California Baptist University

Final Portfolio

Reflective Essay

Lance Sao Melendez-Heart

English 113
Professor Sung
19 August 2016

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Starting English Composition 113 for a second time was intimidating because I knew my
whole academic career was on the line. However, because I previously took this course I thought
I would be one step ahead. Unfortunately, that was not the case. My name is Lance Sao
Melendez-Heart, I am a Navy MP, and this is my second semester here at CBU. If I successfully
pass this course I will be majoring in Criminal Justice in hopes of becoming a JAG officer. Due
to my learning disability and not communicating as much as I should have with the professor,
this lead me to be in the same position as I was when first taking this class. Although I am at a
crucial point in my academic career I believe everything happens for a reason.
The course theme was carpe diem meaning seize the day and that is exactly what I have
done in hopes to successfully complete this course. Learning about carpe diem has given me a
new philosophy to live by in my own life. It has motivated me to take on any challenge that life
throws my way, and uncover the positive out every situation. A major project for this course was
the multimodal project I was able to have a better understanding of carpe diem and how it has
been interpreted throughout the generations. With the help of Dr. Sungs detailed lectures,
PowerPoints, and Smart thinking tutors I have been able to finish the semester strong. With these
tools I have had the preparation to be able to analyze rhetoric, understand different genres, create
persuasive arguments, focus on improving my weaknesses as a writer, and develop critical
thinking.
Normally we are accustomed to think of rhetoric in term of formal articulation or public
speeches, the types of public speeches that are made by politicians, CEOs, or Priests. This is
when rhetoric is significantly recognized. Rhetoric is described by Aristotle as a "means to an
end." As a part of our first weekly assignment we were to analyze who was persuading whom,
how, and relate it to carpe diem. In this class I was able to explore carpe diem through rhetorical

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analysis which I was not able to grasp the first time I took this class, and learned that using
rhetoric as a tool has the ability to convey different emotions, and actions. Through different
mediums like literature, poetry, music videos, and graduation speeches. Carpe Diem and
rhetorical analysis are open to interpretation. Like carpe diem, rhetoric has evolved over time.
All of these tools have helped me learn various rhetorical devices like the art of persuasion,
different genres of rhetoric including forensic, deliberate, and celebratory. These tools helped me
to think logically and recognize weak arguments and build good arguments on complex and
simple issues.
During the first weekly assignment I was asked to compare graduation speeches by Steve
Jobs and David Foster Wallace, and music videos give me everything by Pitbull and motto
by Drake. I was able to learn that celebratory rhetoric is sometimes called epideictic rhetoric. The
goal of celebratory rhetoric is to praise or denounce something in the moment, like giving a
graduation speech, or giving a eulogy. During this assignment I analyzed how rhetoric conveyed
carpe diem. After watching the graduation speech by Steve Jobs I learned that a rhetorical
statement has the ability to make an impact on an audience and can influence emotions. For
example, when Steve Jobs talked about getting fired from Apple and buying Pixar, he persuaded
the audience to believe that from a bad situation a new opportunity can be created. When
comparing the graduation speech given by David Foster Wallace, I observed that he had a
different approach to rhetoric. His goal was to have the audience believe in a higher power, and
persuaded them by illustrating that life is a routine filed with dead-eyed clerks, long lines,
empty phrases and scores of minor annoyances. He wanted them to believe in a higher power
no matter what that higher power might be, because without it their life would be meaningless
and empty.

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When comparing these speeches, I noticed that rhetoric can be used either negatively or
positively to influence the audience. Rhetoric aims to make comparisons, to evoke emotions, to
serve as criticism and this is done to persuade listeners. Rhetoric can be seen and heard in many
places like music videos. When analyzing the rhetoric in give me everything by Pitbull the
lyrics used encouraged listeners to live in the moment because tomorrow is not promised. In
motto by Drake he uses YOLO as a rhetorical device in his interpretation of carpe diem. He
does this by encouraging listeners to indulge in their desires because we only live once. When
comparing them I realized that both target different audiences but have similar messages. Which
is to take advantage of the moment. I realized that the use of rhetoric can come in many different
forms, including rap and pop songs.
During the second assignment while studying rhetoric through poetry it was difficult to
understand. Due to my lack of experience analyzing and reading poetry it was a struggle to get
through this assignment. So I referenced Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric From Aristotle to
Obama by Sam Leith, which stated the art of persuasion: the attempt by one human being to
influence another in words." This helped me understand that the persuasion of rhetoric is very
complex and has a wide range of possibilities, prone to analysis and understanding. I was
assigned to read this book during the course. And found that it helped me gain a better
understanding of the meaning of rhetoric and its purposes. For example, for the poetry and
paragraphs assignment I had to interpret the poetry while analyzing the rhetorical strategies the
poet used.
When reading the poem First Fig by Edna St. Vincent Millay a couple dozen times I was
able to understand the message that she was conveying. For my poetry and paragraphs
assignment I stated that The poet uses rhetoric in order to persuade the reader to live life in a

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manner that will be worth living, and emphasizes that life is short, so we should make the most
of it. In her poem she emphasized that women should be free to experience life the way they
pleased. This was controversial during her time period because women were expected to carry
out certain roles, like having children and caring for their husband. Although I was able to get a
good grade on this assignment, I received feedback from the professor that encouraged me to
continue working on my rhetorical analysis. This allowed me to want to improve in order to do
well on future assignments.
As a requirement for this course I was to write three types of academic papers; summary,
analysis and evaluation. Summary is an account or statement of the main points of something,
whether it is a short story, poem, speech or any other genre. Summaries are important in
academic writing because they enable the reader to grasp the original text in order to understand
the main points. The assignment I completed that incorporated summary was Absurd Freedom by
Albert Camus. I found this to be difficult because as the smart thinking tutor pointed out I was
giving my opinion rather than giving a summary of the text. She also stated that it was unclear if
I was stating my opinion or the opinion of the author. After reviewing the comments, I was able
to change the direction, by extracting my opinion and rewriting the summary. However, I believe
I should have given myself more time and resubmitted it to my tutor. In order to ensure the
success of the assignment because I received a D. In the future I will work with the tutor, and
resubmit corrections to get feedback before submitting my work.
In week four I was asked to write was an analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald Winter Dreams.
Analytical writing commonly shows the relationship between pieces of information. To do this
one would take the writing apart to understand how it works. When writing my first draft I
tended to summarize the work rather than analyze it. While working on this assignment, I found

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that Fitzgerald incorporated his idea of carpe diem, by emphasizing the American dream. This
was confusing because Fitzgerald illustrated how the main character came from humble
beginnings and was able to build his status and become wealthy. However, this was not enough
even when he met Judy Jones. She was beautiful, but shallow. And even when he was with her,
he could not find his happiness.
During the multimodal project I was able to further analyze that the meaning of the short
story was that Americans wanted to achieve the American dream, which was an equal
opportunity to achieve the pursuit of happiness through hard work. Dexter tried to validate his
success by pursuing Judy. Fitzgerald proves even with money and power this can restrict
happiness and emotional fulfillment. I learned that when analyzing what I wrote in the first
draft, it allowed me to see Fitzgeralds message a little bit clearer.
This assignment helped me understand how to analyze writing more effectively, and
taught me a life lesson. Fitzgerald used Dexter as an example of a man trying to achieve the
American dream, but in the end was disappointed and full of sorrow. I came to realize that
sometimes when you are tied down to materialistic things you lose focus on what truly matters.
Which is working hard, achieving your goals, and being able to prosper. You then realize that
what is most important is the higher power, that guides you in the proper direction. And because
God is based on love, we should choose wisely when we choose a partner because that partner
can support us and help us achieve our purpose in life.
In order to learn about evaluative essays, I explored the theology of biblical passages. I
was able to have a better understanding of this by listening to lectures and PowerPoints provided
by Professor Sung. I learned that evaluative essays can incorporate a summary. An evaluation

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essay is an essay in which you present and opinion or viewpoint on a body of work. An
evaluation should provide a summary of the work then provide a well-structured argument to
support your point-of-view. Your point-of-view should be supported by examples and evidence
from the text. For this assignment I evaluated carpe diem through biblical passages. I learned that
the bible has a specific interpretation of carpe diem than we have in todays society. For example,
YOLO is interpreted as living in the moment and not thinking about the consequences of
tomorrow. However, from a Christian perspective this phrase is used to embrace every moment
because it is a gift from God. This assignment was difficult because I did not establish criteria in
order to evaluate the passages. However, I feel I gained a better understanding of the Christian
perspective of carpe diem.
The first time I took this course I overestimated my time management skills. I found it to
be difficult to balance the work load in this class due to my Navy schedule. When taking it a
second time, I set aside more time to work on and complete assignments. According to Owl
Perdue Writing Lab online during the revision process it may be useful to work on your paper
and take breaks from your writing. I found this useful because when I work on an assignment
without taking a break, I overlook my mistakes. When time allows it I find it helpful to set my
draft aside and come back in a couple of hours, to return with a fresh outlook. I found that when
reorganizing my work there were guidelines I was able to follow; like stating my main point,
identify my readers and my purpose, evaluating my evidence, being aware of my grammar, and
switching from writer centered to reader centered.
Through smart thinking I was able to discover where my literary weaknesses were, which
is in my thesis, transitions, and organization. I worked diligently to improve yet, I feel that it
might not have been enough. Unfortunately, when completing assignments most of the time I

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would use smart thinking only for my first draft. Later in the course, I found that time
management is very important in the revision process. Because I was able to send more than one
draft to smart thinking. I found that this helped me develop my skills as a writer. In the future I
will have a better grasp on time management. Because I plan on utilizing smart thinking and
communicating better with my professor to receive feedback before submitting an assignment for
grading.
Faith has played a major role in this course and has been integrated in all of the
assignments. I found that the theology and evaluation assignment had a specific interpretation of
carpe diem in the Christian faith. According to Merriam Webster faith is defined as belief in the
existence of God: strong religious feelings or beliefs. When doing this assignment, I enjoyed it
the most because I was able to reflect on my own theological views of carpe diem. I evaluated
works from Albert Camus, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and passages from the bible. What I found
interesting was that Albert Camus believed that we should not do anything that we do not fully
understand, however in the Christian faith we are taught to believe in a higher power that we
may not be able to see physical. I was able to look at a different perspective other than my own.
I had never questioned my faith because I was not able to see it.
I feel that I was able to get a different outlook on what others may feel about the
Christian faith as well as carpe diem. For example, Camus believed that the idea of carpe diem
was that we should live only what we can be sure of. And I believe that carpe diem is the ability
to embrace every moment in your life like it is your last. I have used my faith as a platform in the
essays that I have written. I can say that my own faith has helped me get through this course
because I am not a strong writer. In the future I will be able to better understand others views and
interpretation of carpe diem and the Christian faith.

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This course has helped me improve my writing skills by allowing me to explore different
facets of carpe diem through rhetoric, genre, revision, and faith. I was able to overcome some of
my writing weaknesses with the help of Professor Sung and my smart thinking tutors. The tools I
have learned will be essential to use in my future career and academic career. Taking this course
for a second time, I was able to have a better grasp the course material. I feel that rhetoric is very
important in our society, because we are constantly using rhetoric in everyday speech without
even realizing it. During this course the revision process has been a very integral part of the
essay writing process. I learned how to become a better writer and acquired some new skills that
will carry me through my academic career.