Haley Nord Professor Joshua Terry English 2010 December 1, 2013

Rhetorical Rationale

Over the course of taking English 2010, I learned many valuable skills in relation to writing, but more importantly, I learned how to view the process of writing and revision in a completely different light. Through specific writing exercises, I learned how to approach papers in a deliberate, thoughtful way that helped me become more concise in my writing. For example, one of the writing exercises that I found most helpful was delivered under the title Devils Advocate, an exercise in not only writing but critical thinking that helps to create more developed content to write about. One of our papers assigned was a proposal, where we took an idea and using persuasive rhetoric convinced a resistant audience to take some kind of action. The first draft of my paper that I turned in did address my audience, but not to a great extent. In the exercise Devils Advocate, I wrote from the opposing viewpoint, giving me a better understanding of what their thought process might be. In doing so, I could incorporate a more developed argument against this resistant argument, because I had a greater comprehension of their beliefs and ideals. A more developed anticipation of an argument your ideas might face lends you credibility because it shows that your plan is well thought out and reflects more than just your opinion.

I also learned another technique that I found helpful in the writing process, writing an abstract. As part of my final revision process, I incorporated this to help crystalize my arguments. In writing a summary of what one can expect to encounter when reading a paper, it forces the writer to focus their argument and identify the most crucial points. My papers generally do not arrive to the main point until the end, which sometimes works, but this wasnt effective in my proposal because the reader did not have a claim to tie my points back into. Through this exercise my final paper on media literacy has a more concrete claim from an earlier point in my proposal. Overall, these techniques, combined with several others showed me that writing an effective paper isnt about sitting down and stringing words together in a way that sounds good. To write well, is to deliberately and purposefully choose a topic, find a compelling angle from which to discuss that topic, and select words that will convey meaning in a universal way. Most of all, I learned that this cannot be done in one sitting. It is a process that takes forethought, and careful thought during, and perhaps most importantly, after a first draft has been completed.