Over the course of this class, my writing has improved significantly in a number of ways. That was my hope, of course, when I signed up for the class, and the hard work that I have put in has paid dividends. Whether it is summarizing, analyzing or evaluating a text, or formulating or delivering a persuasive argument, or elaborating and developing my ideas in a paragraph, I have produced polished work that shows advances. I have also shown the ability to document sources and present my research findings in the proper format without plagiarizing, and I have also shown skill in the areas of revising and editing to bring my papers to completion in such a way as to earn top marks.
According to “The Rhetorical Triangle,” choosing the right persuasive appeal (logos, ethos or pathos) is crucial to putting together a winning argument (The Rhetorical Triangle). After all, if I were trying to convince someone that free college tuition should be a government priority, I might use logos with a businessman, showing him the economic sense of having an educated workforce, but I might use pathos with a parent, asking them how they would feel if their children had to graduate university with debt. In assignment #6, I showed both understanding of the three persuasive appeals as well as savvy in knowing which type to use in specific situations.
I also showed skill in researching and crafting arguments. In my paper on the use of technology, I not only used the proper steps to develop a thesis statement (Thesis Statements), but I also used the proper amount of research to back up my ideas. After all, technology appears to be something that is up and coming, and professors who fight technology are ultimately on the losing end of that battle, but there are ways to integrate and use it more successfully than simply having students with their phones or laptops out and tapping away at something other than what the professor is discussing. Instead, it can be a valuable partner in the classroom, and my argument showed that definitively.
This is why I became such a strong believer in the three-part thesis statement. When I was writing in high school, my teachers basically had me boil my main idea down to a simple sentence. This adds clarity but ultimately robs the argument of complexity, because when one is writing about a more sophisticated topic, one needs a thesis that recognizes the existence of a controversy, makes a clear statement about that controversy and lays the groundwork for that statement (The Three-Part Thesis Statement). In high school, we had such topics as defending the existence of speed limits on highways and other topics that no one would actually read if they had the choice, because the support for them is so clear. However, when one takes on topics that have valid responses on both sides (as with the aforementioned technology paper), one needs to be willing to respond to that controversy. If one simply ignores the controversy, it weakens one’s argument. Instead, recognizing the validity of the other side strengthens the appearance of the writer’s awareness and makes things more sophisticated.
These are the areas in which I have shown progress in my writing. I am thankful for the opportunity to have developed my writing in this course and look forward to the challenges that advanced coursework will bring.
Works Cited
The Rhetorical Triangle. Course Reading.
The Three-Part Thesis Statement. Course Reading.
Thesis Statements. Course Reading.
