The last paper for this semester was a full research paper with a 7-10 page limit. Immediately after hearing the page limit, I wondered if I’d be able to complete this because I hadn’t written any paper this length before. The assignment was to choose a research topic to answer an inquiry question and create claims to support with evidence. This paper required a formal tone, appropriate citation (with a choice of MLA, APA, or Chicago style), proper transition flow, and rhetorical devices.

I chose colorism in the black community as my research topic because it affects all black people, whether it benefits or hurts them. I notice how colorism has changed black beauty standards and trends. It has affected dating within the black community because skin tone, in many instances, is put in a range of what is more masculine to what is more feminine. But this issue is easily overlooked by those who benefit from it. I used these topics (beauty trends, black relationships, and the denying of colorism by those who benefit from colorism) to formulate my inquiry questions and focus my research. Overall, I did well on this paper since this is a topic I have been interested in writing about for a long time. But I still think I could’ve gone further with this paper.

Since this was my last paper, I felt pressured to do well to compensate for some of my shortcomings this semester. I tried to do my best, though I could’ve still done better. This paper allowed me to practice formality and proper citation, which is helpful because even though English 111 is just a First-year writing class, I still need to develop these skills in preparation for the future.