This portfolio is a reflection of my growth as a writer as I have completed five major

assignments throughout the past four months in a first-year composition class. Through

my work both inside and out of the classroom, I have grown in my critical reading,

writing, and research abilities. I have developed a clearer thought process that has

allowed me to develop both as a writer and rhetor. By engaging every kind of source

from an essay by Ellen DeGeneres to 1940’s film clips, I have really expanded on my

ability to approach and dissect source material. This wide variety of works has shown me

that writing is everywhere, and through this realization my experience as a writer and

reader of text and of digital media has been greatly expanded. The pieces displayed in

this portfolio are a result of this new exposure to various forms of writing and a lot of

hard work that I am very proud of.

The first assignment we completed was the technology narrative. The purpose of the

assignment was to stimulate thinking about how technology relates to us as individuals.

This critical thinking was vital, because in a world in which technology is so prevalent it

can be easy to use a computer or a cell phone on or some other form of technology a

regular basis with out really thinking about how this use affects the way I live. This topic

was also introduced to the class in Langdon Winner’s “Technological Somnambulism,”

in which Winner discusses how society “sleepwalks” through their use of technology.

This assignment was meant to awaken us from this long sleep and encourage us to really

think about the impact of modern technology on our lives. My project definitely reflects

this goal, as it is both focused and analytical. I delve into a single event and then

consider and analyze how that experience impacted my relationship with my sister.
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Because our class is focused both on technology and rhetoric, it is important to

explore the ways in which the two coincide. Our second assignment, the rhetorical

analysis, allowed us to fulfill this goal. While the technology narrative allowed us to

explore the impact technology has on our own lives, the rhetorical analysis exposed us to

the views others had on the impact of technology on society. The rhetorical skills we

discussed in class acted as tools that allowed us to break down and analysis the argument

in each article we read. We learned the three types of rhetoric – forensic, epideictic, and

deliberative – and how a good rhetor gears their argument towards their target audience.

By furthering my understanding of logos, ethos, and pathos, I learned how to separate the

elements of an argument. The work I created for this assignment breaks down Ellen

DeGeneres’ argument in “This is How We Live” and Theodora Stites’ “Someone to

Watch Over Me (on a Google Map)” into the rhetorical elements each author uses.

Additionally, I categorize these rhetorical aspects into ethos, logos, and pathos and

discuss how these approaches appeal to each work’s target audience. I break apart and

analyze these arguments all while crafting my own; throughout my rhetorical analysis, I

argue for the inclusion of Stites’ essay into They Say/I Say, an exposition of rhetoric.

This assignment was intended to create an understanding of the elements of rhetoric, and

through my analysis of other authors’ works and the creation of my own argument, I

believe I have developed the understanding the project was intended to foster.

While the rhetorical analysis exposed us to the techniques involved in crafting an

argument, the print researched essay brought my understanding of rhetoric full circle.

Through this assignment I was able to both create a detailed argument and also

participate in the research process. When composing an argument, whether in a

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classroom setting or in the outside world, factual outside sources add vital credibility to

whatever point one is making. It is important, however, to use a diverse group of outside

of sources and to integrate that material with your own opinions and views. This

assignment definitely reinforced my understanding of what composes an argument and

how arguments are crafted. What I produced as a result of this assignment is both

original and valuable. I took a new approach to an old view of business and applied my

research in a practical way to today’s business landscape. I focused on an audience of

business people and worked to persuade them of the importance of technological

adaptation. By doing so, I drew upon my knowledge of audience and purpose that I had

gained through both class discussion and the rhetorical analysis piece.

The visual essay was the fourth assignment we did, and it is the work I am most

proud of. This assignment challenged the way I look at writing, which I believe was the

intended purpose. I was able to find similarities between working with digital media and

working with text. Both are forms of writing and thus both use symbols to convey

meaning. In whatever medium an author uses, writing is a process. It involves editing,

revising, and experimentation, and this project really made these aspects of writing more

visible (no pun intended). This is my favorite piece because I think it is the most

cohesive and affective of the pieces in my portfolio. I spent many hours working on

choosing the right video clips and music selection to be included in the final essay.

Additionally, I think that this assignment had the most impact on me as a writer. When

writing is placed in a different and unfamiliar medium, I believe it enhances the different

aspects of writing in all other media. I was able to correlate my senses of audience,

purpose, and context in my visual argument to my work as an author of text. I feel that
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this piece really shows how my concept of audience has evolved over the duration of the

course, as the audience is very specific to youth between the ages of eighteen and twenty-

one. Additionally, I think that I really found a new hobby in working with digital media

and found a new strength as a writer.

The last assignment was the collaborative project. This certainly put our social skills

to the test, as we had to coordinate sixteen people to create one project. The purpose of

this assignment was to explore the importance and difficulties of working with others.

This assignment took everything we have learned and mastered throughout the course

and applied these skills to a real world scenario. Regardless of our intended major, each

of us will be expected to work with others to complete a task sometime in our future, and

this project allowed us to explore the difficulties of doing so.

All of my pieces required careful planning and execution, but the collaborative

project required a considerable amount of organizing. Planning a project with sixteen

people is not easy, so we divided ourselves into four groups. Being in the storyboard

group, it was my job to organize and plan out how we would put the essay together. We

quickly took charge and created a storyboard, delegating each part to one of the four

different groups. Once the other three groups had collected the footage and research we

would be using in the project, it was my teams to job to put everything together and

execute the plan. We spent many hours editing and revising and I spent a considerable

amount of time by myself revising and adding a more visually appealing aspect to the

project. In the end, the work we have created is the result of a considerable amount of

planning and a division of labor. The piece effectively demonstrates my ability to plan,

execute, and revise writing.

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From a narrative about my life and technology to a visual essay about youth voting,

this portfolio certainly demonstrates my versatility as writer in many different contexts

and media. The researching, critical thinking, rhetorical, digital media, and group skills I

have learned in this class will definitely help me in my career future in business, but I

also see myself hopefully working with digital media again just for enjoyment purposes.

I hope that the skills I have acquired throughout this course will help me in all my

pursuits in life.

This is my portfolio, please enjoy,

Carter Perrin