Reflection Essay Sample: The Importance of Writing Well

Writing well is the ability to coherently convey ideas and emotions through unique perspectives while establishing purpose and effectively arguing. The English language is complex in the sense that each and every writer can utilize their own personal voice in order to share ideas and new learning.

Many writers use a generic outline for their work. The ability to break through the collective outline is what makes a writer idiosyncratic. Writers may contribute their own personal values and or anecdotes to not only communicate their emotions, but connect with the reader. Memoirs are an excellent example of establishing a solidified ‘reader to writer’ relationship. The primary purpose of a memoir is to narrate one’s personal experiences, glories and achievements, and possibly downfalls to life. If executed correctly, a good writer can see through multiple perspectives to provide the reader with a new sense of understanding. Jeannette Walls, the creator of the bestselling memoir, The Glass Castle, perfectly communicates her personal experiences to the reader through the eyes of an adolescent girl. “I pulled away from him. ‘I thought you were going to leave me,’ I said (p. 40). By including this short reminiscent thought, Walls personalizes her work while evoking the reader’s emotions in correspondence to the given context. She develops pathos by eliciting and appealing to the reader’s emotions with her word choice and language. This also helps to develop tone and creates a sense of sentiment to grasp the reader's attention.  Walls creates this unique persona because of her unapologetic honesty regarding her life story; although her story is tragic, she uses it to her advantage by telling her story through her childhood eyes instead of present perspectives. By utilizing pathos, Walls appears as a more impactful and important writer because of the ways she illustrates her tear-jerking stories through different perspectives. 

As skeptics, writers often have to ask difficult and quite frankly, some unanswerable questions. Purpose is the reasoning behind many of the world's greatest achievements. Without reason, life would have no significance. By asking “why?” a writer can improve not only their own work, but the thinking process behind their work. This complicates the claim that everything has a purpose as some things may appear pointless. A writer’s creation is seen as purely subjective in the minds of many. However, a good writer is able to delve deeply into text and create purpose (How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One). Logos can be used to establish importance and prove the significance of the text to the reader. For example, in 2005, Richard Ryder was a part of a study done regarding the rights of sentient beings such as animals in testing labs across the country. He argued that while it is important to ensure human safety, it is not justifiable at the sacrifice. He writes, “if we are going to care about the suffering of other humans, then logically, we should care about the suffering of non-humans too.” (Ryder). By appealing to the readers common sense, Ryder not only refutes the argument that science needs animal testing to keep humans safe, but he logically explains the reasoning behind his perspective and point. With this, it is clear that in order to write well, it is crucial to establish purpose in the text. 

While arguing may be considered immature from a casual perspective, it can oftentimes be a writer's primary inspiration. Once purpose is established, it is important to structure the argument in a way for the reader to reflect upon. Credibility is a major part of writing well as it is used as a basis for arguing. By appealing to the readers with facts or shared values, a writer's argument automatically becomes more convincing and solidified. Recently in 2021, an article published to promote the protection of animal lives around the world collaborated with Supreme Court Associate Justice, Amy Coney Barret. Barret's name was bolded in the title to credit the fact that someone as high in society as a Supreme Court Justice cares about this topic, therefore creating a more valid argument. This can act as a catalyst for a multitude of things such as publicity and attention to the subject. By using ethos, a writer’s work can be more effectively argued as it is seen as dependable. 

In conclusion, writing well is the ability to analyze and describe unique perspectives and opinions regarding specific text and topics. As young writers flourish into more sophisticated authors, ethos, pathos, and logos begin to play a larger role in their work. A good writer will find their voice regarding certain opinions and perspectives and establish purpose while effectively arguing.