Alondra Perez

Professor McClure
Writing 39B
6 December 2015
Final Reflection
Whether wed like to admit it or not, communication and writing is everywhere. It is the
way how we express what we feel, what we believe, what we desire, or what we simply just hate.
I dont hate writing, if that was your budding question, but it is true that I am not the biggest fan
of writing. I find numbers to be more concrete and straightforward, whereas with writing, there
are thousands of different ways one can argue the exact same thing. For this reason, yes I was
extremely nervous going into the course, and no, I was not the most excited learning that I had to
take a course based on the fundamentals of rhetoric. Learning that the course required loaded
amounts of writing assignments was of no surprise. Having though, the horror genre as our main
genre to focus on for the class, sparked some of my ambition to actually want to tackle the
powers of persuasion. It is because of this course, that 10 weeks later I am able to say that I
understand what it means when one says, rhetoric is about seeing opportunities to build
bridges... for the purpose of persuasion and consideration, as Hayden McNeil states in her
Anteaters Guide to Writing and Rhetoric (pg.3).
In order to understand the concept of rhetoric, we first had to understand that rhetoric
does not simply involve being persuasive, but considerate of the audience and the situation the
person or text finds itself in. Every act of communication is based on a specific context and
moment in time between the rhetor and the audience receiving the text. The concept of a rhetoric

party sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well its not all that easy confronting the text and
critically analyzing its overall message. I, over the years, have learned that the hard way.
In preparation for a critical reading, as we were expected to do so throughout the course,
were given the RA: Reznor/ Cash Response assignment (refer to the selections tab). We watched
two different music video presentations and had to examine in detail, the difference in images
and viewer reception for both videos. We had to consider the themes and the evidence that
supported them, as well as which one had an overall stronger response. With this assignment, I
was able to exercise and showcase my close reading skills, as I avoided merely generalizing what
happened in the text. I argued that the most prominent theme that stood out from Reznors music
video was death and the deep anguish that correlates, as pain and misery were only a few
reoccurring state of minds that appeared in the images. With my comparison to Cashs video
being less emotionally driven, I was able to conclude that there was a more effective use of
pathos in Reznors video, increasing the inevitability for the audience to empathize and feel that
same somber emotion. It was easier to relate to; therefore, the viewer reception was arguably
stronger. With my observations and analysis of all the dark images that were shown, I was able to
provide evidence for my argumentation of the videos overall, emotionally driven success
towards a much stronger viewer response.
Critical reading is one thing, but successfully communicating the analysis is another
thing. Throughout the quarter I cant deny the fact that I did find myself struggling a bit to
convincingly state my argument and maintain that consistency throughout. After receiving
feedback from my first rhetorical analysis draft, I was not the happiest, yet I wasnt deemed
completely hopeless. I did receive positive feedback from my professor, stating I had some really
great points and was actually engaging with the text. The topic sentences were the ones though,

that needed revision as they lacked consistency and specificity. It is inevitable to sometimes stray
towards the mindset of wanting to write more just because it sounds more intricate, therefore
believing that the observations seem more elaborate. That belief however, has yet to be proven
true. It is only until I had my peers and mentors telling me to specifically reference what I was
beating around the bush in saying that I realized I had to change my habits. I read and understood
the feedback and decided to interpret my weakness as a sole indicator as to what I needed to
focus on for my final. It is through my completion of the RA final draft, (refer to RA process,
under essay tab) that you are able to notice my improvements in specificity. I added support to
my argumentation to further debate why I believed the main character from Richard Mathesons
novel, I Am Legend, mirrored the same injustices minorities face today in society, which
ultimately framed the character as a true monster. It is here that you are able to observe my
growing improvement. It is through the completion of the RA assignment that I learned as well,
to not refer to the characters of novels as people. I was so used to making comments that
depicted the character to be emotionally equivalent to a human, that I realize the absurdity in
regards to rhetorical analysis. I now realize that the drilled concept I so used to using in high
school was nothing but incorrect. However though, it is with this new found knowledge that I
will be seen more successful with future writing courses such as 39C, as now I will consider how
the text effects the reader within the context.
With this course, it is needless to say, that I have as well learned the importance of the
writing process. As you are able to identify on my essay tabs, I dont just have the final drafts
uploaded, but the rough drafts as well, along with their respective peer reviews or other form of
drafting. This shows how effectively we individually participated in the process, as we received
feedback from different perspectives and took advantage of it to only enhance our writing.

Rough drafts are always considered to be work in progresses whether you are a fourth year in
college or first year. The ideas are just beginning to flow and the consistency does not suddenly
appear with just one run-through of the text. After receiving feedback on my RIP rough draft, I
was informed that I lacked stating the specific message my group and I wanted the audience to
receive about zombies specifically. You can see in my final draft of the essay, that I specifically
stated that we wanted the audience to understand that zombies arent just a depiction of
mindless bodies, but serve as representation of disorder. I then moved onto providing my
evidence by stating that Max Brooks from The New York Times Magazine believes that, many
folks cant cope with real-life dangers; they (like him) would prefer to metabolize their anxiety
through science fiction.
Rough drafts are essentially, a writers thoughts and ideas at their most vulnerable state,
they are not perfect nor refined. And like any person who is willing to improve their writing
skills, I find drafting and reviewing to be essential factors to a more positive and overall
convincing outcome. The art of rhetoric is so powerful that if it isnt successfully convincing, the
purpose it lost. I dont want to get lost. I want to keep learning on how to maintain that drive and
argumentation throughout my years as a college student and beyond. It is thanks to Professor
McClure and 39B, that with his careful teachings and creative assignments, I have equipped a
much more solid foundation for future communications and argumentations. It is because of my
understanding of what a rhetorical situation is, that I pay more close attention to the details
within a text, and criticize even more what it is that the text is trying to argue. This has only been
one less stepping stone on my journey to becoming a more solid, convincing writer, as well as
speaker, and I more than grateful to have been apart of it.