Rhetorical knowledge
When using Rhetorical Knowledge, you need to be able to switch up your writing style for different situations depending on the type of writing it requires. I chose to compare my inquiry essay and studio 5 based on the differences in rhetorical situation. The purpose of my inquiry essay is to search for an answer whereas the purpose of my infographic is to inform about myself. There is a similarity in the fact that the usage of “I” is appropriate, however, both pieces of writing serve different purposes which require different tones within writing. The genre of my inquiry essay, is a lengthy paper in which I am analyzing and making conclusions based off sources. The genre of my infographic is the complete opposite, the genre is short blips of information as a way of representation. For example, my inquiry paper is 6 pages long compared to my one-page infographic. My infographic has statements such as, “I am a Pre-Communications major with an interest in Organizational Communication,” straight to the point, yet it is appropriate for the particular genre. Simple statements in my inquiry paper would not fit the genre of the writing piece, it would need more analytical views.
The audience of my inquiry paper is people who relate with procrastination and will benefit from the knowledge. The audience of my infographic could be family, friends, or possible employers. The topic of these two forms of writing is where the biggest difference is found. The topic of my inquiry paper is to figure out why people procrastinate and whether or not it will be harmful in the long run. The topic on creating an infographic is to display information on myself and allow my audience to get to know me better. There could be a slight similarity in context, being that both writing assignments will benefit me personally, however, the exact context of my inquiry paper is to learn more about procrastination for myself and learn ways I can improve myself. The context of my infographic is very similar to the topic, my infographic was created so that I would be able to learn new ways to display information on myself.
The audience of my inquiry paper is people who relate with procrastination and will benefit from the knowledge. The audience of my infographic could be family, friends, or possible employers. The topic of these two forms of writing is where the biggest difference is found. The topic of my inquiry paper is to figure out why people procrastinate and whether or not it will be harmful in the long run. The topic on creating an infographic is to display information on myself and allow my audience to get to know me better. There could be a slight similarity in context, being that both writing assignments will benefit me personally, however, the exact context of my inquiry paper is to learn more about procrastination for myself and learn ways I can improve myself. The context of my infographic is very similar to the topic, my infographic was created so that I would be able to learn new ways to display information on myself.
Critical Reading
I displayed my knowledge of critical thinking in my response to Inquiry V. Research and “Theories.” In this particular writing piece, I am analyzing the two essays and the information they have given me on inquiry papers vs research papers. The essays themselves allowed me to go deep in thought and think past the guidelines of an inquiry paper. For example, “I’ve noticed that in an inquiry essay there is more room for commentary and opinion compared to the traditional research paper. I like the use of first person in the essay, it allows the author to expand upon thoughts and feelings. This essay challenged my past beliefs on how to write a research paper because I typically would start with a topic and elaborate...” I recognized that the inquiry essay allows room for opinions as well as identifying the basic structure of an inquiry paper. I mentioned that inquiry papers allow you to expand upon thoughts and feelings, this implies a basic structure with room for maneuvering. I went beyond the words written in the essays to identify the difference in structure between research and inquiry paper. Typically, I use critical thinking skills to uncover something that is not plainly stated, however, in this case, I use the words that are already written to make analyzations and realizations on the type of paper I will be writing.
KNowledge of conventions
It is important for writers to use the same language, when it comes to structure, so that there is a strong form of communication. I display my knowledge of conventions through usage of punctuation, citations, and headers. My first example of displaying knowledge, is my usage of a rhetorical question which is a sentence designed to make the audience reflect on themselves, it is emphasized as a question because of the way it is stated as well as ending in a question mark. This type of convention is well known, but not commonly used. This is why I believe it makes me stand out as a writer. In this particular case, “If you procrastinate more often than not, will these traits begin to affect you and your personality in the long run?”, I am using a rhetorical question to allow the reader to reflect on themselves and decide if procrastination has an effect on their lives.
My second example of displaying knowledge of conventions is through the use of headers. For example, in my Get Curious paper, I use headers to organize my thoughts and emphasize the upcoming sections. My header “Benefits and Harms” focuses on the harms and benefits of procrastination and whether or not one outweighs the other. My third example of displaying knowledge of conventions is through MLA citations. Citing in the form of MLA format is a common and well-known convention. This makes it easy for the audience to understand, and make it a smooth read. If I were to cite my sources in an unknown and uncommon way, the reader may be confused and take a second to process the citation. Whereas MLA format is well understood.
My second example of displaying knowledge of conventions is through the use of headers. For example, in my Get Curious paper, I use headers to organize my thoughts and emphasize the upcoming sections. My header “Benefits and Harms” focuses on the harms and benefits of procrastination and whether or not one outweighs the other. My third example of displaying knowledge of conventions is through MLA citations. Citing in the form of MLA format is a common and well-known convention. This makes it easy for the audience to understand, and make it a smooth read. If I were to cite my sources in an unknown and uncommon way, the reader may be confused and take a second to process the citation. Whereas MLA format is well understood.
Composing process
Before finalizing an essay or any piece of writing, writers go over many speed bumps and setbacks. There are a lot of components that go into creating a strong piece of writing. When preparing to write my Get Curious essay, I created a mind map. The mind map helped me to see what research and sources would be the strongest and have the most impact when constructing my paper. I divided the mind map into categories such as the ones I just listed and sub-categories such as “What causes it?” “Who does it?” and “What can you do about it?” I thought I would use these sub-categories to organize my paper, however, after further research and creation of my paper I switched the categories that would organize my paper. Through the composing process, I made many changes to my draft a countless amount of times. In one particular instance, I had taken a suggestion from a group mate that proved to fit well in my paper. Colton suggested I show that procrastination can occur from anxiety as well as anxiety occurring from procrastination and that it can become a “flustercluck” … to quote Colton. I made revisions to my final essay and included this suggestion in my essay, without the “flustercluck” of course. This is the revision I made to my final paper after taking a suggestion from my group mate, “It could be assumed that procrastination can lead you into a never ending cycle of anxiety. Procrastination is sometimes caused by anxiety, yet anxiety is sometimes caused by procrastination. You could have natural anxiety and procrastination further advances the levels of anxiety. It will be difficult for someone who procrastinates to decipher why they are having strong feelings of anxiety and be unaware that the anxiety could have sparked from common procrastination.”
Critical reflection
My mid-term reflection is a good representation of my strong use of overall critical reflection. In my mid-term reflection I look back on the first half of the semester and analyze the differences and how I have changed as a writer. I searched for provisions made in my writing as well similarities found in my writing to represent a particular writing style I use. The paragraph in my mid-term reflection that really stands out as critical reflection is, “This semester has opened my eyes to what I can do with my writing. I am more analytical and think closely about details rather than just stating facts. I draw more of a picture for the audience. I try to make it as if the audience feels like they are personally involved in the story. One artifact that connects to my theme of growing through description was Studio 4 on rewriting the football essay. This was when I was thinking about writing in a new way. I read through the football essay and realized that it need much more life to it. It was similar to how I used to write, slightly boring. I added dialogue and much more description. I felt this would make it easier for the audience to relate and create a better image as well.” The football essay stood out to me because there are a lot of students who write similar to the author of that essay, and I used to be guilty of it. However, I identified how I changed throughout the semester and realized how I improved on in the aspect of adding dialogue, description, and making an essay interesting overall. I believe the en plein air writing assignment had a very positive impact on my writing and the way I look at things through writing.
Creative writing
My screenshot for creative writing is my interest inventory for my Get Curious essay. The purpose of the interest inventory was to discuss a purpose for research as well as elaborate on what drives you to get curious about a particular topic. Creative writing could be represented by ideas or words you put on a paper. I believe what makes this inventory creative is the way I began the paragraph. “Why do people procrastinate? I’m writing this inquiry question as I have waited until the last minutes to decided what my inquiry question should be.” This sentence is creative because it makes the following sentences more interesting, it adds a reason for writing. It connects the topic to the author, which makes it both interesting for the audience to read and the writer to write. This sentence also adds comedy and irony to the paragraph, which it didn’t have to entail. This sentence represents creative writing and makes the paragraph more enjoyable to read.