Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Portfolio Reflection
Portfolio Reflection
Olivia Unger
November 30, 2014
Rhetoric
Ms. Weaver
One of our most recent assignments that Ive done is my rhetorical analysis
essay. For this paper, we had to pic a text to analyze the message/theme through the
rhetorical elements (exigence, rhetor, audience, rhetorical constraints, ethos, logos,
pathos), and evaluate the success of the text. My goal in this assignment was to convey
the overall theme and aspects the commercial GMC Terrain Mother feels her daughter
is safe uses to get the target audiences attention and make them want to buy the GMC
Terrain for themselves, by giving examples and explaining all the different aspects of the
commercial. Through this assignment, I learned about the use of exigence, rhetor,
audience, rhetorical constraints, ethos, logos, and pathos in a text. At this point I
started getting the hang of things and understanding more about what I was writing.
I already knew about ethos, pathos and logos, so I was able to take what I already
knew and start from there. I am now able to identify them and use them in my own
text. Once again my writing and knowledge has evolved and made me a more
experienced writer.
Not to mention my writing responses from the start of the year all the way to
the end. My writing has evolved in my different ways from when I first stepped foot
into this class. I am now more a more literate individual and aware of all the
rhetorical elements that are used in certain texts. In my writing response #1 I wrote,
Writing About Writing seemed to be more focused on the writers overall thoughts
and ideas about what they were writing and how the reader would perceive it,
rather than their correctness of grammar and punctuation. While on the other hand,
Eats, Shoots and Leaves couldn't stress the importance enough about how critical it
is to have the least amount of errors as possible. Although my statement is correct,
its more simply put and I remember not fully understanding what Writing About
Writing was fully about. In my last writing response I responded to Sommers text
about how she describes student writers and experienced writers. I said, I feel like
for someone to become an experienced writer you have to failed in writing at some
point and learn from your mistakes. You also need to be aware of all the different
types of writings and styles to figure out what suites you best. In this last writing
response, I feel like I fully grasped the concept that Sommer was trying to give off
and responded in a literate manner.
Like Sommers wrote in her article, I feel like at the beginning of the year I
was a student writer. I didnt really understand certain concepts or rhetorical
elements and how to put them to use, I was just writing to write. Now at the end of
the semester I feel like I have a handle on the concept and how to properly use these
elements. My writing has most definitely evolved, but I wouldnt say Im an
experienced writer just yet. I know there is so much more I have yet to learn. I am
now at the start of realizing the type of writer I really am, and I have many more
levels to go until I am what Sommer says an experienced writer.