Dakota Arneson

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104-014
28 November 2018
Writing Theory Essay

1. Rhetorical Knowledge​ : An articulate writer uses rhetorical knowledge to analyze and

understand audience, purpose, and context to create and understand text. In the
process of rhetorical knowledge, the writer uses the rhetorical situation, which includes
the author, the purpose of the piece of writing, the intended audience, and the overall
topic. In understanding the text, it is important to know the purpose of the writing to what
the writer wants you, the reader, to know. The genre is also important so the reader
knows what kind of information they are getting. Lastly, knowing the intended audience
can tell why the writer is writing a certain way. All of these components together help the
reader have a better understanding of what exactly they are reading.
Examples:
- “Every college student around the country has to take the dreaded General Education
course, like College Algebra and Sociology, that seem useless for achieving the goal of
graduating with a degree in their specified major. There is a purpose behind the GenEd
classes because they provide a basis for the more specified classes that students
usually take their junior or senior year.” (Inquiry Proposal)
- “He is directly responding to the seven clergymen who published a piece on what is
going on and what the people should do. The rhetor that King is responding to is the
seven Alabama clergymen. The audience is the people of Birmingham, white and black.
The exigence of the piece is that the uprising that occurring is “unwise and untimely.”
The clergymen want to stop the demonstrations and they claim that they want peace but
they are unwilling to become more justice and take the time to give the black people
what they want. They want to challenge the public actions that are being held.” (Studio
6)
In my first example, I provide a background knowledge of my inquiry topic so the reader can
understand the argument that I intend on making with my inquiry project. Also, I included in the
beginning who my intended audience is, which is college students. In my second example, it is
from the Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and this is my answer to the first
question which asked about the rhetorical knowledge/situation of the letter itself. I talk about
who he is responding to, the audience, the purpose, and of course, who the author is.
2. Critical Reading​ : An articulate writer uses critical reading in order to evaluate and
interpret text. When reading critically, the reader will think to themselves “what is going
on,” “why is it important,” and “is there anything missing that I should know?” The
combination of these questions helps to inform the reader on a deeper level than
achieved when just skimming through.
Examples​​:
- “One voice that King Jr. brings to light is Hitler in Nazi Germany. He uses this example to
argue that just because something is legal doesn’t mean that it is right and doesn’t mean
that it is equal for everyone involved. Also, it means that some of the big movements in
 civil rights throughout the past have been illegal but they have been morally correct.”
(Studio 6)
- “The first source that I came across was one composed by Mary Dowd, a woman who is
educated and experienced in educational leadership and student affairs. ​What is the
Purpose of Taking General Classes for a College Degree​, ​is an informative source that
includes the fundamentals of higher level courses that gen-ed courses provide. A variety
of gen-ed courses are provided, and their direct positive impact on students are also
included. In addition to including the immediate impacts in college, it also explains the
benefits for getting jobs after college.” (Synthesis of Research)
In my first example, after reading the Letter from Birmingham jail, I further analyzed it and asked
why he would include outside voices. I made the connection which furthered my knowledge and
understanding of MLK Jr.’s work, which is the purpose of critical reading. In the second
example, I found a source to use for my inquiry project. I further analyzed who the author is as a
person and her credibility, and then I examined the source for what is what saying.
3. Knowledge of Conventions​ : An articulate writer uses their knowledge of conventions to
properly format and conduct a paper that makes sense in the context of what they are
supposed to be writing it in. An inquiry project would require a whole different style of
writing when compared with a creative writing piece. Having knowledge of conventions
allows the writer to know what context and what format they need to write their piece in.
Examples​​:
- “When beginning my research on the purpose of taking general education courses that
are unrelated to one’s major, I found a majority of the opinions to be that general
education courses are in fact important and beneficial to not only one’s major, but also to
their skills for life after college.” (Synthesis of Research)
- “The slight shift in the question causes the student to make an important decision on
what they want to study, which is the opposite of what is done in high school, where one
would have to take certain courses, in which the school decided, and there was not
much room for variance.” (Inquiry Thesis)
Within my first example, I knew that the synthesis of research was more casual and I could
include a lot of first and second person. It also allowed me to include my process of thinking
when choosing sources, which isn’t always allowed in a piece of writing. I knew the way I was
supposed to write this piece, which demonstrates knowledge of conventions. In contrast, my
second example was supposed to be more formal, as exhibited by my different language used
when writing.
4. Composing Process​ : An articulate writer uses composing process in order to view
writing as a process instead of a single final product. Instead of just trying to write
something to fill in a rubric, the process allows the writer to create steps to make it easier
to get from point A to point B. The composing process is a more organized way to
compose a piece of writing.
Examples
- The Research Chart
- The Synthesis of Research
The research chart as a whole is part of the composing process because it is finding sources
and evaluating them to use to compose my inquiry thesis. It also helped in the next step of the
process, which was the synthesis of research. The synthesis of research put all the sources
together and compared them, which helped put them in a logical order for the final step in the
process, which is the inquiry thesis.
5. Critical Reflection​ : An articulate writer uses critical reflection to express their overall
thoughts, which allows the writer to grow from their past writing. It lets the writer look
back over their work, so they can reflect on what they wrote, and improve on it later.
Other peers can also help with the reflection by helping edit, so the writer can learn from
their mistakes.
Examples
- “Overall, the studio went well and I felt like it helped me further my knowledge about
grammar and punctuation. It took me around an hour to complete. I feel as though I don’t
need to follow all the grammar rules as strictly, as long as it is still correct, and it flows in
the context that it is presented in.” (Studio 7)
- “Overall, take the time to learn and write correctly and if you refuse to keep that open
mind, then maybe writing isn’t for you.” (Journal 9)
The first example is from Studio 7, and it was a reflection on the studio itself. As the writer, I
reflected on my writing itself, but also the process as a whole. As a result, I learned from that
studio and could improve on the next one. The second example is from journal 9. I read over the
paragraph and came to a final conclusion that summarized it all and reflected what I wrote.