mind today as I am able to recall the day of the varsity basketball tryouts. Basketball has always been my passion and a big part of my dreams and career in the future. I wasn’t able to make the cut for the 9^th and 10^th grade junior-varsity tryouts, so I was more motivated than ever to make the cut on the varsity team. On the day of the try-outs I wasn’t able to focus in any of my classes as my only thought was if I was even going score the ball at all. As I walked towards the gym, the sound of the balls bouncing was a perfect indication of how fast my heart was beating with each step I took.

   I was able to score one point, grab three rebounds, and dish out two assists. I thought my performance was enough to make the final cut. The next day, the list of the people that made it was posted outside of the gym. My heart started beating rapidly just like before as I approached the list. My name wasn’t on the list, which shocked me, and my heart sank to my stomach. The train ride back home from school was dreadful and the rest of the day I was depressed and wasn’t in the mood for anything.

   As I kept thinking of excuses for why I didn’t make it; I realized my mistakes. First of all, I wasn’t physically fit because everyone else was moving up and down the court easily, while I was struggling to get past half court. Secondly, I kept getting negative thoughts after I missed my first shot which carried over throughout the whole game. I realized that if I wanted to redeem myself by making the team my senior year, I would have to work my hardest like never before. I realized that I took for granted the process of making the team, which was my biggest mistake.

   I decided to get a gym membership the same weekend as well as create a diet plan to go with it. The first few months made me more discouraged because my body wasn’t changing as fast as I thought it would. But I stuck with my workout and remained focused for the next eight months. I could’ve quit in the first few months, but when I finally started seeing progress in the gym, I realized that it’s important to not give up early. For my progress in basketball I created a plan to do drills five days a week after school. I also challenged myself mentally by thinking of basketballs plays on the spot, which helped me think and react faster when I played.

   Finally, I tried out in my senior year but I didn’t make the team. I played my heart out and hustled on every single play but that wasn’t enough. I realized that basketball wasn’t meant for me because even after I put in all the work, I still wasn’t able to achieve my goal. But for some reason I wasn’t depressed and that me understand that I grew a lot as a person mentally, which was my biggest achievement. I was able to teach myself discipline and hard work because lifting heavy weights consistently isn’t an easy task. This helped me gain confidence because I looked better physically. I learned that failure actually leads to greater success if you understand your mistakes and work hard enough to fix them.

 

Senior Thesis From High School

   The debate over health care being provided to all people in the U.S. by the government has been and still is a controversial issue for the public. Health care is the ability to maintain the improvement of physical and mental health through the provisions of medical services. Even though this may seem like a no brainer because everyone wants their health to be at its best; as the government becomes involved, the debate rises. With medicine advancing drastically over the last century, the option to have health care available has been critical for people to choose between paying for health care themselves or the government providing it for everyone. There are two types of health care that the government funds, which are Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is health coverage for people that are 65 or older, no matter what their income, and Medicaid is health coverage for people with very low income. The current health care system in the U.S. is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which was enacted in 2010 during President Obama’s administration which was designed to make health insurance affordable to more people of household incomes between 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level and lower the cost of health care in general.

   The government providing and running health care that is provided to all people raises strong reasonings for both sides of the issue. People who support the idea of the government providing health care to all people state that it could lower the cost of health care, it could save more lives, and is good for economic productivity. According to the article “Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?” it states, “According to a 2013 study, under a single-payer system, in which all citizens are guaranteed a right to health care, total public and private health care spending could be lowered by $592 billion in 2014 and up to $1.8 trillion over the next decade due to lowered administrative and prescription drug costs.” This explains how enormous the spending for health care can be reduced by, which the government can use that money to improve other issues including education, businesses, and employment. “According to a 2009 study from Harvard researchers, “lack of health insurance is associated with as many as 44,789 deaths per year,”…more than 13,000 deaths occur each year just in the 55-64 year old age group due to lack of health insurance coverage” (“Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?”). More than 57,000 lives can be saved each year if people are covered by health care because they could receive better treatment, diagnosis, and medicine to live longer. Due to poor health and premature deaths, among the uninsured, the U.S. economy loses $65-$130 billion annually as a result of reduced worker productivity (“Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?”). If workers are healthier then the productivity level isn’t affected negatively which would allow the U.S. economy to produce at least $100 billion more.

   On the other hand, people who are against the idea of the government providing health care for all people state that it could increase the U.S. debt, could lead the U.S. towards socialism, and could raise taxes. As it states that spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program took up 21% of the federal budget by 2012 which drove the explosive growth in spending and the debt (“Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?”). If the spending increases for health care then the taxes will also have to rise, which the people don’t want. Another negative affect is under a single payer system where all the health care bills are paid by the government, the government can control the distribution of the health care services (“Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?”). This means the government can control the production and distribution of certain medicines and drugs which should be decided in the free market and not by government since the people are the consumers of the products. Finally, health care can raise taxes, as the payroll taxes can double to 30.6% for the average U.S. worker (“Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?”). The payroll taxes already include Social Security taxes and Medicare taxes, and if health care taxes are added, then workers won’t be happy with how much of their salary is deducted.

   Health insurance should be provided to all people and run by the government because of the positive affects which include the increase of health jobs and benefits for private businesses. “Healthcare growth. BLS projects healthcare employment to grow by 26 percent between 2012 and 2022, an increase of about 4.1 million jobs” (“Healthcare: millions of jobs now and in the future”). Healthcare jobs in private, federal, state, and local hospitals have increased by 39% since 2013 and totaled to 6,111,000 employments, which shows its effectiveness in the health care industry. More healthcare jobs not only lead to a better economy but also better physicians and doctors because of these professions will have more jobs available. Another positive affect is private businesses would no longer have to pay for the employee health insurance policies (“Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?”). This explains that a single payer system could reduce employer labor costs by 10-12%. In this way, businesses will be bale to keep more of their profits and earning which can also increase the wage for their employees.

   The improvement of public health is the final and major positive affect for why health insurance should be provided to all people and run by the government. “Everyone is given the opportunity to go see the doctor when they feel ill, need treatment, or have an injury. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or you are poor. In a single payer system, health care is a right instead of being treated as a privilege” (“15 Pros and Cons of Single Payer Health Care”). This is the definition of the single payer system and the most important point because everyone no matter what their occupation or social status is should have the equal opportunity to visit a doctor and be able to get proper treatment and medicine. Also if people are covered then they won’t have to chose between going to the doctor and paying for their health care because they already know they are covered unlike people who don’t visit the doctor because they have to pay first. This will allow for the general public to have better health because everyone already knows they are provided with healthcare. The reason why millions of Americans have chronic diseases and aren’t able to improve their health is because they aren’t insured or have access to care (“Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?”). If health care is provided then more people would have access to medical services but also be able to better care for diseases. This will lead to a better public health which will lead to a healthier future.

   In conclusion, health insurance should be provided to all people and run by the government because of the positive affects that come with it. The positive affects include the increase of health jobs, benefits for private businesses, and improvement of public health. Health is one of the most important factors in any person’s life so being covered by the government secures this aspect. If people were to pay for health care themselves then there would be too many competitors on the market which wouldn’t allow consistency of the insurances. Since people would have to add health care on their list of monthly spending that would make people even more discouraged to take care of their health since the money is coming out of their pocket. Health care will allow people to understand that health isn’t an option but a necessity in life.

 

Works Cited

Goodnough, Abbey. Affordable Care Act (ACA). 19 Oct. 2016 https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/affordable-care-act/

 

Lombardo, Crystal. 15 Pros and Cons of Single Payer Health Care. 15 Mar. 2017 https://vittana.org/15-pros-and-cons-of-single-payer-health-care

 

Pear, Robert. Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care? 21 Sep. 2017 https://healthcare.procon.org/

 

Torpey, Elka. “Healthcare: millions of jobs now and in the future.” Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Spring 2014, p. 27+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A367197210/GPS?u=nysl_ca _dmvacces&sid=GPS&xid=a 92a6db9. Accessed 14 Nov. 2018.