Portfolio Reflection

            Asking an artist to choose which is his favorite work is like asking a parent to choose which is his favorite child.  That is why it is difficult to review my portfolio and make value judgments on the works.  There were certainly pieces that I enjoyed writing more than others and pieces that I believe better fit the template for an assignment than perhaps other essays did.  Nonetheless, I believe that all the writings stand on their own and their success or failure as literary works should best be judged by the person who reads them.  After all, don?t we write to convey thoughts, feelings and ideas to others?  As such, I would let you, the reader, decide which of the pieces YOU like best.

            That said, I do have personal favorites.  I most enjoyed the character essay about the fictional Tyler Durden.  My particular attachment to this work comes largely as a result of having enjoyed the underlying reading from which it came.  I found that making a character study of Tyler came easily to me.  Perhaps because the character was so unusual, it was almost as if he were alive to me.  As a result, I think the essay really captures his bizarre spirit.  I hope you enjoyed it, too.

            The essay on ?Rules? I believe most effectively addresses the assignment for which it was created.  I think it is very clear, concise and persuasive.  Of course, this essay benefits from using quality material as starting points. The New York Times essay and the book,  Lord of the Flies certainly made it easy to make quality references that support the thesis. 

            The ability to use quality material as reference for an essay is why I feel my essay using Carson McCuller?s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter as the source was not up to the rest of the pieces.  I found the book difficult to read and, candidly, unenjoyable.  As a result, I had to work much harder to get the points across in my essay. Unlike the Tyler Durden piece, I was unable to find good metaphors to illustrate my thoughts and make impressions on the reader.  While I think the essay does a good job answering the question, it lacks the rhythm and excitement of the other piece.

            The experience of writing different types of essays for a variety of purposes was certainly worthwhile, if not out rightly difficult at times.  It did provide me with challenges, especially when I had to overcome my dissatisfaction with the underlying readings.  Nonetheless, I tried to meet each assignment with enthusiasm and gave each one my best effort.  I hope you enjoyed reading them.