Reflection of Analysis Paper

I thoroughly  enjoyed writing the Analysis paper. Writing this paper felt much more natural to me than a standard academic paper. I enjoyed it because it gave me the opportunity to find a topic I enjoy and to analyze the “why” and “what” of said topic. I remember feeling nervous when I first began writing this paper because I was unsure if I could form ideas that would be interesting to read about. However, after studying the Op-Doc and pulling out as many rhetorical strategies as I could, I was able to pull together my paper. I felt like my paper did a great job of analyzing why the creators of my Op-Doc made the choices they did. I feel my paper also did a great job of explaining to the reader why they chose those things. I made sure to write in a way that would convince the audience that I was sure about what I was talking.

The Privilege of Wild Food

I very much enjoyed this article. I enjoyed the author’s choice of language to describe what it’s like to be a fisherman and how important their work is. I also enjoyed his description of cooking Cod Cakes, so much so that it made my mouth water. If I were to comment on the article I would just say thank you to the author for raising awareness about how privileged we are to enjoy such wonderful food. I would also thank him for encouraging people to be thankful for the food they eat and also for instructing people to think about where there food came from and all the work that went into catching and preparing it.

Logical Fallacies IRL

A logical fallacy is any type of fault in an argument that someone makes. We hear and experience a plethora of logical fallacies in our daily lives. One area where I see it the most is in politics. Anytime I discus politics with my friends, or especially my family, they tend to unknowingly use a straw man fallacy. A straw man fallacy is when someone attacks a person instead of their policy or beliefs. People love to use this fallacy, especially with politicians like Donald Trump. Although I am not a Trump supporter, it does anger me when people only complain about him as a person and not about his policy.

Using Descriptive Language in My Reflection

When I created the draft of my analysis paper, I began by thinking to myself and sort of internally brainstorming. I thought about what I wished to reflect upon. After forming a sort of thesis for my topic, I decided to do a bit of free writing. I remember feeling very excited about writing this paper because it was a topic I am passionate about. Being excited about and enjoying the source material for my papers makes them extremely easier.

One tough spot for me in writing this paper was figuring out how I wanted to relay the message to my audience. I had to make specific rhetorical choices, such as including things about the emotions tied in to politics. Using the right strategy helped make my paper much more cohesive and effective.

 

How to Survive Writing a Problem/Solution Argument Paper

Writing the problem/solution argument essay was a challenge. I began my writing process by finding a topic that interested me. After I found my topic, I began to search the internet for articles relating to my topic. This proved to be much more challenging than I had expected. It took me quite some time to find articles I could use to help my argument. I realized this probably meant my argument was too narrow. I then decided to expand my topic a bit in order to help find more materials to use. This helped me find more sources that supported my argument, and helped my paper deliver a stronger message.

My audience for this paper was an academic, well-educated audience that was interested in my topic. I chose to write in a way that helped my paper seem more credible and convincing, in order to help “convince” my audience. I made specific rhetorical choices while writing to help increase the attractiveness of my solution. This helped make my paper seem more credible and interesting.

Balancing this paper with my other course work was extremely difficult. However, it did not have to be. The professor gave us plenty of time to do this project. It would be extremely beneficial to use all of the given time wisely. I failed to do this. This resulted in me having to write a paper in the middle of one of the busiest weeks in my semester. My advice would be to use all of your time wisely so that you do not have to cram to do this project. Allow yourself plenty of time to find a topic that you can write about clearly and effectively. Do not be afraid to change topics if you are not finding the information you want.

Comparing Reflections

I much prefer to write a reflection as homework instead of as a timed writing. Writing at home allows me to take time to organize my thoughts and give an accurate reflection of how I feel about an assignment or a topic. When I do a reflection as a timed writing in class, I feel rushed, and I feel as if I am not expressing myself clearly. I absolutely believe my reflections I write as homework are stronger than the ones that I write in class.  I like the homework ones much more. The only positive about in class timed reflections is that they force me to think on me feet and my response is normally much more straight forward and descriptive.

Reflection on Multi-Modal Project

“A Reflection on Creating a Website”
When we were first assigned the Multi-Modal project in writing 101, I was a bit nervous. I had zero experience creating or designing a website, and was worried this assignment would involve hours of working to create a not-so-spectacular website. However, after being taught in class and viewing some videos on Youtube, I felt much more confident in my ability to create the website. Working on this project taught me that one of the most important steps in finishing a difficult assignment is to jump in and get to work. Although I was initially afraid of how much work this would involve, I soon came to realize that this would be one of the more entertaining assignments I would do in my writing class.
Working with Jimdo.com was an amazing experience because Jimdo is extremely user-friendly and easy to pick up. I really enjoyed all of the tools and editing styles one can achieve using Jimdo. It makes designing a website extremely easy and enjoyable. I enjoyed the website so much because of how worried I was that this would be a difficult assignment. I was worried it would be extremely complex to create a website that had a great visual appeal as well as getting my message across. With Jimdo, however, it turned out to be an extremely fun and easy task.
Building a website is an extremely rewarding experience. People spend most of their lives searching the internet without a clue about what goes into creating and designing the webpages they view. After this assignment, I feel that I have a much better perspective on how much work people put into designing a website, as well as how many intentional choices are made by the designers in order to make the website more efficient. I enjoyed this project because it helped solidify in my mind that one of the hardest parts of doing an assignment is just getting started. And, I would wager that most of the time, once I do start, the assignment becomes much more enjoyable and informative.

Gallery Walk Reflection

I enjoyed participating in the gallery walk. We walked around the class room and inspected each others websites and answered questions about the websites. I enjoyed this because seeing other people’s websites because it gave me new ideas to use for my website. The questions people answered about my website will also help me to improve my website. This exercise helped make my website better.

Learning Technology

Learning new technology is extremely beneficial. Learning new technology makes you competitive when searching for a job, it helps you be more connected to more people, and it helps you do things in your life way easier.

In my personal life, I learned photoshop so I could do some small graphic design jobs. Because I learned photoshop, I met more people, and made more money. I was able to promote local bands in the Memphis area and their shows. Here is an album cover I designed for a local band called Ecclesiast:

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In my academic and work life, I had to learn how to use a software called finale in order to compose music. I began learning finale in 2011, and have been continually getting better and better. It helps me write different pieces for the different ensembles I participate in.