First Draft

Essay 1 Draft Cover Letter

Essay 1 Draft

British poet Carol Ann Duffy was appointed poet laureate of the United Kingdom in May of 2009, making her the first woman to do be appointed in over three centuries. Such a remarkable achievement makes me think of the importance of education and of how empowering it is to be able to write well. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of literature and poetry, because they play a huge role in all of our lives, regardless of which career paths we take. We are all required to write at some point, and being able to do so effectively is important. For this reason, poet laureates are like the beacons of hope, because they continue to promote poetry and literary education around the world.

During the same year that Duffy was appointed for this job, I had the pleasure of taking one of the most difficult English courses I’ve ever had in my life. I had signed up for AP English Literature, expecting my teacher to prepare us exclusively for the one exam that could get us all college credit. But what I signed up for was something completely different. My teacher’s passion for writing was evident in every lecture, but even more importantly—it was contagious. I like to think that I was somehow able to absorb that passion for writing. And although the process was still a struggle for me, I was always proud of the final product. I was pushed to write on some of the most difficult topics that I never thought I could handle. But when I ended up writing so many strong papers, I felt so much pride. The feeling was indescribable.

I got my first failing grade on a paper about what it means to be human. It was the first paper that I had to write. I had spent several days on it, and I truly believed that it was one of the best essays I’d ever written. But once I got my paper back, I read my teacher’s comment below the green F: Please see me after class. I had never gotten a failing grade on a paper before, and throughout that entire class, all I could think about what that grade. I couldn’t fathom how he could possibly think that this paper I had spent so much time on was bad. After fifty minutes of spacing out and worrying about that assignment, I practically ran straight to my teacher. I wanted to understand why he didn’t like my paper. This one grade was already beginning to make me doubt my talent as a writer. I was worried that maybe I wasn’t as good a writer as I always thought. We sat down for about half an hour to discuss my paper, and by the time our meeting was done, I understood exactly what I needed to do to improve my piece. I appreciated my teacher’s honesty, even though most of it was hard to hear. But what stuck out for me was his positivity. He gave me a second shot a re-write, and I ended up with an A-. Below that grade read the comment: This is a big improvement from your first paper. Very well-written. Keep up the good work.

It was actually at that point when I made one of the biggest decisions of my life. I decided that I wanted to become a writer. I was now confident that I could hone my skills and grow as a writer like I did in that class. And I was no longer afraid to look into a book that had enough difficult phrases to sound like a completely different language. But even more importantly, I couldn’t have made this decision without my teacher’s encouragement. He made it clear that a failing grade or negative feedback should not discourage me. My writing may not appeal to everyone, but regardless, criticism should challenge me to push myself. It’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten, and I still use it today. I’m proud to say that I feel like I’m already several steps closer to inspiring the world with my writing. And this would be my greatest accomplishment.