Abstract: I chose Vinland Saga for my conference paper because it’s the piece of fiction that has had the most impact on me, and I wanted to share why and how. I approached this essay like I did with any other essay; I made an outline and gathered evidence and just started writing. The first draft felt a little rushed so after getting feedback form classmates and revising myself, I made various changes for the final portfolio like expanding the message and theme of my essay into real-world events from the past and current. I also cut out some unnecessary parts that wasn’t related to my claim and added more relevant information. If I had more time, it would expand my essay and add more evidence.

Revisions from first draft:

I wasn’t very proud of my first draft. It felt very rushed and did’t fully expand the ideas of the themes in Vinland Saga by connecting it to real life political events. I think drawing parallels to conflicts helped show the relevancy of the themes explored in Vinland Saga which is definitely essential to let readers know about. Not only did I include examples of when revenge-driven campaigns or narratives have resulted in catastrophic results, but I also included examples where pacifism and non-violent means accomplished so much more than violence ever could. These connections were encouraged and suggested by Professor Meaks and built even further from the peer revision sessions. Also during peer revision for this essay, I was made aware that my essay was a little short and some parts of it was not really relevant to the claim or theme so I made necessary adjustments and expanded on my evidence and more for a more compelling essay. Overall, these revisions and adjustment helped me write a essay that I was satisfied with.