Gray 1

Bradley Gray
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074
bradgray501@gmail.com

6 May 2019

Dear Mrs. Tamera Davis

Writing is the process by which people encode their thoughts in a way so that others may
decipher said thoughts at a later point in time. Therefore, the ability to write well is the ability to
properly communicate one’s thoughts and feelings without their intentions getting misconstrued.
When I was younger, I had a hard time getting people to take me or my ideas seriously.
Elaborating my more complex thoughts in a cohesive way is a skill that I have had to take time
to develop throughout the years. Now that I have grown older, my progress in expressing myself
through writing has been palpable. I have compiled in this blog select essays and poems that I
believe reflect my current prowess as a writer. These works will showcase my ability to properly
use and cite research for argumentative essays as well as my style of using poetry for the
expressive catharsis of unwanted emotion.

I will begin by discussing the subject matter of my works. My first entry in this portfolio is an
essay written in the spring semester of 2019 for my Honors English Comp II class. This essay
was written to the Surgeon General to urge the loosening of restrictions placed upon the research
of psychedelic compounds. This is an excellent essay as it demonstrates how I integrate source-
work with argumentation to communicate my points in an effective manner. These skills are put
on further display in my second entry to this portfolio, an essay written in the fall semester of
2018 for my English Comp I class detailing the benefits of anonymity in online discussion. As
with the first essay, this work is a good example of the quality that I can produce when the points
I am trying to make are ones that I wholeheartedly believe in.

As the remaining two entries of this portfolio are each collections of personally written poems,
they perfectly represent how having an affinity for my topic positively impacts my writing.
Despite my best efforts to keep a happy-go-lucky mindset, feelings of negativity and stress
continue to fester and grow deep within me every day. If it were not for my constant release of
negative emotion via the crystallization of this emotion in writing, I fear that I would eventually
commit acts too heinous to describe in academic writing. With my use of poetry as a vehicle for
dispersing my darkest thoughts, it should be no surprise that my poems exhibit a dreary mood
and sometimes contain disturbing imagery. One of my guiding principles is the idea that art is
meant to convey general emotion, not just positive emotion. Therefore, negative emotion in art
can be some of the most expressive and impactful art there is.

With all the preface of how I am doing fine despite my disturbing poetry out of the way, I will
now evaluate said poetry. The third entry in my portfolio contains three poems written within the
last two years: “Wishes for Granted,” “Suddenly,” and “Bleeding Luxury.” The common theme
linking these three works (in addition to too many other works of mine) is the latent emotion
from a previous relationship that I have had difficulties fully processing. “Wishes for Granted”
discusses the propensity of man to desire that which he does not have. “Suddenly,” on the other
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hand, is a look into how man rationalizes that which he does not have through choosing to hate
it. “Bleeding Luxury” details man trying to come to terms with why he lacks in the first place.
When analyzed in sequence, these poems describe the process through which distance turns
desire into contempt.

The fourth and last entry of my portfolio contains three final poems: “Anime Isn’t Real,”
“Burdened/Sanctioned,” and “Part of Me.” Like my other poems, these works served as a vehicle
through which I channeled and purged any feelings of stress and aggression I was dealing with at
the time. While the other poems in my portfolio dealt with emotional responses to specific
events, the poems in entry four are broader evaluations of life. The common theme linking these
works is the conflation of perception with reality. “Anime Isn’t Real” compares the ability
people have to change with their propensity to act out the opposite of their desires.
“Burdened/Sanctioned” is a look into the struggles of knowing you have to act one way when
you are dying to act another. “Part of Me” is one of my most personal poems, evaluating the
feelings of helplessness one can experience when breaking down. Taken in sequence, these
poems detail the pain associated with free will and the avenues we take to alleviate that pain.

Writing has been a strong-suit of mine for many years now. As I have aspirations in the
entertainment industry one day, I must continue to hone my ability to express myself in a way
that facilitates understanding with others. I have many years of collegiate writing ahead of me in
addition to an abundance of free time in which I may write more poetry. While writing is
difficult and time consuming, I know that the benefits of being able to properly communicate my
most complex thoughts severely outweigh the effort needed to put forth said thoughts in writing.
As my journey in writing continues, I know that I will continue to face every challenge with the
will and determination to succeed.