Reflection on Research Paper

Throughout Unit 2, I have become a better writer and learner. Before I researched and learned about the different aspects of Marijuana legalization, my projects for school always consisted of something I already knew a lot about. Whereas for this project, I knew very little about the political controversy of Marijuana or the different affects of Marijuana on the body. Through the research process I learned how to teach myself through reading and finding facts and scrutinizing other people's arguments. I also learned how to write a more convincing argumentative paper by balancing arguments for a controversy and arguments against that controversy. This allows the reader to go through the same process of thinking and learning as I did when I did the research. This adds to the ethos of your argument because you are showing the reader that you did the research and you understand both sides. The part of this project that I resisted the most was doing the research. At first it seemed pointless because I would get information from the internet, but it wasn't necessarily credible. Using an academic search, I began using more reliable and interesting sources. Then I began to learn tons of in depth things and became interested in the project. I was just resisting doing the work, but after I started doing the work I discovered that I actually like learning about new things and being involved in current affairs. I think this research paper has made me a better, more educated citizen who has the desire to be involved in political decisions and controversies.