Dear Reader,

 

Before this course, I was very indifferent to my writing. I didn’t put a lot of thought into how I conveyed information, all I thought about was conveying it in general. I never considered the tactics we’ve learned in this class such as pathos, logos, and ethos or the benefits to using them. I would mainly use logos in my papers as I falsely believe that logic was the best and only thing to use if making an argument. My attitude towards writing has changed a lot, I now see the importance of including more emotional elements and applying reason for my or the sources credibility. I’ve learned that there is a lot more contemplation and thought that goes into someone writing a speech or persuasive piece than I believed prior.


 Due to my change of thought, my process of writing has evolved. I now consider the smaller parts of a larger situation before coming up with a thesis that can properly convey what information I want to share or the argument I want to make. My way of creating outlines have become more tactical, as I have started breaking my topic up into sections to keep each part relevant and avoid scattered thoughts. I have also learned to think about the audience of my works, and ways that the topics I discuss could relate to them and hash out the areas in which would persuade the reader into seeing what I am laying out. When I look at my works in my portfolio, I have come to see a lot of improvement and success in my ability to convey information more logically with better structure. I also believed that the topic in my Utopia Manifesto was very relatable, evoking pathos in the reader who could have struggled with the points I made within it. If I had to think of ways to improve the works beyond what I already have, I would probably expand upon a few of the arguments more and include more examples or a more put together structure for a future society. One thing I found most beneficial to my writings was one of the assignments we got where we had to write a letter to an official as another individual in a fictional setting. It allowed me to get into the position of someone who lived in the society I was analyzing, and sympathize with what struggles that individual or others could face. It also provided a fantastic headstart to the greater project, and I believe forcing myself into the shoes of the subject of an argument will become one of the strategies I use for future classes, rather than view the topic from an outsider’s perspective. 

 

Overall, I believe my work to have improved drastically over the course of the semester. I would be able to tell a clear and definitive line of improvement if I were to compare my past works to this class. My topics are much clearer, better organized, I’ve used much more evidence to back up my claims, and I’ve found that my papers have been easier to digest. I still believe that I do need to work on some aspects such as completely fleshing out a topic, but I have found my strength is the overall effort I have managed to put into my papers.

 

I have garnered better writing ability, a competency for analyzing and picking apart others’ works, and capability for seeing the various perspectives of a situation and tackling the most dire points as well as its flaws with credible sources. Each assignment has boosted my potential such as the Utopia Manifesto that allowed me to seek out the flaws of our society and find means to a solution, the Letter to and Official that let me tackle a subject from the seat of a potential victim of that circumstance, and the Advice from an Old Man analysis that helped me see that rhetoric is used in the most unexpected of places, and can serve as very effective research material for building upon my own prowess. With everything that I have absorbed from this class, I believe that I am ready to move on from ENG170. 

 


Sincerely,

Cotye Allen