Throughout my time at Lafayette my writing is something I have taken pride in. Not because of the big words I use or the arguments I craft but because it gives me the opportunity to express myself without a second thought. So much of our time in the little world of Lafayette is spent thinking about how others will react to us. People are constantly questioned and criticized for expressing an opinion whether by friends, family, or complete strangers. But when I sit down with nothing more than a brain full of ideas and a computer all of those worries go away. I take writing as an opportunity to convey ideas and emotions that I would, at any other time, leave unsaid. The opinion I have on writing was not something I was born with actually I was taught the exact opposite. I went to St. Albans high school in Washington D.C. this is where I developed the technical skills necessary to write at the level expected of a college freshman. While I received a thorough introduction to the world of formal writing I also saw the limits that my school placed on the mind of the writer. St. Albans is an all boys Episcopalian school which developed its curriculum directly from the British educational system. Writing during the majority of my high school career was an emotionless, and often times dull, analysis of the given text. There was a predetermined ‘proper writing formula’ that my school inundated each and every student with.

My experience at St. Albans in regard to writing was utterly one-dimensional. The school expected one formula from each and every student. This formula consisted of a strong thesis, evidence from the writer, and a personal analysis of that writer. This formula was not to be tampered with or manipulated in any way.