Reflection Questions--Rhetorical Analysis

Goals: How did I do with the goals I set? Why didn’t I achieve my goals? Which goals were most useful to me? Which didn’t really help?

I did better at not procrastinating this time, although I still could have done better. One reason that I still left writing to the last minute was because I wasn't very interested in the topic. I would have liked it better if I'd been writing about something I was more interested in. 

Quality: Where in the writing do I feel most confident? Where am I weakest? What would I change if I had more time? What am I most proud of?

I've never written a rhetorical analysis before, so this was pretty new to me. I feel strongest when I describe things through imagery. I also felt stronger when I tried to write in my own voice, rather than someones elses.  

Writing Processes: What writing process did I use to write this? How well did it work for me? What needs to change, moving forward?

I kind of just went for it. Originally I was trying to sound too official. This backfired because I ended up writing differently than I usually do. I wasn't writing in my own voice. This made it so that I didn't like what I writing which made me less successful. Once I began to write like myself again, I was much more successful. 

What I learned: What did I learn from this writing task? What was the hardest part? What’s something new I’m taking away from it? What part of the process interested me the most? What did my instructor do to help me learn? What did my instructor do that wasn’t effective and didn’t help me learn?

The hardest part was that I wasn't writing about something that interested me. If I'd been writing about Matchar's ideas, rather than the way she shared those ideas, I would have been more interested. Despite this, it was still a good experience to try something new. I really enjoyed discussing the article with other members of my group and my teacher. I learned a lot about rhetoric and how to apply certain tools to your wring. 

How to apply what I learned: How will I apply what I learned from this writing task to future writing tasks (in my major, for example, or in the workplace)? What new goals will I want to set?

One thing I'll be sure to do, is to choose topics that interest me. This experience made me grateful for the opportunity to choose your own topics. I'll also use my new knowledge of tools and appeals in writing to make my own arguments and essays stronger. These tools will help me to convey my thoughts better through writing. Next time I want to work really hard on my essay. I'm really excited about my topic for my research paper, and I'm excited to try something new and work hard.