Semester Reflection

Tierney Furlong Eng 111 Matt Weinkam 12/03/09 Semester Reflection Throughout this whole semester I feel my writing have improved greatly. I came into the year with a lot of strengths and also a lot of weaknesses. This semester I learned some new traits to add to my writing and also kept improving my strengths. This semester was very successful especially concerning my paragraph structure, explanation of quotes and knowledge of rhetoric. I know I still have a lot to learn and improve in my writing and not the whole year was successful. However, I did not have all of this knowledge coming in and I learned a lot and improved greatly by the end of the semester. I think that throughout the semester the structuring of my paragraphs and the order of them has really improved. I feel that coming into the year that was definitely one of my weak points and I worked on it though out the whole semester. In my first paper, the ethnography, I had trouble at first. In the end, however, I really liked the way I set up the whole paper. I incorporated all the parts such as explaining the organization, describing the different things it entails, and directly describing a scene. I like the way I start off by simply letting the reader know what the organization is then I go into my descriptions. Within my descriptions I start with the scene at the coffee shop and then go on to describing other things, then wrap the paper back up by bringing it back to the coffee shop. I think it's a nice way to bring the paper together as a whole. I feel that in my research paper I did a good job diving the paragraphs into two solid points I was trying to make. However I don't think it was as good as my ethnography. With my

research paper the paragraphs had clear, concise topic that was easy for the reader to follow. However, I think that the paper as a whole was not as clear and within the paragraphs I could have had more structure and organization with the flow of them. I think I could have been more organized within the paragraphs and I think they are a little confusing. Overall I could have done a much better job, but the paragraphs are divided into two argument topics concerning my thesis and I think that is where I had my most structure and clarity. Also with my rhetoric paper I feel I did a good job by splitting up the paragraphs into clear subjects diving up each rhetoric term and what the paragraph entailed about them. I feel overall it flowed and made sense. I had multiple paragraphs on some rhetoric, but I think this worked because each paragraph had a specific topic to it referring back to the article even though I had repeating rhetoric paragraphs. I like the way I organized this paper because I feel I talked about the most prominent and important rhetoric device used in the paper first, then to the least important. Then in the end I added a paragraph or two about another article responding to the article I had written about to add something extra. I think this made the article successful because it showed someone had interest in the article other than me. I think my ethnography was the best structurally set up paper overall. In the past one of my strong points has been explaining quotes. I feel this semester I kept that strength and improved on it even more. Throughout my rhetoric paper I used good set up of a quote and then explanation following the quote. Some explanations I had were very good in following up a quote. For example, "This shows a good argument about how things do not stay the same as time goes on and as people change we must change the things around us as well." I think this explains the point the writer was trying to get across in part of his article. "He is bringing up another suggestion people have given to the Brooklyn Bridge bicyclists, and he is countering the suggestion with valid reasons using logos." I describe what rhetoric he is using

and I think this is very affective. I think overall I did a good job explaining without saying exactly what he had already said. However in my research paper I didn't utilize the quote set up as well as I did in my rhetoric paper. I feel that I had some good quotes there but it was difficult for me to follow up on them without being redundant and I think that threw everything off a bit. Overall my quotes were good to support the argument of my paper, but the weakness of the explanation following the quotes didn't help my paper be the best it could. I could have done a better job and that is definitely and area I need to work on in my writing with explaining fact quotes. Also this semester I came in knowing nothing about rhetoric or how to incorporate it into my writing. I'm sure I've been using it without knowing it in my writing, however now I know how to recognize and purposely use it during a persuasive paper and many other things. My rhetoric paper really shows how I learned a lot about rhetoric and how to use it properly. For example I show I understand logos by saying, "I feel like he uses his logos very well because he presents so many different areas that are true facts from the past and the present that help his argument." An example where I understand the use of kairos is when I say, "Sullivan uses kairos in his article to make a point to the fact that the bridge is always changing and has always changed throughout time." Finally, a part where I show my knowledge of pathors is when I say, "He is trying to appeal to the emotional aspect of the subject by showing the bicyclists that he is not just another pedestrian who is annoyed with bikes on the Brooklyn Bridge." I think now I understand the use of rhetoric in papers. Also, I think with my knowledge of this rhetoric this paper was able to be successful. From now on I will be able to look and see in articles and books and arguments what rhetoric is being used. Also, I will be able to keep using these terms throughout my life. For instance I did not even realize this but in my ethnography I used ethos by

bringing up the fact that I was previously on a publication and so I have credibility and knowledge while I am critiquing another publication. I let the reader know I am not just a person who is trying to pick apart this magazine but I actually know what kind of hard work goes into making something like this. Also, while writing my research paper the quotes I used from online sources were all utilizing logos because I got facts to argue my point. This is another way I didn't even know rhetoric was apart of my life and I am using it without my own knowledge to make an argument. I think now that I know how to properly use rhetoric I will have much more stable arguments and papers. Overall the semester was successful and helped me learn what I can keep improving, what I learned, and what I still have trouble with. It is good because I can always keep improving my writing and I can utilize the things I learned with the things I already know. The good paragraph structure and organization was a struggle at first for me but I am so glad I can see how to do it in a way that makes the paper have its full potential. Although I came in with the knowledge of how to explain a quote well, I still improved greatly and can really recognize a good explanation when I see one. Finally I learned how to use rhetoric not only in my papers but also in my life. It is everywhere and I never really knew how to use it before or use it to my advantage. Now I know what to do and how to use rhetoric and I learned that this semester. I also learned that even though I have improved there is always more I can learn and more I can do to make my writing better.