Mid-Term Reflection
At the beginning of this course, I did not know much, if anything, about rhetorical situations. I did not apply it in my writing before this class, at least not all of the elements that make up a rhetorical situation. Applying these elements to my writing can build on the effectiveness of my work. They help the audience understand the writer’s purpose behind their writing. The rhetorical situation can guide writers and readers in recognizing why texts exist, what they seek to do, and how they accomplish it in specific circumstances.
I included all elements of the rhetorical situation in my source-based essay. Determining who the author was for each source was the easy part, but deciding whether they were reliable or not was the tricky part. I went to each of the sources’ websites to see what topic their article or newspaper focuses on. For example, my magazine source was an Esquire article. When I went on their website, I found that their article was a men’s magazine. It centered on men’s fashion, culture, politics, and much more. One of the elements I had trouble with was the genre. I am limited in my knowledge of different genres, which made it difficult for me to decide which genre fit the source.
When it comes to using these elements in my writing outside of this class, I don’t use them very often. I have had a limited amount of work assigned for other classes since learning about rhetorical situations. However, in my psychology class, we have been writing about what we have learned from our textbook. The terms help me understand the author’s prejudices and intentions, as well as the factors that may have influenced their writing.
Post-Essay Reflection
When it came to the inquiry-based research essay, I felt lost on how to even begin writing. For the first essay that we did, the source-based essay, I knew that I would present my information by going down the list of my four sources. For this essay, I used the same exact format and when I met with the Professor, he suggested that I change the format. At first, I was a bit iffy about changing the format because I didn’t see how it could make the essay better, but after one of the classes in which we talked about the essays, it made me realize that the format of an essay can play a big role in hooking the reader. Instead of listing the sources one by one, I combined the sources when needed and gave my analysis when I had something to say. This structure of writing is definitely better because the format of it paints a clear picture of the similarities and differences for the reader.
It takes me a while to get into the writing because I need to first find a connection between all the sources and make sure that they actually discuss the same topic. The research process for finding these sources was more difficult than the last essay because I had to find a source that opposed the other sources. The source that I found wasn’t the best, but it worked with the other sources. My synthesis definitely could have been better, I could have added more details and outside information when connecting the sources, but overall, it is not too bad.
The audience I want to reach with this essay are the younger generations who deal with depression or feel hopeless with their future. Music is such a big part of daily life for everyone; people listen to it when they are feeling down, when they are celebrating, and when they are angry. There are countless messages and reassurances found in songs that let the listener know that other people have experienced what they are going through right now. This audience has the power to share and spread the music that they connect with across all platforms. They can inform others who are going through the same thing that they have found comfort and understanding through these songs.
Final Reflection
From all of the rhetorical devices we have used this semester, I would say that audience left a noticeable impact on my writing. In all honesty, I didn’t see much of a purpose in using this rhetorical device when I first started the semester. However, as I started my first essay, I figured it was important to understand my audience because I would know how to gain their attention. If I know what my audience likes, then I could use a genre that relates to them. For example, in my composition in two genres, I made an Instagram post because my audience uses social media to stay connected and informed about important news. I also pay attention to my audience when writing papers for my other classes. When I have to write a paper for my psychology class, I research my audience in greater depth to understand what kind of format to use and what kind of information will best explain my claims to them.
The second rhetorical device that left a noticeable impact on my writing is purpose. Again, I didn’t really see the need to pay attention to the purpose when looking through sources and writing my papers. Purpose provides me with the main idea of what my paper will be about, and it tells me why the reader should care about my essay. It can be very easy to lose track of where my paper is going, but the purpose is a summary of what I am writing about. This rhetorical device was very useful in my art class this semester because when I would write my papers, I would often forget what I was even talking about.
