Definition Paper- Reflection

         Definition writing is a method that people see everyday, and Ms. Basko defined it as “a method of development in which the writer clarifies the meaning of a term to support a point.”  We read a short piece called “The Wife-Beater” by Gayle Rosenwald Smith, which defined a type of clothing, and I picked up on many different strategies used in this piece, such as compare/contrast, dictionary definition, description, and surface meaning.

         I wanted to write about a unique topic for this paper, and chose a clothing “accessory” instead of an actual piece of clothing.  I thought that it would be interesting to learn about where the sequin came from and how it is being used in the fashion world.

         This paper was very easy to write because the research that I was doing about the topic was very interesting.  All of the facts and history that I was gathering about the sequin made my paper flow really nicely and have a solid structure.  I think the best parts of my first draft were the history of the sequin, the dictionary definition, and the overall organization of the paper.  I opened with places that sequins can be found, went into the history of the sequin, added a dictionary definition, and then talked about future possibilities.

         I kept this same structure throughout the editing process on the way to my final draft, but the peer feedback session helped me to add more to my paper.  Under the “other techniques” section on the feedback sheet, people wrote that I could have included my own opinion about sequins, as well as some modern fashion examples that could be used to make connections.  I added both my opinion and modern information to the last paragraph, and I think that it added more depth to the paper.

         Looking through papers written by my peers, I noticed that some people used pictures to convey their topic.  I wanted to add this strategy to my paper so that it would give readers a visual to go along with the description. 

         Lastly, I looked over the “Essay Titles” paper that Ms. Basko gave us, and wanted to make my title more eye-catching.  I changed the original, The Sequin, to “Sequins in the Spotlight.”  I thought that this title would draw more people in to the paper.

         I hope that after reading this paper, readers will be more educated on the history of the sequin and how it is used in the modern fashion world.  This paper has introduced me to a wider range of strategies that I can apply to any definition paper that I write in the future.