Nicholas Vo

English 115

PORTFOLIO

Nicholas Vo

INTRODUCTION

English 115

MyNicholas
name Nicholas
Vo.eighteen
I am an
eighteen
My name
Vo. I am an
year-old,
first
semester first
freshman
at freshman
Californiaat California
State University
year-old,
semester
State
Northridge. Northridge.
Hobbies I enjoy
during
my free
timemy
are
University
Hobbies
I enjoy
during
video games and playing musical instruments. I have
free
time are video games and playing musical

About Me

been playing the piano since I was seven years old and I

instruments. I have been playing the piano since I

have only recently picked up the guitar and ukulele.

was seven years old and I have only recently picked

Music and video games are my source of happiness.

up the guitar and ukulele. Music and video games

Video games allow my mind to run free while also

are my source of happiness. Video games allow my

challenging me with unique and sometimes difficult

mind to run free while also challenging me with

puzzles. I enjoy the improvisation part of music. Making

unique
sometimes
enjoy the
my ownand
music
on the spotdifficult
lets my puzzles.
mind run Ifree.
improvisation part of music. Making my own music

ESSAYS
In English 115, we wrote a total of two essays. The first essay is about cultural and religious differences and
how those impact society. The second essay is about the effects of the hypersexualization of society and
whether the effects are negative or positive.

ESSAY 1: SAME DIFFERENCE

ESSAY 2: SEX: MEANINGLESS

AND CASUAL

My first essay is on the topic of religious

My second essay is on the topic of the

and cultural differences. I wrote mine

hypersexualization of our culture and

about

cultural

whether it effects society in a negative or

differences create barriers and the only

positive way. I wrote about how it effects

way to break down those barriers is to

society in a negative way because it reduces

learn to understand and accept one

the meaning of sex. A key point I made is

another. Conflicts are often started due

that the media popularizes womanizers and

to religious and cultural differences. My

promiscuity which then leads to men and

main point is, in order to reduce conflict,

women engaging in casual sexual acts such

we must acknowledge our similarities and

as public oral sex.

come to a compromise.

Some revisions I made to this essay are

Some revisions I made in the revised

adding a few more ideas to support my

essay are adding more source quotes and

claims and also changing the focus of one

concrete evidence to support my claims

of my paragraphs. I made these changes to

and also removing some claims I made

strengthen my evidence support and also

that did not relate to my overall thesis. I

relate my ideas back to my thesis in a more

made these changes to strengthen my

clear way.

how

religious

and

essay.

STRENTHS AND WEAKNESSES

OVERALL DEVELOPMENT

My strength is in my organization. I can

Overall, English 115 has been a very helpful

organize my ideas on paper with ease. My

course and I have seen much improvement in my

paragraph organization is fairly strong. My

writing. I never thought of myself as a good

weakness is idea building and diving deeper

writer, but this course has given me some tips

into those ideas. My ideas come out as general.

and tricks to writing. As a writer, I feel I have

They barely scratch the surface. I find it hard to

grown exponentially in using outside sources to

come up with Big Ideas because Im not very

support my claims, quoting those outside sources,

used to thinking outside of the box or looking

citing those sources, and also organizing my ideas

at things from a different perspective.

and putting them on paper.