Writer's Reflection
Throughout the course of writing Inquiry Two I learned a lot about rhetoric. I learned about what it actually is, and most importantly I learned how to do an in depth rhetorical analysis of a text and understand its rhetorical situation. In high school I learned about ethos, pathos, and logos, but this English course taught me that there is a lot more than that. Being able to identify rhetorical devices is important, but I learned that you not only have to recognize these, but also analyze how the author is using them and if their choices are effective and appropriate for the audience and context.
I think that I was able to fully understand and apply what I learned about rhetoric in Inquiry Two. In this paper I really picked out what the director did in terms of his rhetoric. I tried to show how his argument was compelling and believable not because of one device being used, but how he blended all of them together to craft a very effective argument. He gave facts from credible sources and then gave you a reason to care, capturing your thoughts and emotions.
Understanding rhetoric has already helped me quite a bit. It has obviously helped in my writing for other classes. I feel like I can make better arguments now that I know what effects my choices as a writer will have. Even in papers that aren’t meant to be persuasive, rhetoric is important. And like the title of one of our book says, “Everything’s an argument”, which I find to be very true. Now I can’t even watch an advertisement on TV without considering what rhetorical devices they are using to persuade me to buy their product!
I think that I was able to fully understand and apply what I learned about rhetoric in Inquiry Two. In this paper I really picked out what the director did in terms of his rhetoric. I tried to show how his argument was compelling and believable not because of one device being used, but how he blended all of them together to craft a very effective argument. He gave facts from credible sources and then gave you a reason to care, capturing your thoughts and emotions.
Understanding rhetoric has already helped me quite a bit. It has obviously helped in my writing for other classes. I feel like I can make better arguments now that I know what effects my choices as a writer will have. Even in papers that aren’t meant to be persuasive, rhetoric is important. And like the title of one of our book says, “Everything’s an argument”, which I find to be very true. Now I can’t even watch an advertisement on TV without considering what rhetorical devices they are using to persuade me to buy their product!