Hello to anyone who is about to edit my essay! This is my second draft, so I apologize if my essay isn't very good. Please critique my essay honestly and give me some useful feedback. Thanks, and enjoy my essay. (I hope)
Personal Essay 1
Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.
My initial lesson with my English tutor was most peculiar. At first, I assumed that she was going to bring out the bane of many hapless students, the dreaded 300-page grammar workbook. Instead, she picked up the latest newspaper near the door, brought it back to the table, and unfurled it, smoothing it flat on the table. My curiosity piqued, I glanced at the open face of the newspaper and saw a crossword puzzle. She picked up a pencil and started to scribble down some words in the blank boxes.
What are the benefits of doing a crossword? Other than providing entertainment or frustration in the morning, there seems to be no other practical use for it. Initially, that was my mindset until I met Mimi. An 84-year old retired English professor, she has a wizened appearance, but her mind is sharp as ever. She used an unorthodox method by a means of crosswords to improve my English. However, Mimi not only taught me grammar and plenty of vocabulary, but also showed me that a crossword is applicable to many aspects of life.
Through her methods of solving crosswords, she demonstrated parallels in my daily life. Mimi understood my lack of experience with crosswords, so she discussed various strategies for solving the complicated configurations. From the very beginning, she told me to use a pencil instead of a pen so that I would be able to erase the mistakes I would eventually have. I realized that pen marks, unlike a pencil, cannot be erased so easily, just like one's words or action. Later, she instructed me to look for the author's habits such as his favorite clues to use or even the same answers from other puzzles. Through reading the authors' intentions, Mimi showed me how to read people, and I realize that it takes time to know one's likes or dislikes. She advised me to pay attention to certain clues that were not straightforward and have multiple meanings since words could be interpreted in many ways. Taking the advice in mind, I saw that people, like words, should be viewed from multiple angles instead of just one. Her endless advice on solving crosswords has provided me with little nuggets of life's beautiful truths.
Mimi taught me that in crosswords, application, not memorization, was more significant. Knowing about my limited vocabulary, she would assist me by revealing the answer and explaining the usage of it. Her intent was for me to understand the clues and to be able to connect them with the answers. Not satisfied with me merely knowing the answers, she would often ask me to explain my reasoning. Sometimes, my explanations would be sufficient, but when they were not, she would erase my answer and informed me that the "why" and "how" are more essential than the "what". As time passed, my range of vocabulary increased dramatically, and I would be able to substitute terms with others.
Five years have passed since I last met with Mimi, but I still vividly remember our time together and the privileged experience. The time I first finished a puzzle by myself, or the buffets with the newspaper she would give me in order to wake me up or to impress each word that I missed. Most of all, her immeasurable and precious amount of wisdom that she imparted me was not through the lessons, but through the wonderful experiences.
