Transitioning from Honors English II to AP Language and Composition has pushed me to become not only a better writer but a better English student. The advanced course entailed developing a mastery of grammar and analytical skills. In class essays: synthesis, argumentation, rhetorical analysis, and multiple choice prepared us for the AP exam. Over the course of this year, the shifting of focus from reading longer texts, specifically novels, to shorter texts, speeches, ads, and articles, urged me to ameliorate my argumentation and rhetorical analysis skills in both writing and thinking. This progression took quite some time as I noticed my skills got better as I did more practice.
I began my year with little knowledge of rhetoric in short texts, which reflected in
…show more content…
I had had little practice with analyzing shorter texts; news articles, speeches, letters, and ads presented a challenge because they were new to me. Unlike reading longer texts, short texts are concise, and present their arguments in a different way. The argument is directly developed unlike in longer texts where the plot progresses and so does the argument. The longer I spent analyzing a text the more understanding I had of it, this is why many of my The Great Gatsby essays showed much more understanding of rhetoric. In my 2017 argumentation essay, I used my knowledge of The Great Gatsby and cited it as a source to back up my argument. My knowledge of The Great Gatsby reflected in my argumentation essay and allowed me to use it as evidence to solidify my claim (2017 Argumentation essay). However, my first in class essay showed my struggle with understanding the use of rhetoric in short passages (2000 Welty Essay). The marked up essay presented itself with many comments including "specific" and an abundance of question marks all over the page (Chernin). Although I had understood the prompt as well as the passage itself, I had trouble expressing the information in
Palmer, William. "Rhetorical Analysis." Discovering Arguments: An Introduction to Critical Thinking, Writing, and Style. Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2012. 268-69. Print.
Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings. 7th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007.
The Stases and Other Rhetorical Concepts from Introduction to Academic Writing. N.p.: n.p., n.d. PDF.
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings. 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. Print.
Longaker, Mark Garrett, and Jeffrey Walker. Rhetorical Analysis: A Brief Guide for Writers. Glenview: Longman, 2011. Print.
It would seem he creates a moment of absolute bliss: “Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete” (117). “Incarnation” has powerful religious resonance, suggesting a transformation of a God into the form of a body—here, Gatsby’s. The language suggests that Gatsby feels like a God as a result of kissing Daisy, for just a moment before the kiss he imagines that his vitality increases, that he could climb to the skies, and “once there he could suck on the pap of life” (117). She makes possible his “vision.” It’s also noteworthy that she “blossomed for him like a flower” when they kiss, and since the point of view is Gatsby’s, this simile suggests his imaginative recreation of
The impact and effectiveness of using proper rhetoric was a strategy of “good” writing that I was not aware of until my senior year of high school. While taking AP Language and Composition my junior year, my fellow students and I believed that we had survived countless essay workshop activities and writing assignments with emphasis on word choices, grammatical structure, syntax, punctuation and spelling. By the time we had entered AP Literature our senior year, we felt we could achieve success; we already knew how to write in the correct format and structur...
“This Course prepares students for reading, research, and writing in college classes by teaching students to consider the rhetorical situation of any piece of writing while integrating reading, research, and writing in the academic genres of analysis and argument. This course is said to teach students to develop analyses and arguments using research-based content with effective organization, and appropriate expression and mechanics”. (1)
Student's Book of College English: Rhetoric, Reader, Research Guide and Handbook. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2012. 402-405.
When I was first accepted into the AP Language & Composition course, I felt overwhelmed. I had always received above average grades in all subject areas, but because this was an AP course I was unsure if my English skills were up to par. During the summer, my anxiety about the course increased. I began to feel that my writing skills were inferior to the skills of my peers’. Before this course, I did not have a developed writing voice or style. I had little knowledge of what phrases or words to avoid using in writing. I started to wonder if I truly belonged in an AP course. After having completed this course, I have a better grasp of the English language and have acquired skills that have improved my writing.
In the beginning of the year I was not a strong writer; the first three essays we wrote I consecutively received a 4,5--, and 3 on the AP scale. The main reason why I scored low on all of these essays is mainly due to the fact that I needed to use a deeper thought process as well as eliminate the use of any absolutes I was using. Rhetorical analysis is the place where I have excelled the most because I
In Francine Prose’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read her purpose is to inform the audience that books presented to high school and college students are not to study the language, words, and value of a text, but to study and bring up discussion on other topics such as racial discrimination and human nature. She does this through the use of long sentences, which are separated by commas and dashes, and appositives. Prose effectively achieves rhetoric because she appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos.
In his essay entitled “The Rhetorical Stance,” Wayne Booth describes how rhetorical stance is imperative for good writing. I agree with Booth that by using rhetoric stance in our writing we can produce and powerful and well-written argument. How then do we know if we are using the art of rhetoric in our writing? According to Booth, “Rhetoric is the art of finding and employing the most effective means of persuasion on any subject, considered independently of intellectual mastery of that subject" (199). In making this comment Booth urges us to be knowledgeable on the subject we are writing about and use passion and emotional appeals to strengthen our argument. Booth gives his readers a good explanation of what the word means and how it is portrayed in essays.
“I raised him up out of nothing, right out of the gutter. I saw right away he was a fine-appearing, gentlemanly young man, and when he told me he was at Oggsford I knew I could use him good.” “Right off he did some work for a client of mine up to Albany.”
During the course of this semester; the variety of writing styles and essays assigned to me in my communication skills class encouraged the development of my writing skills, as well as provided me with more self-assurance in my abilities. My writing, research, and presentation abilities enhanced through practice, determination, and the understanding I gained during this course. With every single writing assignment, I learned new innovative approaches and skills, which enhanced my abilities to improve my thoughts logically, enabling me to write more clearly, and to organize my papers more effectively. At the beginning of this semester; despite the fact that I already knew the terminology MAP: message, audience, purpose; I never really understood the significance of MAP. For this reason, my writing lacked clarity, organization, and my writings appeared less focused on the topics. As a result my research papers and essays did not flow as smoothly from one passage to the next. Furthermore, I was unaccustomed with the precise procedures used when writing an essay. For instance, my previous classes before college, although requiring a reference page, did not require me to include proper citations in my writings. After evaluating the quality of my writing toward the end of the semester, I recognized vast improvements in several areas of my writing. By concentrating on the beginning stages of my writings, I could distinguish ahead of time my audience and my message. As a result, my essays are clear, and I remain on topic. In addition to that using transition phrases efficiently also helps my writing to flow smoothly. The proper use of transitions makes my writings easy to follow from one topic to the next. I also learned that pre-writing...