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TaylorAucutt
Period3A
November,32015
SelfReflectionPaper

ThethreewritingassignmentsthatIfoundbeneficialincludesthewritingispiece,the

positive/negativesettingpieceandthepersonalnarrativepiece.Forthewritingispiecethe
instructionsweretowriteaboutapositivewritingexperienceandanegativewritingexperience,
thisassignmenthelpedmebrainstormwaystopresentmyvoiceinasimplepieceofwriting.I
easilyrecalledapositiveexperienceaswellasanegativeandthusIcouldworkmoreonhowI
waspresentingmyideasandlessontheproductIwaspresenting.AlsoIgottoexpressopposite
emotionswithonebeingpositiveandanotherbeingnegative.Thesecondassignment,the
positive/negativesettingpiecewasalsoanotherassignmentwhereIwasabletoexpressopposite
emotions,thistimeitwasapositive/negativedescriptionofthesamescene.Describingthesame
sceneintwooppositetoneswasdifficult,buthelpfulbecauseitmademeexercisemy
perspectiveonasinglesceneandadapttothetaskathand.PlusIjustenjoycreativewriting
more,sothiswasagreatexperience.Thelastassignment,thepersonalnarrativepiece,wasalot
offun,notonlybecauseIwasabletocreativelyretellachildhoodmemory,butalsobecauseit
broughtoutmyinnerwritermore.Iwasabletoexpressmyownexperienceinafunand
interestingway,ittaughtmehowtokeepanaudienceinterestedandhowtousespecialtricksto
makethestorymorebelievable.
Process

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Whenwritingtheresponsepaper,Istartedoffwithafreewrite,justtogetmyideas

across,includingideaspresentedfromtheGraphicOrganizer,thepresentationoutline,andthe
powerpointslides.AllofthesetoolshelpedmetobeginthinkingofhowIwantedtopresentmy
ideasintheresponsepaper.IanalyzedmyfreewritethenlistedthemainideasthatIwrote
down.AfterthatIusedtheoutlinefortheresponsepapertoorganizemylistedideasandstarted
writing.ThefreewritewasntveryproductiveinthatImayhavejumbledupideasinthe
process,mylistofideaswasmainlythoughtup,apartfromthefreewrite.NexttimeIthinkI
shouldjustlistideasinsteadoffreewrite,becauseIcanstarttoconfusemyselfinafreewrite.

ThebiggestproblemIfacedwasrelatingtheissuepresentedbyNatHentoffintomyown

lifesince,speechcodeshaveneverreallybeenanissueinmylife.AlsosinceIagreedwithNat
Hentoffonhisoverallopinion,IfeltrepetitiveandfeltIdidnthaveadequateexamplesformy
othermainpoints.IfeelIwassuccessfulinrelatingthesubjecttomylife,butstillfeltmy
exampleswerelackinginoomphandcredibility.

Mygreateststrength,Ifeel,wasmypersonalexperiencetothesubjectofspeechcodes.

GrantedIhadissuescomingupwithexamplesinmyownlifethatrelatedtothesubjectof
speechcodes,Ifeelthatmyanecdoteofmybrothergettingintroubleforsaying,ohmyGod
reallyhitthemarkandmadethepiecemorepowerfulandconvincing.Althoughthatwasmy
onlypersonalexample.

Whilewritingthisessay,IlearnedthatIfeelawkwardtocritiqueanotherspieceof

writingwhenIknowsolittleaboutwriting.IalsolearnedthatonceIfoundanideaIliked,itwas
easytoexpressit.IcanhonestlysaythatIdonotenjoywritingessays,buttherewerepartsin
thisessayIenjoyed,suchaswritingmypersonalanecdoteandrelatingittotheopinionsofNat

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Hentoff.ItsthemorecreativeandinterestingpartsIenjoy,thoughIthinkthatsasharedfeeling
amongmostotheressaywriters.

SubjectRelated

WhiletryingtoworkinexamplesfromNatHandoffsarticle,Ioftenfoundalotofhiss

examplesandpointsconfusingoroddandthusIstruggledtofeelconfidentwithexpressingmy
ideasandusingexamplesthatmayormaynothaveworked.Alsorereadingthearticlemultiple
times,IcametodisliketheopinionsofthosequotedinHentoffsarticle.Sincetheiropinions
didntmatchmine,Ijustbecamemoreannoyedandreallywantedtoarguewithsomeofthe
peopleandtrytoconvincethemthattheyarewrong,buttheirthoughtsaretheirownandthe
articlewaswrittenin1991,sothesubjectisnotofgreatimportancenowandopinionsmayhave
changed.

AsIwrotethispaper,Ibegantoimaginewhatitwouldbeliketohaveaspeechcodeat

myschoolormaybejusteveninmyhome,andIfeltangryandfrustratedattheveryidea.I
couldneverseemyselfunderaspeechcode,Ispeakmymindwaytoomuchandalotofitis
againstalotofothersmoralsorupbringing.Thisthoughtjuststrengthenedmyagreementwith
Hentoff,butthenIalsochangedmymindwhenitcametothefactthatHentoffdoesntmention
howthespeechcodeshelpedtheminoritygroups.Inmyresponsepaper,Iarguethatnotsharing
thisknowledgeisanegativepointinHentoffsarticle,butnowIseethatbynotincludingthat,
heactuallyboostedhisoverallopinion.GoHentoff.

Ilearnedalotbydiscussingthesubjectofspeechcodes.IlearnedthatthoughIagreethat

somewordsorphrasescanbeharmfultocertainminoritygroups,thatdoesnotmeanweneedan

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aspeechcodetostopsuchthingsandthatbyapplyingaspeechcodeyouareactuallydecreasing
theamountofopenthoughtthatshouldoccuroncollegecampuses.Nooneshouldfeellikethey
cannotexpresstheiropinionsonacertainmattersuchasgay/lesbianmarriageorabortion.To
talkaboutsuchmattersastheseonacollegecampusis,tome,seemsmorebeneficialbecause
thenmanydifferentopinionsarebeingdiscussed,thisisbeneficialbecausethenpeoplebeginto
respectothersopinionsratherthanjudgethembasedpurelyontheirownopinions.Ilearnedthat
IcouldwriteanotheressayonthethingsIlearnedafterwritingthisresponsepaper.
RhetoricRelated

Myaudiencewasmyclassmatesbutultimatelymyaudiencewasmyteacher.When

imaginingmyclassmatesreadingmypaper,Ithoughtofanexperiencethattheycouldpossibly
relatetoaswell,whichwasmybrothersaying,ohmyGod.Thisexample,Ifelt,wasalso
acceptableformyteacherbecauseIfeltitwassomethingshecouldalsorelatetoinsomeway,
butalsobecauseithelpedfulfillwhatwasbeingaskedbytherubricshehadlformed.

IhopethatreaderswillbeabletounderstandmyownopinionaswellasNatHentoffs

whilealsounderstandingthatthearticlefailedtotalkaboutsomekeyaspectsofspeechcodes
suchas,restrictionsonothermediumsofspeechandhowHentofffailstomentionifthespeech
codeshelpedtheminoritygroups.

Iusedpathosalotinmyresponsepaper,talkingaboutmybrotherandhisohmyGod

mishap.Ialsousedafewlogosbyusingspecificexamplesfromthetext,suchasaquotefrom
JeffShesolreportedbyHentoff.

Itookariskintalkingaboutsocialmediaformsofspeech,eventhoughHentoffsarticle

waswrittenin1991whensocialmediawasnotreallyexistent,letalonetheinternet.Ifeelthis

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riskpaidoffthoughbecauseitmadereadersthinkaboutsocialmediaandtheideathatthere
couldbespeechcodesonsuchamedium,whichalsomadethemthinkaboutwhattheyputon
socialmedia.