My Goals I Learned In My Second Semester

At the end of the first semester, I set two goals that I wanted to accomplish throughout the second semester. The first goal was to make my essays stronger by not writing so much, and to create sentences that weren’t too wordy and more meaningful. My second goal was to enhance my vocabulary and not be so redundant. To achieve my first writing goal, I reread my essays multiple times checking to see if I could get rid of any unnecessary words . Rereading my work also went along with my second goal. But instead of taking out words, I exchanged them for more advanced vocabulary. Although I think I did a good job accomplishing my two goals, a new goal emerged during second semester. That goal was to become a better public speaker. My thought for improvement was to have a better attitude when it came to giving speeches. I know the more I present in front of an audience, the more comfortable I will get …show more content…
The essay from second semester that proves that I am able to write an effective introductory paragraph is from the “Crossroad” essay. The introduction states, “For me and probably most people, there are not many things worse than a dog dying. Especially when it is a dog that you have grown up with and loved very much. Would you rather have your dog live in pain, or put your sweet angel down? My family and I decided to put our precious dog down.”

Along with my introductions, I truly believe my conclusion paragraphs have improved too. The “Justifiable Killings” essay proved this point. The essay concludes with, "In conclusion, killing is justifiable in regards to criminals facing the death penalty, a woman's right to abort an unborn child, and a soldier protecting their country in war. In the novel, George could justify his decision to kill Lennie, to protect him from a life of misery. So, is Of Mice and Men a story of friendship or murder? The answer is