Blog 6: Reaching Back, Looking Forward

From the commencement of this class to it's final day, I have learned new characteristics about writing that I intend and will use in my future compositions. The first aspect that I will use is rhetorical analysis. By using this essential analyzation tool, I can illustrate my work through the usage of Aristotle’s artistic appeals and Blitzer’s three steps. I have learned how to make my work look professional and informative to it’s designated audience. 

The second aspect that I will take away from this course is learning how to use different genres. I used to believe that genre mainly revolved around the form of a written piece. However, I found out that genre is the term for any category of literature, whether its audio or visual. It can be writing an email, creating a persuasive essay, or giving a speech. I now understand the usage importance of a specific genre. The third aspect that I have learned from this class is the importance of templates. A template is the fundamental background that I can use when I want to compose a certain work like a brochure or a résumé. I now know how to change template formats and styles.
The fourth and most important aspect of composition that I have learned from this class is that I enjoy writing. I never thought that I would have ever said the previous statement but my English 1102 class has taught me how writing can be a form of expression. I will use the knowledge I obtained this summer for the rest of my writing career. 

Blog 5: Distribution, Circulation, Templates

In order for my MA3 project to be successful, I must interpret each genre I used to its appropriate audience. The concepts of circulation and distribution help incorporate my message to my specific audience demographics for each genre. For example, I used a brochure to explain the different types of surgical treatments their are for skin cancer. Since I am still a college student, I can not broadcast my brochure since I do not have enough credibility in the field of skin cancer to justify my findings against other medical brochures made by practicing doctors. If I were to distribute my brochure to its designated audience, I would send it out to different hospitals and other therapy centers for skin cancer patients. It would be circulated throughout its readers as they share information with other skin cancer patients. 

The template I used for the brochure was professionally styled since the information given inside pertains to a serious tone. A skin cancer patient would not want to read a brochure about possible surgery options he/she might undergo if the layout is disorganized and unprofessional. Using the template given to me, I was able to display several photos and include different texts to explain and show each surgery method. However, the template did present some constraints. The original image sizes installed in the template would not change so the pictures I chose would have to shift and fit the format of the template. Also, the text boxes kept overlapping which presented me with a challenge to fix and rearrange them in the style that I wanted. These types of problems enhanced my agency as a composer since I learned new ways to format templates. I can use these skills for future compositions. 

Blog 4: Genre

People, including myself, used to believe that genre mainly revolved around the form of a written piece. Genre is the term for any category of literature, whether its audio or visual. However, the definition of genre has changed over time since it is now seen as more than repeating rhetorical situations. A genre can be writing an email, creating a persuasive essay, or giving a speech. All of these examples are trying to inform/persuade its readers into the message of the composition. This is how a genre can be related to rhetoric and writing. 

A genre that I tend to often encounter myself with is writing an e-mail. E-mails function rhetorically since they elicit a response from its reader.  The audience for my e-mails tend to range from peers of my age to adults such as parents and professors. The readers of my e-mails expect to receive a piece of writing that is appropriate in tone. For example, I will not send a “friend-level” e-mail to my professor or a professionally written e-mail to my friend. My professor would expect a meaningful subject line with a proper greeting. They expect a brief/polite e-mail that explains why I am contacting them. At the end of an e-mail, I always sign my name and include the class in which I am writing to him/her about. However, if I were to write an e-mail to a friend, the subject line would say either “Hey” or “What’s up?” The tone of my message would be brief and I would even use abbreviations such as “idk” or “lol”. The genre of writing an e-mail can relate to the composition of a persuasive essay or writing a tweet on twitter since they are both targeting specific audience demographics and have a particular tone.

Overall, genres help us make more efficient decisions when writing. Knowing what a genre is used for can help one accomplish goals, whether that goal is to get an A on a blog for English class or getting into college by writing a stellar application essay. 

Blog 3: Knowledge and Belief

From as long as I can remember, I was raised and taught to follow the values of Jesus Christ. He created all things and was the guarantee for a better covenant with life. I would attend church at least once a month and my family would read the novela every Christmas. For 9 days, we would recite God and Virgin Mary’s journey that they took until their son, Jesus, was born. My family and I would sing songs every night in celebration for his rebirth on Christmas Eve. I never challenged this belief since I had no other religions or theories taught to me.

However, I was introduced to the scientific theory of evolution in the 6th grade. It explains the emergence of life in the past and in the present. Evolution shows the similarities and differences among living things since the beginning of age and different biological processes such as natural selection, gene transfer, and mutation. It has been consistently confirmed by scientific evidence for several years now. Not only is their proof of the existence of evolution, but it also has a crucial importance in the conceptual building blocks of modern life and earth sciences. 

After learning about this credible scientific theory, I began to question myself if Jesus Christ was the creator of Earth. I still believe and have faith in Jesus Christ but the creation of the world by his hands is not well supported. On the other hand, evolution has credibility and scientific facts on how Earth made. Did one man, Jesus Christ, create all things?

Blog 2: Deploying Writing

Your English professor gives you an article titled “A Look at the Dehumanization of Life in Abortion” and tells you to write a rhetorical analysis on it. The goal is to explore the effectiveness of the rhetorician’s techniques but there is a dilemma. You are not allowed to say whether or not you agree with the argument. Tricky right? I would find it challenging to analyze an article without giving your personal opinion on a topic that tends to spark arguments and emotion in many people. Rhetorical analysis only allows you to discuss how the writer makes the argument and whether his or her techniques were used in a successful manner. 

However, rhetorical analysis has numerous upsides to it. Although you are not able to provide your perspective on the essay, it teaches the reader how to write a paper that explains how the parts work together to convey a certain effect. The effect can either be to persuade, entertain, or inform. This type of skill gives a writer the capability to write cohesive, meaningful papers since they know how parts flow with each other. 

Learning about rhetorical analysis and all of its characteristics has given me a better insight on writing. I have become more aware that every type of composition can be rhetorical since the writer is often trying to reason and/or persuade its reader into their message. Not only can you use rhetorical analysis for essays, but you can also conduct it on a cartoon, advertisement, or a speech.  

When looking at both perspectives, the use of rhetorical analysis leans more towards the helpful side. 

Blog 1: What is Writing?

Personally, I believe writing gives one the opportunity to express themselves in a way that can't be put into words. I have been taught how to write persuasive, expository, and narrative compositions in the past few years, which showed me how I can use writing as an outlet to convey my thoughts. I wasn’t uncertain about what career I wanted to pursue until a few months ago when I began to write my aspirations into a journal. As college admissions began to come out, I quickly realized that the time would come where I would have to pick a major for myself. I  decided to begin to write down certain subjects that caught my attention in my classes. 

When I finally read over my journal a few weeks after graduation, I noticed that most of my interests were related to biology and economics. Both fields of study can be seen as polar opposites but I came to a conclusion where I can combine and study both. I will use writing in my future career as I study microbiology while pursuing a minor in business. I ultimately plan on becoming a dermatologist where I will use writing to document and record patient records. I will create and write business plans to expand my number of dermatological offices. 

Deciding on a major would have been nearly impossible if I had not previously written my interests into a journal during my last months of high school. Writing gives my fingers the power to say what can I not express into phrases out loud.