Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Reflection on Open Letter Draft
I peer reviewed Morgan's open letter draft and Carter's open letter draft. Both were very good starting drafts for this project and I am confident they can make them even better. Hopefully the comments I left them are helpful to completing the fulfillments for their open letters. Here is Morgan's draft link, and here is Carter's draft link.
From my classmates' drafts for their open letters, I have learned that we all have similar views when it comes to the class itself. Difference in our opinions change when talking about our writing experiences prior taking English 109H. An example of this might be that we all felt that the workload for this class was intense but all had very different views of english classes before coming into college. The types of skills we've acquired throughout high school is also a difference many of us have. Considering that I am a sequential composer and a heavy reviser, compared to other classmates who might be quite the opposite of me.
Here are some questions regarding the reflection of my open letter draft:
Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?
In my open letter draft, I was able to provide a precursor to a more in depth discussion about my own writing and myself as a writer. In my final draft, I will elaborate upon what I have first drawn up and will give my readers a better sense of who I am when it comes to writing.
Did you provide analysis of your experiences, assignments, or concepts you have learned?
I did provide multiple examples of my own experiences with writing. I have also included statements about the assignments throughout this course and the concepts I have learned by taking it. The discussion I have provided thus far is not exactly worthy of being called an "in-depth analysis" but will be reconstructed to fit that title for the final submission of this reflection project.
Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing?
I was able to include multiple examples of concrete evidence to back my own writing. With these I have reassured the reader that, although I am not the most experienced writer, I am a better one now that I was coming into this course. The examples I have included also support my writing process and style as I am now a more experienced writer but the same kind I was when I started college.
Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?
I did explain to some extent in my letter that the choices I made throughout this class were either effective or ineffective. I have yet to discuss the details throughly but I do plan on reworking my letter to fully include my explanation of why I did some things the way I did.
Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?
From all the way back in my first blog post, I talked about my writing process. In this letter I brought my readers back the sense of my writing style of being a "heavy reviser" and a "sequential composer." With these titles that I had given myself, I explain to my readers that these labels still do describe me as a writer now at the conclusion of this course. I also include other terms and concepts that help my readers understand how my skills now relate with regards to writing and the writing process.
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| bykst. "Santa Clause Winter Christmas Moose." 11/09/15 via pixabay. Public Domain Dedication. |
Here are some questions regarding the reflection of my open letter draft:
Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?
In my open letter draft, I was able to provide a precursor to a more in depth discussion about my own writing and myself as a writer. In my final draft, I will elaborate upon what I have first drawn up and will give my readers a better sense of who I am when it comes to writing.
Did you provide analysis of your experiences, assignments, or concepts you have learned?
I did provide multiple examples of my own experiences with writing. I have also included statements about the assignments throughout this course and the concepts I have learned by taking it. The discussion I have provided thus far is not exactly worthy of being called an "in-depth analysis" but will be reconstructed to fit that title for the final submission of this reflection project.
Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing?
I was able to include multiple examples of concrete evidence to back my own writing. With these I have reassured the reader that, although I am not the most experienced writer, I am a better one now that I was coming into this course. The examples I have included also support my writing process and style as I am now a more experienced writer but the same kind I was when I started college.
Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?
I did explain to some extent in my letter that the choices I made throughout this class were either effective or ineffective. I have yet to discuss the details throughly but I do plan on reworking my letter to fully include my explanation of why I did some things the way I did.
Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?
From all the way back in my first blog post, I talked about my writing process. In this letter I brought my readers back the sense of my writing style of being a "heavy reviser" and a "sequential composer." With these titles that I had given myself, I explain to my readers that these labels still do describe me as a writer now at the conclusion of this course. I also include other terms and concepts that help my readers understand how my skills now relate with regards to writing and the writing process.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Draft of Open Letter
This post is a vehicle to display the draft of my open letter. Linked towards the bottom of this post is a Google Document of my open letter. I ask that anyone wanting to comment on my piece do so in a manner as to politely criticize my writing. In it, I have talked about my writing experiences through this English class. I talk about how this course has bettered my skills as a writing and has put a sense of confidence in my knowledge as a writer. Through all of this however, I also state that writing is still not a strong skill of mine and I do not wish to produce as much literature as I have done this semester.
Here is the link to the draft of my open letter. Enjoy.
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| Lucas. "pen and paper." 04/23/2009 via Flickr. Public Domain Dedication. |
Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences
In this post, I will answer questions regarding some additional information about my semester in the Honor English 109H course. These questions will be answered by myself and my looking at the writing I have completed for this class.
1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?
As a weak writer in general, the biggest challenges during this semester mainly came from my lack of creativity when it comes to writing. I found myself struggling with writing effective and purposeful pieces to fulfill the requirements of each project and even sometimes each assignment.
2. What did you learn this semester about your time management, writing and editorial skills?
Out of these three skills, I would have to say that I learned to time manage much more effectively than before taking this class. The weekly deadlines kept me on track and made me want to work ahead just so I would not have to cram all the assignments into one day. My writing and editorial skills have undoubtedly improved, but I would not say by much. If anything, my editorial skills improved more so than my writing capabilities.
3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain the importance of this concept.
I had not much clue what a genre of a paper was before taking this class, but now, after taking this class and having the concepts drilled into my head, I can say that I have learned the importance of effective writing for a specific genre. Knowing the genre of your essay could help an author connect with their readers as well as effectively convey the information they need.
4. What skills from this course might you use further in the next few years of college?
The skills I have acquired from this class are not plentiful but are a limited few. Of the few, I will be able to use a portion of what I have learned to better my writing in the future for additional college usage. I do not see myself using my writing 'skills' a large amount but just enough to scrap by as an engineering student.
5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in English 109H?
The most effective moments were the Q & A sessions during class over each project. This helped me the most by getting me to better understand what each project is asking for and how I should go about creating and finalizing each one as best I could.
6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in English 109H?
There were plenty of least effective moments for me during this semester, mainly the causes being myself. At the start of the course, I realized that my time management skills to begin with were trash and much better organization was needed for me to better my writing.
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| Specious. "A ball point pen in use." 07/19/2008 via Wikimedia. Public Domain Dedication. |
1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?
As a weak writer in general, the biggest challenges during this semester mainly came from my lack of creativity when it comes to writing. I found myself struggling with writing effective and purposeful pieces to fulfill the requirements of each project and even sometimes each assignment.
2. What did you learn this semester about your time management, writing and editorial skills?
Out of these three skills, I would have to say that I learned to time manage much more effectively than before taking this class. The weekly deadlines kept me on track and made me want to work ahead just so I would not have to cram all the assignments into one day. My writing and editorial skills have undoubtedly improved, but I would not say by much. If anything, my editorial skills improved more so than my writing capabilities.
3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain the importance of this concept.
I had not much clue what a genre of a paper was before taking this class, but now, after taking this class and having the concepts drilled into my head, I can say that I have learned the importance of effective writing for a specific genre. Knowing the genre of your essay could help an author connect with their readers as well as effectively convey the information they need.
4. What skills from this course might you use further in the next few years of college?
The skills I have acquired from this class are not plentiful but are a limited few. Of the few, I will be able to use a portion of what I have learned to better my writing in the future for additional college usage. I do not see myself using my writing 'skills' a large amount but just enough to scrap by as an engineering student.
5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in English 109H?
The most effective moments were the Q & A sessions during class over each project. This helped me the most by getting me to better understand what each project is asking for and how I should go about creating and finalizing each one as best I could.
6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in English 109H?
There were plenty of least effective moments for me during this semester, mainly the causes being myself. At the start of the course, I realized that my time management skills to begin with were trash and much better organization was needed for me to better my writing.
Revisiting My Writing Process
This new post will focus on reflecting on my previous writing thoughts before taking this course. I will draw from my two very first blog posts ever, "My Writing Process" and "Calendar Reflection." In this post, I will explain how my perspective on my own writing process and time management had either changed or not.
From my very first two blog posts, I wrote about my writing process and my upcoming college semester. I stated that I considered my self a heavy reviser and a sequential composer when it comes to my writing style. I'll have to say, after taking this English course, that I am still those same two traits. This class has better improved my traits as a writer.
I still consider myself a terrible writer, but now I have the experience of writing in other genres, such as within this blog. I had no idea how to even create one before this class and now I have posted 60+ individual updates to my blog. As for my success, I would say this process has helped in my survival throughout this semester.
Looking over my "Calendar Reflection," I noticed my statement, "I've already felt the stress-sweat trickle down my face." This statement is not as true as it was that first several weeks of school. Once I learned to time manage, this class did not seem as stressful as it felt then. Not to say that it is not difficult, it is really difficult, but now I've learned to organize my posts for each deadline so I do not have to cram it all in one day.
Overall, I feel this first semester was a great experience for the future to come. I am excited to see what each semester brings to the table and how I learned to solve the difficult problems of life as a university student.
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| Brain POP. "The Writing process." 05/17/2010 via Flickr. Public Domain Dedication. |
From my very first two blog posts, I wrote about my writing process and my upcoming college semester. I stated that I considered my self a heavy reviser and a sequential composer when it comes to my writing style. I'll have to say, after taking this English course, that I am still those same two traits. This class has better improved my traits as a writer.
I still consider myself a terrible writer, but now I have the experience of writing in other genres, such as within this blog. I had no idea how to even create one before this class and now I have posted 60+ individual updates to my blog. As for my success, I would say this process has helped in my survival throughout this semester.
Looking over my "Calendar Reflection," I noticed my statement, "I've already felt the stress-sweat trickle down my face." This statement is not as true as it was that first several weeks of school. Once I learned to time manage, this class did not seem as stressful as it felt then. Not to say that it is not difficult, it is really difficult, but now I've learned to organize my posts for each deadline so I do not have to cram it all in one day.
Overall, I feel this first semester was a great experience for the future to come. I am excited to see what each semester brings to the table and how I learned to solve the difficult problems of life as a university student.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Reflection on Project III
In this post, I will reflect on my project as a whole. Project 3 was an achievement to myself and I feel very good about what I had to say and how I said it. With that, I will present my answers as given on Writing Public Lives page 520 with regards to the revision process of my public argument. Enjoy.
1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?
I changed my mentality as an author towards my goal. In my draft, I was unaware of how direct I could go with my argumentation. After meeting with Sean during conferences, I was assured that including a strong and very persuasive tone throughout my argument would be most effective. Thus, my tone between drafts are much different. My final product is my best, and most intimidating, piece I have written in this class.
2. Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?
I chose to organize my article based on different aspects of geoengineering. Before my revisions, my original rough draft was very disjointed and was not smooth when transitioning into different topics due to the fact that aspects of a topic were placed throughout the entire article. This mistake on my part had left my draft audience confused and pondering my intent.
3. What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?
Clarifying with my instructor as well as my peers that a public argumentation is meant to be stern and outright is what led me to change the majority of my writing. Their aid in my writing is what helped produce the end product. My audience remained the same and my purpose was the same as well. The only difference in my writing from my first draft to my final product is my tone of voice and how I conveyed my information.
4. How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?
These changes have labeled me as a more credible source than if I were to have not revised and called my original draft my final product. My reorganization, my edits, my changes are what has made me a credible source of information and have increased my level of trust with my audience as I continue to attempt to persuade audiences.
5. How will these changes better address the audience or venue?
These changes will get my audience to better understand the urgency of the issue. That they must take action before more harm is done. With my previous tone of voice, my readers may have experienced a sense of doubt, but after revising heavily, I feel my argument would withstand in many more debates to come.
6. Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?
My sentence structure is still in the third-person, but I have changed my tone of voice. Each sentence now caters to a strong intent of persuading my audience. I do not try to come across something as lightly but very stern as the issue at hand is in fact life or death. Changing my sentences has changed the style of my article into something that forcefully argues against an idea, which in this case is the methods of geoengineering.
7. How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?
Now that I have reorganized my article, my audience will be able to better understand my purpose. Before my edits, my writings were complex and very unclear as they were disorderly. Once I recognized these errors, I went back into my writings to change what needed changing to get my readers to clearly and easily understand my views. The hard part then would only be for them to decide whether my argument is legitimate and if they should support my opinions.
8. Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?
Throughout my writing process, I did not reconsider the conventions on my genre. I merely elaborated upon them and increased my intention of persuading my readers that the information I gave was meant to refute the solutions and methods being employed by geoengineers.
9. Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?
Through this project, and the previous ones, I would say my writing skills have not changed. But on the contrary, my skills to construct, to organize and to strengthen my writing has definitely bettered my identity as a writer. As I now just realize the question, I would say it does not make me reconsider my identity, but it actually just reenforces my thoughts that I am a terrible writer. The reflection process makes me think about how much I could better my writing if I were to actually reflect upon my pieces before finalizing them and after publishing them.
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| 849356. "Mirroring Ball Reflection Mirror About Reflex." 04/12/2015 via pixabay. Public Domain Dedication. |
1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?
I changed my mentality as an author towards my goal. In my draft, I was unaware of how direct I could go with my argumentation. After meeting with Sean during conferences, I was assured that including a strong and very persuasive tone throughout my argument would be most effective. Thus, my tone between drafts are much different. My final product is my best, and most intimidating, piece I have written in this class.
2. Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?
I chose to organize my article based on different aspects of geoengineering. Before my revisions, my original rough draft was very disjointed and was not smooth when transitioning into different topics due to the fact that aspects of a topic were placed throughout the entire article. This mistake on my part had left my draft audience confused and pondering my intent.
3. What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?
Clarifying with my instructor as well as my peers that a public argumentation is meant to be stern and outright is what led me to change the majority of my writing. Their aid in my writing is what helped produce the end product. My audience remained the same and my purpose was the same as well. The only difference in my writing from my first draft to my final product is my tone of voice and how I conveyed my information.
4. How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?
These changes have labeled me as a more credible source than if I were to have not revised and called my original draft my final product. My reorganization, my edits, my changes are what has made me a credible source of information and have increased my level of trust with my audience as I continue to attempt to persuade audiences.
5. How will these changes better address the audience or venue?
These changes will get my audience to better understand the urgency of the issue. That they must take action before more harm is done. With my previous tone of voice, my readers may have experienced a sense of doubt, but after revising heavily, I feel my argument would withstand in many more debates to come.
6. Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?
My sentence structure is still in the third-person, but I have changed my tone of voice. Each sentence now caters to a strong intent of persuading my audience. I do not try to come across something as lightly but very stern as the issue at hand is in fact life or death. Changing my sentences has changed the style of my article into something that forcefully argues against an idea, which in this case is the methods of geoengineering.
7. How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?
Now that I have reorganized my article, my audience will be able to better understand my purpose. Before my edits, my writings were complex and very unclear as they were disorderly. Once I recognized these errors, I went back into my writings to change what needed changing to get my readers to clearly and easily understand my views. The hard part then would only be for them to decide whether my argument is legitimate and if they should support my opinions.
8. Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?
Throughout my writing process, I did not reconsider the conventions on my genre. I merely elaborated upon them and increased my intention of persuading my readers that the information I gave was meant to refute the solutions and methods being employed by geoengineers.
9. Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?
Through this project, and the previous ones, I would say my writing skills have not changed. But on the contrary, my skills to construct, to organize and to strengthen my writing has definitely bettered my identity as a writer. As I now just realize the question, I would say it does not make me reconsider my identity, but it actually just reenforces my thoughts that I am a terrible writer. The reflection process makes me think about how much I could better my writing if I were to actually reflect upon my pieces before finalizing them and after publishing them.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Publishing Public Argument
In this post I will answer several questions with regards to my recently published Project 3 public argument. I will provide information about my audience's stand on the issue and how they should feel after reading my article. I will also discuss the appeals of ethos, pathos and logos in my article very briefly.
1. Where do you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue before your argument?
Depending on my audience's pervious view on the issue, I can guess that their standing would be of either of slight disagreement or of slight agreement. I would not expect my audience to hold any strong or intense views until after reading my argument or anyone else's that would seem to convey similar messages as mine.
2. Where do you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue after your argument?
I feel my audience would strongly agree with my views, statements, and opinions after reading my public argument. I feel confident that I would have convinced my readers that geoengineering is negatively impacting our planet and the human race. However, if someone does not agree, I would expect them to stand strongly in discontent with my argument. Either way, the resulting views will be of strong agreement or of strong disagreement.
3. What kind of argument type is your public argument?
My argument is a refutation to solutions presented and currently being practiced for the problem of environmental issues. The main issue of what these "solutions" serve to solve is the problem of global warming. My argument states the wrongs of what these methods have on the environment and what they will have on people and life on Earth if they continue to be used.
4. Explain how your argument provides original context and insight.
Although I use much data and statistics presented by other sources throughout my argument, I am able to present a new state of mind to people concerned over the methods people are using to combat global environmental issues. I have presented different points, although talked about before, that help guide readers down the path that will serve them good in the end once they learn the truth behind geoengineering.
5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in your public argument.
From the ethical and credible side of the appeals employed: I referenced credible sources, I used carefully chosen key words and phrases that demonstrate my credibility, I arranged visual elements properly, and I openly acknowledged counterarguments and refuted them intelligently.
For emotional appeals, I chose to keep the feelings of my audience uninvolved as much as possible. I chose the use of data and statistics to merely evoke shock value from my readers to get them to see the larger picture of the harm that geoengineering is causing.
The third appeal relates to the logical and rational side of my argument. I chose to employ the following appeals: use of statistics from credible sources, use of expert opinions that help affirm my stance, use of effective organization, sequence of images/text to make my arguments linear, intentional emphasis on specific topics to strengthen my argument, and the use of clear transitions between different sections of my argument.
6. Provide working hyperlinks to examples of the genre you've chosen to write in.
These sources are all derived from The Atlantic.
a. Free Speech Isn't Free
b. Islamophobia Is Not a Myth
c. The Boyfriend Myth
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| Zappys Technology Solutions. "Newton's-Third-Law-Discussion-Questions." 10/14/2014 via Flickr. Public Domain Decdication. |
1. Where do you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue before your argument?
Depending on my audience's pervious view on the issue, I can guess that their standing would be of either of slight disagreement or of slight agreement. I would not expect my audience to hold any strong or intense views until after reading my argument or anyone else's that would seem to convey similar messages as mine.
2. Where do you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue after your argument?
I feel my audience would strongly agree with my views, statements, and opinions after reading my public argument. I feel confident that I would have convinced my readers that geoengineering is negatively impacting our planet and the human race. However, if someone does not agree, I would expect them to stand strongly in discontent with my argument. Either way, the resulting views will be of strong agreement or of strong disagreement.
3. What kind of argument type is your public argument?
My argument is a refutation to solutions presented and currently being practiced for the problem of environmental issues. The main issue of what these "solutions" serve to solve is the problem of global warming. My argument states the wrongs of what these methods have on the environment and what they will have on people and life on Earth if they continue to be used.
4. Explain how your argument provides original context and insight.
Although I use much data and statistics presented by other sources throughout my argument, I am able to present a new state of mind to people concerned over the methods people are using to combat global environmental issues. I have presented different points, although talked about before, that help guide readers down the path that will serve them good in the end once they learn the truth behind geoengineering.
5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in your public argument.
From the ethical and credible side of the appeals employed: I referenced credible sources, I used carefully chosen key words and phrases that demonstrate my credibility, I arranged visual elements properly, and I openly acknowledged counterarguments and refuted them intelligently.
For emotional appeals, I chose to keep the feelings of my audience uninvolved as much as possible. I chose the use of data and statistics to merely evoke shock value from my readers to get them to see the larger picture of the harm that geoengineering is causing.
The third appeal relates to the logical and rational side of my argument. I chose to employ the following appeals: use of statistics from credible sources, use of expert opinions that help affirm my stance, use of effective organization, sequence of images/text to make my arguments linear, intentional emphasis on specific topics to strengthen my argument, and the use of clear transitions between different sections of my argument.
6. Provide working hyperlinks to examples of the genre you've chosen to write in.
These sources are all derived from The Atlantic.
a. Free Speech Isn't Free
b. Islamophobia Is Not a Myth
c. The Boyfriend Myth
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