English 1010 Self-Assessment

To be honest this course kind of taught me about rhetoric. I’ve heard it used in English

class before, but we never emphasized how exactly to use it or what it really was. Since taking

this English course I’ve learned that it is writing or speaking persuasively and effectively. And

it’s really shown me that the words people write can have so much more meaning to them if you

actually sit back and analyze them. Like in our Rhetorical Analysis assignment having to take the

article and point out all of the ways they used emotional appeals like logic, made me realize I

wasn’t always understanding exactly what the author was intending me to.

In my Issue Exploration Paper, I really used the writing concept. I had to research my

topic which was about the effects of relationships and social media, I had to look into and

analyze both conflicting viewpoints on my issue, and then I had to summarize both sides of my

topic, all the while having to remember not to really take a side with my topic because it wasn’t

an argumentative essay.

And then I had to use rhetoric for my assignment Rhetorical Analysis, I had to really look into

what the author of my article was saying and I had to provide all of the ways she used ethos,

pathos, logos, and Kairos to help the reader understand where she was really coming from.

For my most recent assignment the Consumers Memoir I used writing concepts. I had to decide

whether or not I wanted to use a confessional approach or not and then write about my

consumption of something. It helped me decide to be somewhat confessional and to allow the

reader to see just how important my topic was to me.

All three of these assignments and everything I’ve learned in English 1010 this semester have

improved my writing and shown me just how important it is to look at who the message is for,

the purpose of it, and how the writer decides to use language to deliver their message.

As for a situation not having to do with my writing, just the other day I used rhetoric to

try and persuade my siblings to eat at a vegan restaurant I’ve really been wanting to try. I painted

an image of the restaurant vibe, the types of food they offer, how fairly priced it was and just

how much I wanted to try it. I used appeals to convince my siblings to try a new place they

would have never tried in the first place and it turns out it was amazing. I’m not sure they would

have gown had I not given them the descriptions.