Mady Fancher

Geist 7
Hela
5/9/16
Research Essay Reflection
Prior to the research essay, I knew about gun control from the news and many social
media conflicts. I thought about these conflicts and where I stood on gun control to produce this
essay. I have improved at this kind of work by incorporating multiple sources to make an
argument. While working on this piece, I used databases provided on the library website for
resources. I have written research essays before and have improved on this style of writing over
time.
I feel like this work is a mediocre piece of mine. I dont like that my argument isnt clear
and I almost defend two different sides. An argumentative essay should clearly defend one side,
and this essay agrees with both. I should have made the essay more organized and focused on
one side of the argument. This would have been more efficient in using ethos, pathos, and logos
in the essay. I definitely did not meet my standards for this essay due to lack of a strong
argument and poor organization.
I did this essay different than others because I did not make a one- sided argument like I
should have done. If I were the teacher I would have suggested more quotes and more of an
argument. This piece starts to show my views on gun control. My essay shows the controversy in

this topic because of how hard it is to take one side because of all the what ifs you could think
about regarding this topic.
I definitely think I could improve this piece of writing if I were to do it over again. Like I
said before, I would make the essay more organized and have a well-stated and backed up
argument. One goal I would set for next time I do an argumentative essay is to create an outline.
I would make sure the outline has a clear thesis and includes what each body paragraph would be
about and the resources used in each one.