Self-Assessment Essay

Daniel Ogogo

English

Professor Meaker

Throughout this semester, my writing has gone through meaningful growth not only in terms of structure and clarity but in how I think about writing itself. In the beginning, I thought writing was mostly about form having the right format, using the right words, and meeting the word count. But now, I understand that writing is a craft. It’s how we express truths, critique systems, and make ourselves heard. The work I’ve done this semester especially my blog post on The Husband Stitch, my op-ed on financial literacy, and my revised essay on The Big Short and Dumb Money helped me grow in ways that reflect the course learning objectives, particularly in formulating a stance, engaging across genres, and participating in collaborative writing practices.

One of the first major turning points in my development was writing the blog post on The Husband Stitch. That assignment helped me understand the power of voice and purpose. It wasn’t just about analyzing a story.  it was about finding meaning in it and making a point of my own. I wrote about how societal norms can be harmful especially when they give one person control over another’s body or choices. Writing that blog taught me how to formulate and articulate a stance, one of the key course learning objectives. I didn’t just summarize the story I expressed frustration, raised questions about fairness and trauma, and emphasized that everyone should be free to live their life without being controlled. The assignment helped me grow as a writer who isn’t afraid to speak boldly when something feels wrong.

The experience also helped me experiment with tone. I wrote informally, but not carelessly. I tried to balance emotional honesty with thoughtful reflection. At first, I was unsure if it was “okay” to sound like myself, but this blog post showed me that writing doesn’t have to be robotic to be effective. In fact, the more I wrote in my own voice, the more powerful the piece became. I learned that good writing is both personal and purposeful and that tone can make your message hit harder when used well.

This growth carried into my second major assignment the op-ed on financial literacy. That piece pushed me to build on the skills I gained from the blog post, but in a new genre. The op-ed format required clarity, urgency, and evidence. I had to make an argument, back it up, and keep the reader’s attention all while staying within a real-world writing form. That aligns with another major course goal engaging in genre analysis and multimodal composing to explore effective writing across disciplinary contexts and beyond.

If I had to answer the question, “What is writing?” now, I’d say this Writing is how you understand yourself and your world.  Writing lets you take ideas from your head and turn them into something that can move other people. That’s powerful. And that’s what this course helped me see.

I still have goals moving forward. I want to become more efficient with my editing process and more precise with word choice. I sometimes still over-explain ideas or repeat myself. But I now have the tools and strategies to catch those issues and revise with intention. I also want to continue experimenting with genres, maybe try creative nonfiction or write for an online publication one day. This course gave me a strong foundation, and I want to build on it.

This class taught me that writing is more than an academic requirement. It’s a skill for life. Whether I’m writing about finance, literature, or my own lived experiences, I now know how to write with a purpose. I’ve learned how to revise, how to receive feedback, and how to write in ways that are thoughtful, impactful, and real. I’ve also learned that the strongest writing doesn’t just meet expectations, it says something worth hearing.