Midterm Reflection:
During this course, I have been introduced to terms like rhetorical situation, genre, stance, and medium and reintroduced to several terms like author, audience, tone, purpose, and language. This approach to the study of writing builds on the way I’ve studied writing, prior to my classes at CCNY, as I have analyzed and discussed rhetorical devices within different genres. For example, I would use a rhetorical or literary device to demonstrate how the author expressed a certain theme or message. On the other hand, this method departs from the way I studied writing as I have never submitted a source-based essay in a format that sections each source and analyzes each rhetorical component. While the first six weeks of this course may not have been like my typical English class, it does not deter me from the meaning of these terms. I have used the author in some cases as an indication of a certain time frame to expect or genre. For example, the play Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) by Sophocles was an expected Greek drama play, as the author was a philosopher from the early BC time period. I have also used the terms tone and purpose where I was expected to describe how the author’s tone or the character’s tone has impacted the purpose or intent of the passage. The author’s intended audience may explain a certain writing style or certain diction/language that is used to reach that targeted audience. Although I did not focus on terms like genre, stance, and medium, I am aware of rhetorical situations that may occur outside of college. Certain audiences or people that we write to may require different writing styles like, an email to a professor, a text to a friend, a thank you card, an internship email reply, etc. As I begin to develop a better sense of these terms, I begin to see these terms progress in environments outside of college.
Post-Inquiry-Based Research Essay Reflection:
Based on my inquiry-based research essay, my knowledge of writing before August has grown over time. I had been able to cite a source within my essay, however, I have never analyzed each component of the source in such a detailed manner. Stating the rhetorical situation, genre, and stance of the source were new concepts that I have added to my writing. Now that I can incorporate those components into my writing, I can assess my sources’ credibility and reliability better to support an idea or thought.
I would identify my audience to primarily target teenagers just like myself, who are constantly using their cell phones to constantly text message one another using slang or abbreviated language. This has impacted my genre as I try to find sources that fairly cover each side of the question. My research-based essay uses language and tone that remains neutral within the analysis of each source to provide an unbiased stance.
Over the various aspects of writing that we have practiced, I think that peer review within the class has been most beneficial to me because I prefer feedback from different peers that may collectively agree or brainstorm an idea. I was also able to reach out to peers from peer review and ask for assistance which saved a lot of time and worry. Practicing research by taking the time out to sort and find sources that can be incorporated into my essay was also essential and beneficial to the drafting process because it allowed me to take note of the sources that didn’t seem to fit into the topic question or were unreliable.
Final Reflection:
From my initial brainstorming to my final draft, I can confidently say that there has been a noticeable impact on the way that I analyze my sources. Citing evidence from an unreliable or biased source can ruin the credibility of a piece and make the reader question the credibility of the work. Using rhetorical terms like purpose and rhetorical situation allows the writer to list the intentions of a source which helps the reader determine if this is a reliable source or not. For example, in my source-based essay, I was able to establish the intentions of each author through the rhetorical situation (the event that causes one to write a perspective of the situation) and the purpose. This helped me, as well as the reader, to understand whether the author wanted to share and inform information that benefits their audience or if the authors wanted to accomplish a certain goal by writing from a biased point of view. I will be able to use these rhetorical concepts in future contexts to strengthen the credibility of my sources and the reliability of my work.
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