Manraj Singh
Professor McVey
English Composition
November 18, 2020
Self-Assessment Essay: Culmination of the Semester
As the first semester of my college year concludes, it is safe to say that I have come a long way since the first day that I attended my English Composition class. Without a doubt, the ideas and skills set forth by my professor have completely showcased further room for myself in improving and developing my writing to newer horizons. Granted, there was no doubt that I’ve had much trepidation going into each and every phase of this semester, for there were many a times where I found myself conflicted in how to go about completing the tasks at hand. However, these moments were some of the many opportunities I’ve received that allowed to me successfully challenge, and ultimately strengthen my skills as a writer in many different aspects.
In a sense of overview, there have been many skills and concepts that have been introduced to me throughout the entirety of this English semester. Ranging from the skills needed to master the writing process, to the various rhetorical situations and strategies found for further comprehension and analysis, it is evident that this class has proved to offer much on behalf of my developments. Starting from the introductory phase of this semester, the first and foremost of skills that I had acquired from this class had to deal with the comprehension of the writing process. Accomplishing this through the form of personal narratives, I was able to initially learn from the many mistakes I used to make in my previous years of education, in hopes of starting to perfect them as I go about my journey within this class. Mirroring our own personal narratives to the many narratives we’ve discussed throughout the class, it was quite necessary to utilize the various literary techniques and strategies that many authors have previously incorporated within the process. Most notable of these skills and strategies consisted of determining the rhetorical situation of a narrative. Rhetorical situations, better known as the portrayal of an author’s main appeal/exigence behind their narrative, proved to be one of the most effective strategies that I was able to successfully apply into my writing.
By the time phase 2 rolled by, although I had grown a better sense of how to analyze the writing process behind many authors and their works, there were still many expectations that arose within this class in regard to how one can further apply an analysis and draw concluding ideologies. That being said, with rhetoric as the center of focus for this phase, it was crucial to understand the different ways in which an author approaches their writing in order to appeal with their audience. To put into simpler terms, the learning curve from this phase entailed the analysis of an author’s rhetoric through the following aspects: the examination of appeals under pathos, logos and ethos. I must admit, however, that this form of analysis was not as easy as it may seem. While appeals of pathos, logos and ethos are obviously different from each other and within their own domains, figuring out how to locate these techniques within one’s story can be difficult without a proper breakdown. Thus, it was quite evident that learning how to find and utilize these techniques had proven to be quite the challenge throughout my journey. However, with all things considered, I feel confident that I have gained a successful understanding of how author’s tailor their work in order to bring about their own credibility.
As we fast forward into the present, the completion of phase 3 has brought out yet another key improvement within my writing career throughout this semester. Tying together the overall theme of politics within language, the key task behind this essay was to research a topic within the real world that connects language and its impact upon society. At first glance, there was no doubt that I had been completely lost from what the task required. To interpret commonalities between one idea and current events seemed like something that was far from my capabilities. However, through the utilization of worksheets such as the rhetorical situation and rhetorical précis handouts provided, I was able to break down and organize the common trends found within the sources I had chosen, and ultimately compare their overall expression of the thesis I created. With the comparison underway, it was also necessary to acknowledge the countering argument set forth, stirring the essay into its proper and intended direction. By the conclusion of this essay, I was able to successfully showcase the thesis I proposed, and further its discussion through this very comparison of other works that tested its credibility.
With keeping everything in mind, by reaching to this point in the semester, I had finally risen with a newer level of understanding and comprehension of the many errors that I once used to make in many ways. With starting off from the prelude of this semester, I often found myself troubled to make sense of what exactly English composition required of me to do. As rhetoric grew to become a recurring idea within our learning curve, there were many moments where I hadn’t the slightest clue of what to make out of it. There were parts of me, at times, where I would often find myself questioning the whole perspective behind incorporating various techniques such as rhetoric within my writing in the first place. However, with each passing phase of my English composition class, I was able to grow out of my former shell as a writer and better comprehend the various aspects of language that I can hope to utilize as the future pleases.
