Benjamin Jon

Professor Tim Smajda

ENG170

December 2020

Reflective Cover Letter

My attitude about rhetoric has changed greatly throughout this course. Throughout my participation in this class, I have been introduced to several influential concepts such as techniques for persuasion, personality temperaments, logical fallacies, etc… The introduction of these ideas has caused me to change the way I approach writing, rhetoric, research, analysis. These ideas have also caused me to be more aware of the complex processes that occur within the process of communication. Improving my understanding of rhetoric and writing has equipped me with useful knowledge for my future educational, professional, and personal life.

The most valuable skill related to writing, research, and analysis that I have learned is the ability to be aware of the different types of logical fallacies. Often it is difficult to notice logical fallacies in our own arguments, and awareness of these logical fallacies can help us identify when we are making them. For example, the logical fallacy of either-or arguments can cause us to think as if the beliefs of others are black and white. However, issues are often very complex, and people’s opinions can lie in a spectrum rather than only having two forms. Often, logical fallacies can occur through emotional arguments. This can affect which personal beliefs we accept in our minds and impede our decision-making process (e.g., being a single-issue voter). Being aware of this concept can help us identify if our arguments or even our own beliefs are logically fallacious.

The most valuable concept that I have learned in this class is founded on the ideas of how we can most effectively persuade others. For example, the understanding of the concepts, pathos, logos, and ethos can help us understand that we can appeal to others through emotion, logic, and credibility. To add on, the six principles from Made To Stick by Dan & Chip Heath⁠— simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotion, and stories, are important to keep in mind when we want to persuade others to buy our argument. We can be aware that the people we are communicating with may be inclined to be persuaded by one or the other, and we can take advantage of this. The six principles from Made To Stick are also concrete techniques that we can implement to persuade others. For example, we can communicate an idea with simplicity and concreteness to get a friend to remember an often-expressed idea that they keep forgetting. The understanding of these rhetorical skills can change the way we view others and provide us the knowledge of how to communicate effectively.

The concepts introduced in this class are beneficial to improving rhetoric and writing and even beyond as we can use analysis to analyze our own beliefs. The act of persuasion is evidently a complex skill that encompasses multiple techniques to be applied. Understanding these concepts and how they can affect our daily lives can change the way we view ourselves and other people.