Rationale Essay Based on my past experiences with writing I have learned essential skills that have shaped and molded me into the kind of writer I am today. The primitive skills I learned in high school definitely proved helpful in taking the English 101 course. I know in high school you just have to answer the prompt to receive an A but in this course it requires you to go above just answering the prompt but showing that you have significant understanding of the text and that you are explicitly explain it. Taking the course has exceedingly given me great competence for future courses related to writing. Although, with taking writing courses in high school deem very different in college the basic components I learned in high school got me …show more content…
The feedback I got from my peers and instructor greatly aided me into seeing the faults in my writing that I could improve on as well as pointing out the good things that I was doing. From that feedback I learned that a strength of mine I have is making good points and providing background information which you will see in the essays provided. In saying that, a weakness of mine with writing is being able to expand on the good points I make, providing more analysis so that the audience or reader can fully comprehend what is being said. Nevertheless, throughout English 101 a great deal of effort has been put into providing more analysis and expanding on ideas so that it is understood to the …show more content…
In the writing process of this speech I began to research the topic to gather context as well as an understanding of the topic. I pulled sources and read and annotated texts so that I may write an understanding essay. This topic was not an easy one because there was not a lot of information I could find for but I did find helpful articles that aided me in writing the essay. In revision changes that were made that was again expanding on key points and ideas and those changes are evident throughout the essay. When deciding and comparing feedback the most prominent factor to be done was more analysis. The last essay I chose to revise was the rhetorical analysis of Audre Lorde’s “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action”, I enjoyed writing this essay the most because it so deep with raw emotion and I just loved the reality of the piece. Anyhow, in writing this essay it required an understanding of the rhetorical appeals: logos the appeal to logic, ethos, the credibility of the writer, and pathos, the appeal to emotion. Using these appeals effectively improved the entirety of the essay and makes understanding the text fairly easy. In high school English, for me, the rhetorical appeals were never used in writing so using them now in writing is a very convenient way to propose an argument proficiently. In the section of notes and
In persuasive essays, appeals represent significant, rhetorical factors that rate the effectiveness of impact. Although Thoreau applies ethos, logos, and pathos in his essay, his writing lacks able organization, which affects the presentation and efficiency of his appeals. They lose their influence amidst Thoreau’s philosophical ranting. King, on the other hand, cons...
The rhetorical analysis played a role in this, because I was required to use the various rhetorical appeals to compose a strong argument. Using the appeals definitely helped in trying to persuade the reader to acknowledge the opposing view.
English 101 is one of the most common college courses in the world. When I enrolled in the class, I was bothered that I would have spend forty hours in a freshman writing class; along with at least another forty hours throughout the semester writing for the class. What surprised me, was that when I began writing my essays I was not annoyed or bothered; I actually enjoyed the assignments. Most importantly, throughout the course of the semester, I have become a better writer and have ultimately met the course goals of English 101.
During the debate, we covered all three elements of the rhetorical appeals: pathos, logos and ethos. In the beginning, Jiale talked about the Second Amendment, stating that United States citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. She then applied this concept with a historical event of the independence war with Britain. From referring to the history, this established the ethos of our group. Audience knew that we have done research about the topic and our arguments are reliable. During the debate, we paid close attention to other
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.
The author begins his argument by retelling the story of his youth to build his ethos but the results are poor as it presents more questions on how he is a credible source on this argument as his only evidence is his own story. However, through the same means his pathos is built as his anecdote conveys feelings in the audience, making them more willing to listen. Graff finally, gives a call to action to schools to use students’ interests to develop their skills in rhetoric and analysis, which reveals the logic behind his argument. The topic about how students are taught rhetoric and analysis brings interest but with an average argument only built on pathos, a low amount of logos, and questionable ethos it can fall on deaf
Over the course of this semester I learned a lot about myself as a writer. This English 101 class has really allowed me to expand my essay structure and ways of thinking. This was my first college writing course and it has given me much more freedom when writing because in high school I felt limited and like what we were writing was not very important. In high school I would write essays to just to fulfill the required word or page count and to a degree I still feel like this but maybe that is why I am an engineering major but in this course I actually was able to express my ideas and for the first time really test the limits of my writing capabilities. I really enjoyed being able to incorporate my voice more in my essays and I believe that I developed my own personal style a bit from this. At the beginning of the semester my writing was quite choppy and there was plenty of room for improvement in the overall flow of my essays. Now, I use several different tactics such as outlining to create better connections between paragraphs. I believe I was able to move beyond many of the high school ways of writing and make general improvements to my essays.
Rhetoric, the art of speaking, is vital in everyday life. Whether it is to convince others of one’s worth as Sojourner Truth does in, “Ain’t I a Woman” or to pledge to a larger audience like Martin Luther King Junior in his “I Have a Dream” speech, rhetoric plays a significant role because it is the key that unlocks the door to self-expression. Without it, nobody would be able to convey his/her message or to get any thoughts across. A silent world, lacking communication, would therefore emerge. Trust would not be present as there would not be any words for someone to convince their beloved ones of his/her sincerity. Proper diction and syntax must be employed in order for one to effectively get others to share his/her beliefs, or at least to respect them.
Writing papers has been one of my biggest fears as a student. High school English class prepared me for the editing of my essays, for example, grammatical errors, spelling, font errors, and things that were under the category of fixing my paper. I realized that the writing process requires more than just editing, you have to understand that the paper is like a human body, it cannot function if every single part is not effective. I can certainly say that I have improved as a writer a great deal and this portfolio and the final revised drafts of my work certainly can argue for that. English 101 was certainly different from my other English classes; we actually focused on different parts of the writing process in each class instead of wasting our time discussing the same components of the process over and over again. As I reflect on my experiences throughout the semester of English 101 I am aware that I have met very important requirements of writing that I feel were very valuable for me as a student and my writing has improved progressively.
First thing I experienced walking into English 101 as a freshman was anxiety and nervousness. Going through high school I was never really good at English and having English 101 as my second class as a freshman was eye opening. I have learned to use proper technique while writing papers, looking through my paper for grammar errors and also that it is always good to ask for help when confused and if you are stuck on a paper.
As writers, many students write to the expectations of their professors and not to their fullest potential. Throughout English 101 I had been writing only to please my professor or to fill the basic requirement to pass English. I always felt that my writing ability was never enough for my professors throughout the previous years. They always wanted clear and concise essays, which for some reason was unreachable by me. However, starting college and taking English 101 helped me with my weaknesses and changed my technique of writing essays. My experience in English 101 taught me to write to my fullest potential and to write what I felt; rather then writing what was required.
I have always known that writing was not my strong point. Entering writing 101 in September I was very much afraid. I knew that the expectations would be very high for this course; thus it would be more difficult than any other writing class I had previously taken. At first writing was a nightmare for me, but thanks to the assistance from professor Smart and my tutors, I have improved drastically in my writing skills and, as a result I am now a better writer. During the course of four months, I have learned so much. There were a few bumps in the way throughout the semester, but I managed to overcome them. It is hard to believe that my journey in writing 101 is coming to an end. Through my hard work and dedication, this class has helped me to build confidence in my writing that will help me throughout my college life.
When we talk about English 1110, everyone actually knows the main part of the course is writing. The goal of this class is to improve structural, style of writing, thoughts and performances of students. During this semester, the curriculum includes essays and topics from many different aspects of different issues which are useful to me. From this class, I had the opportunity to improve my writing skills. For example, before writing a paper, I always have outline, strategies, arranging and modifying as well as finding ideas to improve my writing style in a better way. Before taking English 1101, I just wrote essay with what I think of that time and did not care whether my essay is understandable or not; however, i have been improved for the past three months. When I see a title, I start to write down all ideas and also create an outline and order of all documents in a reasonable manner. In addition, all response papers that I have done during this semester I started to have different way of thinking by listening my friend's arguments, feedbacks or comments, agreements or disagreements. Those group activities from friends were helpful because I started to recognize what are right and wrong things in my essay. From there, I have my own personal opinions and defend my arguments.
As my English 101 class comes to an end, I have realized how much I have transformed as a writer. In this essay, I am going to explain what I realized my strengths and weaknesses are as a writer and how they have manifested themselves throughout the quarter. I was skeptical at first coming into this class knowing that English takes formidable work and dedication, but I am very proud of the progress I have made. We completed a great deal of work throughout the quarter; from grammar exercises, summary reviews, and two challenging essays. Throughout the quarter I found myself improving in each category. As a writer, my skills and confidence have developed into more clarity and thought, something I have always wanted to be, as a result of a well constructed class that led to a superb educational experience.
Rhetoric was not a word I was familiar with until this class. So when Hector Zavala, my student counselor says, “You placed in college level Rhetoric 101,” I was not sure what to say other than, “…okay.” After years of being drilled with exercises teaching proper grammar, by the time I reached high school, I dreaded going to my English classes. I wanted to be inspired, I wanted so be shown how to open my mind to question the unquestionable, to push the envelope. Finally, after years of practice, I was able to grasp the grammatical aspect of the English language. This for me was a great relief because it definitely was not easy. I know how to put down thought to paper, for me, that is the easy part. But often my mind is plagued with fragments of thought provoking ideas, so fleeting in their nature, that they disappear just as fast as they come. This can be a big hindrance when it comes to the art of persuasion. The “gift of gab” is not one of my many fine attributes. My opinions that once were so crisp and clear are now watered down by what is acceptable by society. It is hard to be...