Marlene Espinosa Final Reflection 3-13-12 As the winter quarter quickly comes to an end and I start to reflect upon

the progress I have accomplished from begging to end in the course of WRD 103 it is truly astonishing how much I have learned in so little time. The course of WRD 103 initially strives in showing us the importance there is when it comes to being able to write in different genres while also being able to develop a stance appropriate to the rhetorical formality. The course has also strived to help us develop an ability to shape language of written discourse to an audience and purpose, while being able to do so in a way that is clear and explicit with evidence appropriate to the main purpose with text. Furthermore it has also presented the importance there is when evaluating the writing of others and being able to identify the rhetorical strategies of work in written texts. All this has been done so in a way that has revolved around an electronic environment because in recent time it has become clear that there is an importance when it comes to the use of digital technologies for many purposes. When looking back and reading each assignment from beginning to end I am able to see how and why they have connect to each learning goal that was established before entering this class. All of the assignments have tested and challenged my abilities to accomplish these goals in a way that has truly been interesting and different from any other course I have taken. When thinking back to my very first major writing assignment in this class, which was an analysis of a political speech, I would have never in a million year thought I was going to have to write a paper that seemed to me at first as all politics and absolutely nothing to do with the writing course. But as I later learned about the rhetorical analysis aspect of this course and how greatly a political speech could connect with it, I then realized that you really dont need to know a great deal about politics in order to write a rhetorical analysis based on a speech. For the first essay we had to become familiar with the term rhetoric, which many had an idea of what it was, but not quite clear, but once becoming familiar with the term and discussing it we went ahead and read prompts related to each essay. In the case of the first essay we read prompts based on the language techniques involved in propaganda. The readings really helped me understand the terms, which later made analyzing the political speech I chose, which was Rick Perrys Presidential Announcement much easier. The following quote is a small sample of my writing that is presented in my first writing assignment in which I think shows a good example on how reading and learning about language techniques that include logos, pathos, plain folks appeal, glittering, bandwagon and

ethos was incorporated in my writing in order to fit the rhetorical analysis aspect regarding this essay. Already in such little information being said by Perry we are being fed with all of these wonderful stuff that portray Perry as another ordinary man that knows and understands the struggles that many might have gone through just as he has. The use of the plain folks propaganda device works well in establishing a base of relation toward his audience and allows him to further draw them into his speech. Looking back at this first essay I believe really allows me to see the major difference in my writing from begging to end, first of because I think I was not so confident when writing it, and second it was my lowest scored paper compared to the rest. The second essay joining the conversation/ gender, was an essay that presented us and challenged our ability to develop a stance appropriate to the rhetorical circumstance. It was also of a different genre that challenges us as writers to be able to incorporate the ideas of others in a persuasive yet, informative manner for an audience that has some or very little knowledge on the material being studied in this case the difference in language between men and women. In the case of the second essay we as well read prompts that helped us become familiar with the constant issue of gender stereotypes between women and men. This essay however was different from the first because it took more then just analyzing, we also had to write a prompt that included our hypothesis, and once that was done we had to go ahead and analyze different circumstances to help prove our hypothesis. Beginning to write this essay was more difficult to me then expected because I did not know how to organize and go about writing the essay with so much information, but with the help of my fellow classmates and professor I was able to write a well written essay in the end. The first group consisted of 2 young men that looked to be around 23 years of age. It was 12:30p.m at the DePaul Student Center were the first group being observed was during the lunch hours. The first group consisted of 2 young men that looked to be around 23 years of age. It was 12:30p.m at the DePaul Student Center were the first group being observed was during the lunch hoursThis conversation really goes along with what Holmes states and that is that, In more private contexts, talk usually serves interpersonal functions The quote I previously provided resembles the difference between the first and second essay because you can start to see the difference in language and genre between the two. In this small sample you can see that it took quite more work to do compared to the first because of the evidence I had to gather before starting to write this essay, but once that was done I was able to analyze the situation and then back it up with evidence from linguistic evidence provided from the readings. When it comes to showing the importance there is in taking a stance on issues related to language in this course the third essay which is conveyed in the form of a blog post those just that. When looking at the

third essay, which was written in the form of a blog post as previously stated I think it shows the confidence in my writing and the ability to transition from one type of genre of writing to another. This essay has taught me how to interpret and explain the relationships among language, knowledge, and power, which is one of the course goals this essay truly helps fulfill. When being assigned this essay I did not know what to expect or go about writing this paper because the format was one I had never experienced with before, but I felt that compared to the beginning of this course my confidence towards writing had changed and allowed me to tackle this assignment with more confidence which I believe allowed me to write a good paper in the end all though it did take quite some time to do so just as the other 2 papers previous to this one. This is a small sample from my blog post showing the difference not only in genre, but also in text that was used in writing this third paper. Im not saying that there shouldnt be any campus rules established when it comes to freedom of speech, but how do we determine whether one has crossed the line based on those rules that have been established. As mentioned before one of these courses goals is to present the importance of being able to identify the rhetorical strategies of work in written text not only in prompts but also in our peers written work. The way in which we have met these goals has been through peer review workshops in which we revise each other rough draft through the aspect of Global errors rather then Local errors. These workshops are really helpful to one another because we get an understanding on what each of our papers has strengths and weaknesses in. Furthermore this process also allows us to do so in a way that connects with the electronic environment this course strives to introduce to us in different ways. Going of the electronic environment this course strives to introduce I believe is highlighted with multimodal project. The multimodal project allowed us to explore and introduce different ways in presenting the way we think and perceive the English language in a way other than writing format. It also allows us to reflect and see the way we speak in different environments and circumstances. The multimodal project I believe was one of the easier assignments to start because it allows us to show our creative side and apply it whichever way we want. The way I went about presenting this multimodal project was in the format of a video and editing process, which resembles the way I have been doing my papers all this time, but in this case allowing me to do it in a different format other than writing. In closing the course of WRD 103 has taught and helped me improve upon my writing skills in a way I would have never imagined. I believe I have come along way with my writing skills in so little time, but even thought I have improved upon my writing I know I have yet to learn so much more in my upcoming years as a writer. There are still many

things I have yet to learn and explore when it comes to writing, which to me is such a different formulation and foundation compared to math, something I find quite difficult to understand while at the same time still attainable and reachable if one puts their best effort towards.