Reflection On Professor Shaw-Tillmon's Writing Class

The piece of writing which I felt was unsuccessful for me was the Rhetorical Analysis of an article relating to a topic from our course book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. This piece of writing was difficult for me to organize my ideas around. The article that I decided to use for my rhetorical analysis highlighted mass incarceration among African American and the effect of civil liberties being are taken away from these individuals. I had a lot of repetition because many of the examples I used demonstrated more than one type of appeal. I found myself repeating what the purpose of the example was and how it demonstrated proper use of ethos, pathos, and logos. This also made it difficult

For example Skloot in the prologue writes, “In culture, cancer cells can go on dividing indefinitely, if they have a continual supply of nutrients, and thus are said to be “immortal.” A striking example is a cell line that has been reproducing in culture since 1951.” (Skloot 5) As a writer she chooses to do so to give the audience a better comprehension to little details; she educates the readers before elaborating further into the subject. In one of the chapters Skloot easily explains cell life, cell division, and how cells are cultured using logos in a manner that anyone and everyone would effortlessly comprehend. Couple examples of logos was when Skloot’s mentions, “According to Howard Jones and other gynecologic oncologists I talked with, the correct diagnosis wouldn’t have changed the way Henrietta’s cancer was treated”(Skloot 172) and “In 1928 a German virologist named Harald zur Hausen discovered a new strain of a sexually transmitted virus called Human Papilloma Virus 18 (HPV-18).'' (Skloot 212) She uses reliable sources and discreetly informs the reader that she isn’t saying things out of thin air but instead she uses proper sources to validate her points in her novel. She uses logos by discussing scientific information and explanations, as well as the degree of Henrietta’s impact on

Once the poem “History Lesson” was written numerous poetry foundations celebrated it for many reasons. “History Lesson” not only makes an impact on literature today it has also impacted people also. This poem inspires people and moves them to the point to where they can find a personal connection to the poem itself and to the writer. Not only does it hold emotional value for those who were victimized and those whose family were victimized by the laws of segregation, but the poem is also celebrated for its complexity. The poem uses many techniques to appeal to the reader. In this poem the writer uses imagery to create logos, uses connotation convey ethos,

Patrick Henry, a Virginian lawyer, made himself known for the speeches supporting American democracy. He is known as the "Orator of Liberty." In 1775, American colonists were still under Great Britain’s power. Many were hoping to be able to work out their disagreements and remain British subjects. Patrick Henry had had enough of cooperating with the British. Henry believed the only solution left was to go to war with Britain. So he gives a speech to the Virginia Convention to plead his cause. In his speech he uses many different examples of ethos, pathos, and logos.

Clear, concise, and cohesive: all necessities of an argument. Matthew Sanders, a college professor at the University of Utah, writes in his online bio that he enjoys analyzing the ways of teaching and learning, which is exactly what Sanders does in his book. In Matthew L, Sanders’ book Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education he argues that college is meant to develop a person into a greater being not to teach them job skills. To develop Sanders’ claim, learning is more than just retaining facts, he correctly aligns his rhetorical situation and uses elements of generative and persuasive arguments. These techniques can include new angles, appeals, storytelling, and many other strategies to influence its readers

Over the course of English 1302 at Texas Tech, I feel that my skills as a writer improved significantly. When beginning the class, I knew little about writing a literature review or researched argument. With the help of my instructor’s lectures and the University Writing Center, I was able to effectively get my point across effectively while forming a well developed and well spoken manner. The advice given to me about argumentative essays and integrating sources helped significantly over the course of this class, and the skills learned in English 1302 helped me in other classes this semester when writing as well.

In 1741, Jonathan Edwards delivered a sermon called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” to a congregation in Enfield, Connecticut. This sermon was so influential and poignant that today it has transformed into a piece of literature that many study in classes. This bit of literature is so utterly jam-packed with the use of rhetorical appeals, often referred to as ethos, pathos, and logos. These three appeals are derived from ancient Greece, or more precisely, the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Ethos appeals to the audience’s sense of trust, pathos, to their sense of emotion, and logos, to their sense of logic. The use of ethos, pathos, and logos in any type of writing or speaking can create a commanding and arresting effect on the reader/listener.

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies paints two stark and opposing images of reality. On the one hand, the novel suggests that certain characters have venerable attitudes, making them seem like the protagonists, like Simon or Piggy. This can be seen from the motivating forces behind Simon’s decisions, or by the civilized behavior portrayed by Piggy. On the other hand, the novel also suggests that a deep built-in mechanism exists in every human being, one that prioritizes survival over morality. Just by observation, the novel demonstrates Jack’s exercise of hunting instincts, his combat of the social recourse from Ralph, his influence on everyone else to join him, and his eventual takeover of the

One of the biggest things that I have learned from taking this course is that good content is more important than sophistication. Both are very important in essay writing, but it is more important to have clear content and material so that the audience can understand your position. Last year, I always seemed to lose points on essays for not having sophisticated enough prose, so I came into this class under the impression that the most important things in a

In the winter of 1776, during American Revolution, the still young America faced three major dilemmas: their seemingly imminent defeat, the moral debate between the Whigs and the British loyalists, and the panic and confusion of the American public. In efforts to settle the three American dilemmas, Thomas Paine wrote The Crisis No. 1 in December of 1776. In his work, Paine aimed to calm the American public and convince them to stand up to the British, and turn the war into an American victory. Paine was very successful in this, and his paper was proclaimed as one of the most persuasive works of the American Revolution. Paine’s The Crisis is so persuasive because of Paine’s use of three rhetorical devices: ethos, pathos, and logos.

Have you ever seen a sign and scratched your head wondering what is it trying to communicate? All around the Unites States, patriotic slogans are countless and in Gary Sloan’s article “Sleuthing Patriotic Slogans,” Sloan presents readers with his thoughts concerning patriotic slogans by questioning various patriotic expressions, parsing each of the words for meaning. Sloan sparks critical thinking about various slogans through his thoughtful writing style and use of rhetorical appeals. This rhetorical analysis shows the varied degrees of success with which Sloan uses ethos, logos, and pathos: while Mr. Sloan’s credibility appeal is strong because of his teaching background and his use of logical appeal by breaking down words into meaning is difficult to argue with, his use of emotional appeal is somewhat weak. However, Sloan does not identify himself as being a part of the groups to which his pathos might appeal to, such as

Year after year, America has been singled out for its deteriorating educational system. Fridman suggests in his passage that this is due to the attitude of anti-intellectualism plaguing American society. Fridman decides to use ethos and logos as his rhetorical strategies in his essay. Ethos convinces someone of the character or credibility of the persuader. Logos appeals to an audience by using logic and reason. In his passage, Leonid Fridman utilizes logos and ethos in order to urge his audience to value intellectual curiosity.

Lawrence B. Schlack author of ¨Not going to College is a Viable Option” article is persuasive for students entering college. Throughout the essay Mr. Schlack gives many examples to why it is very important for students to know what they want to do before making a lifelong choice. Doing this Lawrence B. Schlack uses ethos, pathos and logos to establish persuasion within the article. Overall the article, “Not Going to College is a Viable Option” is an article persuades readers to stop and think of the choices they’re going to make.

I find that the wording and presentation of an article or essay influences my opinion of the writer, and it affects how I receive the idea they are trying to present to me. Craig Vetter uses a blunt approach to convey his idea that writing is nearly impossible to teach, and describes writing as “A blood sport, a walk in the garden of agony every time out.” He presents writing as an arduous task that no one can ever perfect, and he presents this view in a harsh light that makes you realize that what he says is a cold hard truth, that you suck at writing, and that there is next to nothing that you can do to change that.

Rhetorical devices is used significantly through both text, Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation, and A Fable for Tomorrow. Both text use ethos, pathos, and logos, but in different forms, and techniques. Which affects the effectiveness of the tone, and feeling of each text. Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation, uses more ethos, facts and credibility. A Fable for Tomorrow, uses more pathos, appeals to emotion.