Jessica Mueller

Mrs. Thomas

UWRT 1104

5 April 2020

1205

1. Rhetorical Knowledge

● Rhetorical Knowledge is our ability to identify and apply many dynamics of writing to

your writing and even the ability to recognize them from certain texts. These dynamics

can include your topic, audience, purpose, genre, and exigence. A successful writer

would demonstrate their knowledge of this SLO by using these dynamics to have a better

connection with their intended audience. The writer will want to understand their

audience by understanding their expectations, values, and how to appeal to them. Purpose

and exigence run hand in hand, questioning yourself “why am I writing this?” which

leads you to realize the purpose of the writing is, to inform, sell, express yourself, or

persuade your audience.

● “I think the intended audience of these commercials were homeowners and American

citizens. I think in the first commercial pathos is the main rhetorical strategy. The music

helps to portray the uneasy, suspenseful feeling while watching. Also, the tone in the

voices of the people talking, thunderstorms, and the snake adds to the unsafe scary

atmosphere. Once the commercial is close to being over the music lightens up and creates

a safe feeling. Logos are used in the commercial towards the end when it states “home is

a place you should simply feel safe.” I think that everyone can agree that they want to
 feel safe and protected when they are at home. The second commercial uses ethos,

pathos, and logos to convey its message. This commercial uses logos by including

pictures, events in history, and logical thoughts to persuade you in buying the newspaper.

The use of big events in history such as 911, or smaller local events such as fires are

events that people would want to know about, so this commercial persuades that audience

to buy the paper because knowledge is key and knowledge will make you, in the long

run, keep you free. Ethos was used because each story in a way illustrated its own

character and pathos was used though the background noise and the tone in that narrator's

voice. Overall I think the first commercial was more persuasive because the personal

connection from the pathos used had a bigger effect on me.”

● I think this is a good example of rhetorical knowledge because not only in this studio did

we have to find a commercial ourselves that uses rhetorical devices, we had to pull them

out of the two examples that were given to us. In the paragraph above shows the part of

the studio that we had to pull analyze the use of the rhetorical situation. I think that this is

a good example because to analyze and pull out the use of rhetorical devices you have to

have a true understanding of what they mean.

2. Critical Reading

● Critical reading is our ability to read deeper into texts by analyzing, interpreting, and

evaluating them. This skill is important because it advances our ability to read and apply

what we read to our work. An articulate writer uses critical reading to analyze their own
work and works of others on a deeper level. One using critical reading may bring a

plethora of other sources into their writing to strengthen their argument.

 ● This example is the template that was given to help us write the​ I am From​ poem. Not

only is it just a template but it has two sample poems on the backside. For me personally

this template helped me a lot because in the blank slots it had the broader topic of what

you were supposed to write. The two examples on the back helped me to realize some

parts or experiences of life I should include. We annotated the one poem in class which I

think shows critical reading because you are pulling out her words that she used to

describe her life to try and guess the broader meaning of what she meant. For example, in

one line of the example, it read “ I’m from the know-it-alls and the pass-it-ons” which

made us think that this person was very family tradition-oriented. Overall, the template

and examples helped me write my poem.

​3. Knowledge of Conventions

● Knowledge of conventions is the understanding of basic writing “rules” such as

mechanics, spelling, citations, style, and organization. Having knowledge of conventions

is very important because without understanding our writing would be nearly impossible

to understand. A skilled writer would use this SLO to have organized writing that can be

easily understood. Also to make sure that their work is “legal” in terms of giving people

credit when needed.

 ● This example was from an essay I wrote in prospect for success health and human

services class. This paper was focusing on the SLO of critical thinking. I am using this

essay as an example of knowledge of conventions because it was my first paper in

college that I had to write in APA format. I had to reteach myself how to do in-text

citations for APA and the difference in the citations for the work cited page. This paper

has examples of pulling quotes from sources, using quotations right and the correct

mechanics when coming to using quotations with punctuations.

4. Composing Processes

● Composing processes are the steps we take to produce the best piece we can. This SLO is

important because it is the behind the scenes of putting together a story, paper, article,

etc.. A strong advanced writer using composing processes by doing the research needed

to make a draft, then they may collaborate with peers to revise to produce a well written

final product.
● I chose to take pictures of the whole synthesis of my summaries paper. I think this is a

great example because in order to synthesize them I had to read them, do some research

on the authors, and write summaries on them. In order to find the sources, I had to do

some digging. I think the process that I went through to get to the point of being able to

complete the synthesis is a great representation of the SLO composing processes.

5. Critical Reflection

● Critical reflection is our understanding of our work on a deeper level. Meaning we have

an idea of what we are writing and why we are writing it. The importance of critical

reflection is to prevent writing to be bland. Critical reflection allows us to identify or

deeper understanding which then leads to the ability to elaborate on what we are writing

about. An articulate writer would use critical reflection to reflect on and analyze their

works to further their writing skills.

● Above is a picture of my end of the semester dance reflection paper. In this paper, we had

to take one of the four major dances we had watched this semester and do a reflection on
it. We had to take all the things we learned throughout the semester and apply it to this

paper. I think this is a good example of critical reflection because I had to go through all

my notes again, do research on the choreographer, rewatch the dance again, and take

extra notes. This paper was an overall reflection of what I had learned in the semester and

applying it to one dance.