Ralph Godfrey

9-18-19

Self Reflection Essay

            In the memo I wrote, I decided to take it as an opportunity to speak out about something I am passionate about in real life through professional and diplomatic manner. The subject regarded the slippery clay floor in the Nat Holman basketball court that forces basketball players to play timid and not to their full potential. Memos are a perfect opportunity to reach out to someone professionally about a subject that you think is worth bringing someone of importance or respect’s attention towards. 

The tone of the memo is direct, optimistic and informative, not using any figurative language whatsoever to charm or impress the reader. In this situation, it was directed towards the president of CCNY, the person with the highest authority in the school. Reaching out to him through memo was built off the hope of bringing attention to the safety hazard of the gym floor, and furthering the discussion, possibly in person.

            The memo was structured first by introducing the subject and showing my deep passionate concern with direct and honest language. After the introduction came a long drawn out summary of the situation, followed up by a discussion piece to provide in depth context and where I stand on the situation.

            My memos strengths were in the purpose and argumentation. My intentions were very clear throughout the memo and the more you read it the further in depth my argument goes. This is due to the structure of the memo as it allows the case for the safety of the slippery gym to unravel with arguments and diverse argument points to back up my claim. Examples are from the shoes I bought to my friend sprained his ankle. I improved my information and analysis on the issue after reading peer feedback telling me to focus more on what’s important to the reader. Less specifics and more bigger picture facts are what’s necessary and leave out any potential fluff.

            After looking back, there were also some weaknesses. In terms of mechanics, I did not use a space in between paragraphs. Another part of mechanics that could’ve been improved would be in the summary part. I contained some fluff in drawn out sentences with the intentions of slowly informing my reader different details of the issue at hand.

            Overall, this assignment has helped me with my understanding of direct language. I am very accustomed to poetic and metaphoric approaches to enticing my reader. I should not rely on fluff to transition my sentences. Instead, this memo required a combination of details and succinctness, which is something I will strive for with the memos that I will write in the future.