When it comes to first person writing in middle school and highschool i was taught to not use first person as the paper can be objective and personal, we were taught to keep our opinions out of the way and please all the people who may be reading. As I got to college that whole learning process of me not using I and first pronouns was completely changed. I was taught by various English professors that using I and first person pronouns are not as bad as other school teachers made it seem. “I need you to say i”: Why first person is important in college writing by Kate Mckinney Maddalena proves in her piece that saying I and using first person pronouns in college writing is important especially when you are conducting a research paper or a part of a newspaper organization or media team.
In college I have been a part of the newspaper organization and the media team and during training it was emphasized that it is okay to use I and first person pronouns in my articles as long as it doesn’t overshadow the important information. One thing Kate Mckinney Maddalena mentioned is how ownership and intellectual involvement is important especially in a research paper as it brings validity to your piece, it brings strength to your argument as you are trying to prove your point in what you researched. While i do believe that is important for students and writers to know that using the letter I repetitively is not a good thing because it can make the paper/article seem more of a personal piece, but if it’s put in here and there, there should be no harm within the paper as it gives you strength in your argument, credibility and can somehow connect to the audience.
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