English 220-023 UNM Fall 2015

Reflective Memorandum

Date: December 9th, 2015

To: English 220 Portfolio Committee
From Alex Ho
Subject: Student Learning Outcomes of English 220 Portfolio
I always wanted to make sure I imbue my messages with a lasting impact of my
wisdom. I write out my ideas, put the paper together, and then reexamine it if
certain unnecessary elements only appear to obscure my arguments goal. While
this mindset has succeeded in showcasing my credibility to others with my careful
inspection of my mediums control of language and defining complex elements, I
have developed an acquisition of new perspectives and tools while venturing
through the courses objectives. While I am careful to making sure every element of
my work is flowing without any abrupt confusions and is well flowing with syntax, I
admit that I am not perfect in crafting academic papers and I need to seek the
wisdom of other nobles, academic elitists and scholars.
Going into a health-science field, there is no doubt there will be needed precision
and urgency in delivering information, such as prescriptions or describing a
patients life circumstances or research on certain health issues and putting their
historical context in the most effective way as possible. The following examines
specifics from each project as my writing progresses chronologically.
Project 1
The first formal and academic project has us exploring the significance of Platos
Allegory of the Cave from his Socratic dialogue, The Republic, which gives us the
taste of adapting our writing in analyzing Greek Philosophy. We are tasked with
analyzing Platos message about education about the caves. In regards to
Analyze Rhetorical Situations and Find and Evaluate Information SLOs, I
have to investigate the whole motivation for Platos work and find outside
information from analyzers of this medium. Information includes double checking
the authors intentions of the theme and second takes from scholars and the like. It
is not realistic that everyone must always agree with a seemingly prestigious figure,
and given my suspicion regarding the puppeteers in The Allegory of the Cave,
Arthur Herman was the devils advocate. As an analyzer of Greek Philosophy, he
essentially uncovered Plato and the Greek Philosophers possible support of slavery
in his works that seemingly go on without question from Plato or other characters.
In regards to Composing Documents, I have my normal strategy of first
introducing a fancy intro paragraph, explaining the situation at hand, defining
unfamiliar or complex concepts (like Cognitive Dissonance in my third project) and
its relevance and addressing the objective. Before getting off the ground, I
stumbled a bit when I tend to introduce rather bizarre metaphorical examples, such

as relating extraterrestrial civilization symbolizing the freed prisoners to let the

other prisoners (Earth) know about the illusions they live in my earlier drafts. It
looks like it goes beyond the realm of the scope as far as the target prompt is
concerned. I like to share my metaphorical thoughts to help the readers understand,
but it needs to be brought back to the ground in staying in the scope to addressing
the objective at hand without overdoing it or confusing others. In this case, it is
about education. I refocused my mindset and instead decided to relate my
knowledge of egocentrism and how it perfectly puts the Cave Allegory in a more
appropriate perspective. This project, along with feedback from fellow
students/tutors such as Jesse Hendricks, Kelly Kailer and Sarah addressing the
questionable analogy, has changed my mindset in keeping more to the ground
when using metaphorical elements to attempt to relate the situation.
Before I Present Documents, I checked with UNM tutors to make sure my
message was not being barred from some syntax errors, lapses or elements that
distract from the objective. Other advices include being aware of varying
backgrounds and how each diverse individual gives a perspective that I wouldnt
have thought otherwise which would have either offended or showcase an obvious
misunderstanding.
The second part of the project allowed us to express the medium in not only
creative but salient (involving multiple senses) outputs. The images I used convey
the concept of Egocentrism broadly, but is explained much deeper with the paper.
They both complement each other to help my readers gain a foundation for complex
concepts I use before delivering appliances to the argument. The first project
reignited my writing excellence since my last English course three semesters ago.
Project 2
Project 2 goes more into my interested field and gives a small opportunity to test
my writing in the health-sciences with a given historical context. Because I am so
eager to stuff a bunch of interesting concepts to relevant to the prompt that I have
acquired from my relevant coursework, I was in disarray of how to go about
Composing this Document. Some concepts include Health Literacy, how other
nations lunches put America to shame, as well as topics related to genetics and
evolution based on CJ Hunts The Perfect Human Diet. Everything was so
interesting, but I have to make sure to explain the foundation of each concept and
not get out of focus with the theme.
However, when I shared some interesting aspects of the film during dinner with
family, my brother, a UC Davis graduate with a genetics major, dispelled the films
premise and that it is meant to sell the hosts book. While issues like the impact of
the food processing industry, as from Sally Fallons Nourishing Traditions and
Wendell Berrys The Pleasures of Eating, certainly are prominent issues regarding
food and education, arguments that our ancestors being smarter is questioned.
People these days are living longer and with better sanitary situation and
healthcare. This only ensures that my Evaluation of Information can be improved
by not jumping into conclusions and doing additional research and always having
the devils advocate to never be certain. Having pursuing a health-science field, it
is embarrassing how gullible I was so easily.

Project 3
Being able to work with a Manifesto allows greater freedom of being more
intimidate with the audience without the formal restrictions, though one writer must
still be professional and credible. Analyze Rhetorical Situation: It is clear from
what we have studied in this course, based on Sally Fallon and Wendell Berry works,
that America is experiencing a health crisis. I wanted to relate that my experience
proves that anyone going through the same situation isnt alone and that I want to
share my wisdom to make cooking food at home more desirable than always
going to fast food restaurants, even after work or school. While Finding and
Evaluating Information, there were a lot of valid outside information to
complement my manifesto in bringing back the symbol of food and its previous
accomplishments (How Beer Gave us Civilization), ridiculing modern food industry
(If Fast Food Ads were Honest) and its current dysfunctional state undermining
those historical contexts. Presenting the Documents with the relevant images
and videos has given this project a more salient impact, and it is my fervent hope
that the argument I present is so vivid, combining my wisdom and writing with my
chosen media, retains in my readers for long to come.
The SLOs do well to retain my focus in writing and will help me in the vigorous
health-science fields where communication is essential when lives are on the line.
My original mindset still hangs with me in defining the situation and complex
concepts before tackling the issue. The course has given me new assets to further
explore additional branches of reaching out to my audience with full vivid
approaches. In the end, I am proud about the opportunities I have had in this course
and the acquisition of new skills and dropping obsolete ones based on the feedback
of Mrs. Alapin, fellow students as well as additional staff from the English
Department.
Thank you for the time to read my memo!