ABOUT ME
My name is Kendal Purtell and I am a sophomore at Bridgewater State University. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, teacher and part-time comedian. I am a communications major with a concentration in media and film studies. For as long as I can remember, I've always loved writing. This site will help me keep all of my work in one spot for myself and others to come back to.
INTRODUCTION
The reason I chose the specific blog posts that I did was because they both showcase not only my ability to understand the reading but also my ability to relate the writing in a responsive way. My in-class writings were chosen for the fact that they are casual and honest but straight to the point. In my profile essay, my revision included more direct quotes as well as the subtraction of my own personal opinions on the subject. In my Talk of The Town essay, I interviewed more students to try and show a different perspective on the issue. I also got rid of any of my own opinions to keep the piece unbiased. All of the revisions helped improve my essays because both pieces ended up feeling more clean and straight to the point. My writing has definitely improved since the start of the semester in English 280. I now know the proper way to conduct an interview and what questions to ask. As a reader this semester, I see things differently. I can't help but ask myself with each piece I read, "was the writer in the room or did they hear about it second hand?" My mind goes to more places than it used to when I'm reading. As a writer, I have also changed. I feel more comfortable writing without all of the extra fluff that is not necessary. Because of Zinsser, I almost never use exclamation points. I also feel more comfortable writing the way that I want to write.
The reason I chose to include the blog posts that I did is because they both were more on the personal side to me. The Working Poor impacted my life in a way that I was not expecting. I found it very relatable to my life and I couldn't get it out of my head. Pride is something that people feel the need to hold on to when they have nothing else, and that makes sense to me. I chose to include my blog post about Ferguson because that is something that is affecting not only me but everyone in our country. It needs to have light shed on the issues we are facing in the world today. It was my chance to voice my opinion and I didn't hold back. The in-class writings that I chose stood out to me because although the topics were being discussed for a specific reason in the class, the information is useful for anyone interested in pursuing a career in writing. Since the start of this class, I have changed my style of writing by being conscious of the tone and trying my very best to stay unbiased. I have learned how important it is to realize who is telling the story, who the story is about, and if the two are in fact the same. In future writing assignments, I need to work on leading up to my conclusion because sometimes it can be abrupt.
The reason I chose to include the blog posts that I did is because they both were more on the personal side to me. The Working Poor impacted my life in a way that I was not expecting. I found it very relatable to my life and I couldn't get it out of my head. Pride is something that people feel the need to hold on to when they have nothing else, and that makes sense to me. I chose to include my blog post about Ferguson because that is something that is affecting not only me but everyone in our country. It needs to have light shed on the issues we are facing in the world today. It was my chance to voice my opinion and I didn't hold back. The in-class writings that I chose stood out to me because although the topics were being discussed for a specific reason in the class, the information is useful for anyone interested in pursuing a career in writing. Since the start of this class, I have changed my style of writing by being conscious of the tone and trying my very best to stay unbiased. I have learned how important it is to realize who is telling the story, who the story is about, and if the two are in fact the same. In future writing assignments, I need to work on leading up to my conclusion because sometimes it can be abrupt.