My first piece is a Think Piece that I wrote last semester in my ENG 482 class. Although the class focused on literature from American authors up until 1820, it had a very interesting subtopic. The theme of the class was called “Love Story: Marriage Plots & Their Alternatives.” For this assignment, we were asked to focus on a topic that would somehow interact with one of the critical readings we had discussed so far in class. I wrote about my findings in Adam-Campbells’ “Mapping Marriage,” defending her argument about the absurdity of strict marriage rules. It offers my ideas for how the institution of marriage should be treated today all while using statements from the critical reading to back them up.

This particular piece showcases a few of the many facets I have as a skilled writer. It shows my ability to interact with critical texts, to properly include quotes from outside sources into my own writing, to properly cite works in MLA format, and finally to produce a cohesive and descriptive piece of writing. I also like the authenticity of this piece because it contains my true opinion about marriage — my voice and values shine through.