Writing is a way of putting thoughts on paper and telling a story without talking.

To me, writing is a way of putting a story out there without actually physically talking
about it. In this class, we worked on three writing projects. I wrote about the meaning
behind a mural, a neutral essay on mission trips, and a persuasive essay on mission
trips.
The essay on murals really made me think deeply about the meaning behind
something. It really challenged me because there was really no story behind my mural
so I had to be creative and use context clues and think about what the mural would
mean to me.
The essay about staying neutral was probably the one that came easiest to me
because I have been focusing on journalism writing a lot this semester and I need to
stay neutral for that. Lastly, my persuasive essay was probably the most challenging.
The topic I picked was mission trips, and that topic can be a little touchy at times. I
wanted to persuade people that I believe mission trips are beneficial but it was
challenging to not offend anybody.
In this course, my understanding of rhetoric was very limited. When I thought of the
word rhetoric, I would think about rhetorical devices such as alliteration or allusion. I
never incorporated Aristotle or Plato into rhetoric at all.
In this class I have come to the conclusion rhetoric is all about persuasion. It is
about listening to the other side and putting your self in the other person’s shoes. I have
applied myself to rhetoric in a few different ways in this class. For example, in project
number three we wrote a persuasive essay, and I choose to do mine on the pros of
mission trips. At the beginning of the essay, I start out by saying “There was a
significant difference in how people acted and even praised the Lord throughout the
week I was on the trip.” I stated my strong belief and then went into a counter argument
by saying, “People may argue that going to a foreign country and spreading a religion
could be forceful. “​They can end up doing more harm than good,” said Gabby
Ducharme, an ASU student.” I needed to include this because I needed to make it clear
that I see another side of the situation, but I do come back and fight for the side of the
argument with, “Not every trip is meant to spread the word of God. Many are strictly for
medical purposes or building homes for people who have nothing, and incorporate
nothing with religion.”
Dialogue, on the other hand, is not necessarily physically talking as well.
Dialogue can consist of talking but it is also understanding what the other side has to
say. There are two people and two different viewpoints in a conversation. The other
person has to listen to the other side and try to understand where they are coming from.
Coming into this course my writing was also all over the place. I had taken
english classes my whole life and it wasn’t until this semester where I started writing
journalism pieces. I felt like my english was not as good this semester because I was so
focused on another type of writing. I did learn in class how to balance the two, the
essay’s we write in class flow to together very well and we are able to talk in the first
person as well as say how we feel about certain topics.
This class really focused on WPA outcomes as well as Habits of Mind. In project
3 ​my greatest struggle while writing my essay was critical thinking. I had a touchy topic
on mission trips and I had a hard time thinking about what the other side of the story
would think. Some of the greatest arguments I have seen have been over religion and I
needed to make sure I was not offending anyone. I believe I worded my words correctly
where someone from the opposing side would be able to view my side just as
respectfully as I view there’s. To overcome my struggle I used responsibility. I had to be
responsible for how I worded my words so people would not get offended. I believe I
worded things correctly so I could get my point across and not offend anyone. In my
essay when I mention the counter-argument, people may not want to go on mission
trips because they cost a ridiculous amount of money, I come back by saying how I
think it is beneficial and worth it. I say that the people of the foreign country get to
experience something new and missionaries can experience a fun time while helping
those in need.
In this class I wish I got more out my writing, I need to learn how to flow my
writing more and have everything mush together. When I read classmates writing
there's seems to flow very smoothly and they have a colorful sense of language, which
is something I am lacking in my writing.
This class has helped improved my writing quite a bit though. The writing pieces
that we worked on in class, was actually not my favorite part, but the documentary was.
I am a journalism student aspiring to go down the broadcast path and I liked that the
documentary gave me more practice with on-camera presence and editing videos. The
essay that took a neutral perspective also helped me with my journalism aspirations. I
need to stay unbiased toward every situation and that essay helped me do that.
Overall, this class has benefited me in several ways. I was able to work on a form
of writing that I won’t be able to use with my career path, but it helped bring the
creativity out of me that journalism requires. This class also had me think more than I
ever had in an english class. I never thought so deeply about rhetoric or dialogue before
and haven’t really applied to my life very much. This class brings something that every
person can benefit from which is writing.