As a writer, I improved most with the Rhetorical Analysis assignment. While I stuck to my normal writing process of writing a paper based solely on how it was to be graded, I was still able to incorporate new strategies into my writing using the SLO of composing processes. With this paper, I took the information from the rubric and separated my paragraphs accordingly. In reflecting on the assignment, I noticed that the organization and structure of my writing progressed immensely from the draft to the revision. My usual structure always seemed to include choppy facts and paragraphs that never flowed together properly; however, this assignment helped me learn to keep my ideas flowing more continuously. While I know that I have not completely figured out how to perfectly organize a paper to have flow perfectly, I do feel like I have improved a good amount.
​
Another area this assignment helped me improve in was my analysis. This improvement embodies the SLO of rhetorical knowledge. When I first turned in this assignment, I was not particularly proud of the analysis I had written. I did not think it was awful by any means, but I knew it was not my best work. Once I had received the initial grade and comments, and finished revising the draft, I felt as though I had successfully written an analysis that I could be proud of. The comments I received really helped me in developing as a writer as well because I was able to see what I had done well, and what needed work in the eyes of someone who is more developed in their writing that I am. This allowed for a good transition from draft to revision.
​
In my opinion, the revision of my Rhetorical Analysis went more smoothly than the writing process for the original draft. The draft process was frustrating because it started out a little shaky and I couldn’t get my thoughts together on paper. Even once I got them on paper, I had to keep changing everything until it made sense. The revision process was better because I was able to just develop the writing I had already done rather than finding new ideas.
​
Overall, this assignment was crucial to add to the reflection because I was able to grow as a writer with such a short assignment. From being able to better organize the information to improving in my analytic skills, the rhetorical analysis assignment and revision were very helpful in allowing me to develop in my writing skills.
Critical Reflection
My view of writing has changed drastically this semester.
​
When I was younger, I used to love to read. I would read to my mom every night before I went to bed. My brother enjoyed reading as well, so he would join in and read sometimes too. My favorite books were the Dr. Seuss books because I loved how they rhymed and they were always fun and interesting. As I got older and started taking higher level reading classes, my love for reading diminished due to the large amounts of homework I was given, and I started viewing reading as work for school instead of the leisurely activity I had once enjoyed. My lack of interest in reading created a lack of interest for writing, leading to reading and writing only being a subject in school rather than a fun activity.
​
I took English classes and Writing classes all through grade school, and each class became more monotonous than the last. I eased by with A’s and B’s, but the classes only consisted of the teacher continuously correcting our southern, not professionally correct, grammar, and reading books and poetry that were not interesting to anyone but the teacher. For example, we read To Kill a Mockingbird, and I thought it was the dumbest book ever. Then I watched the movie and actually understood what was going on and I loved the story. With each class I took, I became less interested in what we were reading and became better at just getting by with papers, and not actually developing a writing style or improving at all.
​
My senior year of high school, I had my mom look over one of my papers I had written for my writing class at the community college I was dual-enrolled in. I was nervous because this was the first actual college writing class I had ever taken and I knew I wasn’t a very good writer. My mom expressed to me how bad the paper was and it sparked an interest in me to actual try and learn to become a better writer and not just try to get by. This sparked my interest to take another writing class when I would graduate and come to UNC Charlotte.
​
After taking this class I have come to realize that writing is not only the papers that teachers make you write, or the books you have to read for class. Writing can be found in any form. Social media is a form of writing that I specifically enjoy. Instagram is my favorite social media because you post a picture with a short caption and someone can learn a lot about you. I also enjoy looking at pictures and movies. Both of these forms can get across the same message as books and papers just in a way that is pleasing to me. Also this class has helped me to realize that if I enjoy the topic I am writing about, that I do not dread the assignment and it is not as hard for me to sit down and write it. This class as a whole has changed my attitude towards writing into a positive one that I can carry with me throughout the rest of my college career.
As for the research portion of this class, I learned how to identify a credible source with several parameters to make the process short and sweet. I learned that a good way to find academic sources is through the UNC Charlotte library database, where all you have to do is type in a key word based off your subject and many sources come up with a guarantee of being credible. I was slightly frustrated with this method though, because some of the sources I found, I was unable to open or had to pay for them to see them. But overall finding credible research was a good lesson I learned in this class.
