Throughout this course, I learned many new skills that helped transform my writing. I enjoyed this course and its projects as they taught me new writing techniques and forced me to get out of my comfort zone with my peers. Peer reviews were very helpful in this process as they offered different perspectives and constructive feedback; their insights helped me refine my work. The peer reviews helped me reflect on my writing which was very helpful as I was writing drafts for the RA essay. Talking about drafting, the drafting process that we had for the RA essay was very insightful. The lectures and readings we had contributed to this as well as I would apply what I learned to my writing. They helped guide my understanding of the art-horror genre and influenced my writing approach. So, as each draft progressed, I could see that I was constructing clearer ideas and my writing was slowly getting better. Furthermore, I thought that the readings were insightful as they taught me the basis for the art-horror genre. I was able to understand the criteria for a “monster” and apply that to the major projects: RA essay, RIP film, and RIP essay. I was able to better comprehend these readings within their unique context, rather than merely summarizing their plot. In this essay, I will demonstrate how I have grasped the art of constructing precise thesis statements, learned how to use textual evidence more effectively, and discovered how to avoid over-explaining and providing excessive context. All of the work that I did in this class expanded my learning and enhanced my writing proficiency, which I will continue to use in the future. Moreover, these newfound skills not only elevated my writing but also deepened my understanding of the art-horror genre. 

             One of the biggest takeaways that I achieved through the writing process for the RA essay was that it helped me strengthen my ability to write a thorough thesis statement. While composing the initial draft of the essay, I encountered difficulties articulating my thoughts into a coherent thesis statement that could effectively capture my main ideas. For example, my first thesis statement was: “This raises the question as to how Graham can develop the plot in a way that shapes Jade’s character favorably even though she is one of the monsters and murderers in the text.” This statement is not efficient because it does not establish any key points that will be addressed in my analysis. In this case, a clear thesis statement includes my interpretation of how the author strayed away from the genre’s norms as a way to develop a clear message. After understanding this, I was able to construct a second thesis statement: ”Stephen Graham includes common tropes, detailed, contextual development of characters, and also draws upon Noël Caroll’s, The Nature of Horror, and Carol Clover’s, Men, Women, and Chainsaws to subvert established genre expectations, creating a narrative that challenges and redefines traditional horror storytelling as a way to demonstrate that there are multiple forms of justice and multiple ways to go about achieving such—which will differ based on one’s background and personal experiences.” This thesis statement was an improvement from the first because I included a more detailed description of how the author was able to stray away from the norm. However, this statement still lacked some depth regarding what message the author was trying to get across. I then revised this statement and created my final thesis statement: “I will be discussing how Stephen Graham incorporates familiar tropes, provides detailed and contextual character development, and also draws upon Noël Caroll’s, The Nature of Horror and Carol Clover’s, Men, Women, and Chainsaws to subvert established genre expectations within the slasher genre. Graham’s narrative not only redefines traditional horror storytelling norms but also challenges societal expectations regarding women and empowerment within the context of a final girl and a slasher.” This final thesis statement is clear and effective as it establishes my key points while also addressing what the message was. 

             Furthermore, another takeaway from this course was that I learned how to correctly use textual evidence from credible sources. This is a very important factor in a well-written analysis because by doing so I demonstrate that I can support my ideas with evidence from well-renowned authors and professors. Not only is it important to use credible sources, but it is also important to use the evidence accordingly. I had to learn how to properly cite sources; I needed to make sure to use the sources only if they directly supported the ideas that I was trying to get across. For example, in my first draft for the RA essay, I threw in random supporting evidence from Carroll’s essay, such as: “Graham intentionally included this conversation between Jade and Mr. Holmes because it causes the reader to sympathize with Jade nonetheless. Carroll addresses that as readers, our emotional responses mimic the responses of the characters facing the monsters (53).” This would have been sufficient evidence if I could relate it to my key idea. However, I did not. Since, this was an analysis essay, using this evidence would not have supported my analysis because I would not be able to explain the direct emotional responses the audience would have. I ended up scratching out this idea and went in a different direction so I would be able to create an unbiased analysis, avoiding the audience’s feelings. I replaced and replaced it with: “In the context of the art-horror genre, Graham’s twist on Jade’s character aligns with Carroll’s concept of impurity. Carroll argues that the objects or concepts existing in an interstitial state, crossing established boundaries within a culture’s conceptual framework, are deemed impure (Carroll 55).” This redirection led to a revised approach that efficiently utilizes textual evidence, strengthening my ideas as mentioned in my thesis statement. 

                Lastly, one of the most important takeaways from this course was that I learned how to avoid over-explaining myself. I realized that I tend to provide excessive context at the beginning of my essays, specifically in my introduction. For example, in the rough draft for the RIP essay, I wrote, “In search of comfort and friendship due to her inability to rely on her mother, Talin invites Amy, a childhood friend, to spend the holidays with her. Things take a turn for the worse when her friends begin to disappear after Amy arrives. The film begins with Talin and her mother having a heated conversation over the phone. As Talin angrily ends the phone call, Amy arrives and greets her with a friendly hug. Thinking that she could trust Amy, Talin opens up and tells her about her unstable relationship with her mother.” This piece of writing provided unnecessary context as the readers did not need to know that much about the film. I learned that I must add context that explains the overall film and captures the key ideas. There is no need to describe every detail in the film. So, I revised this in my final essay and wrote, “ In search of comfort and friendship due to her inability to rely on her mother, Talin invites Amy, a childhood friend, to spend the holidays with her. However, this situation darkens when Talin’s friends start disappearing after Amy’s arrival.” This context was efficient because I focused on talking about the major plot points of the film. This gives the reader a basic understanding of the film, without going too much into detail. I was able to learn about the importance of sticking to an analysis and not creating a descriptive essay.