My experience in Principles of
Composition II this year was unlike any prior to it. Usually, English classes
are based primarily on reading and writing, but this class was based almost
entirely on technology. Because of this, my papers were different than they
usually are. I feel the work that I have completed is quality, but not my
finest. However, I do feel like my Ethos in the work that I have produced is
solid to exceptional in certain cases. If there was one thing that I improved
on dramatically in this class, it is improving my Ethos as a writer.
My definition of Ethos essentially
is the credibility, and believability of the author when the reader reads
something. If a person reads something and does not trust the source, then the
author’s ethos is miserable. Conversely, if a reader believes and fully trusts
the author, then the writer’s ethos is good. Ethos should not take much effort
from the writer, but it often does. It is an art developing good ethos, and
takes preparation and care. This semester, I believe that I developed good
ethos in all of my papers, but especially in the first one, “Modern Day Fantasy
Football”.
Fantasy football is a game that I am
absurdly experienced in. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to it. The
purpose of the first assignment it appeared was to learn how to build ethos in
a relaxed context where the student felt comfortable. Nowhere do I feel more
comfortable than talking about sports, and it was apparent in my blog post. It
gave me the confidence moving forward on my other papers, as well as a
foundation on how to utilize proper ethos in my writing. If this paper were in
a museum, I would be proud to show it. It exhibits exactly what I want it to,
and does a proper job explaining how fantasy football has changed over the
years. While a museum isn’t exactly the ideal place for a blog post, if my
article was featured on a fantasy football specialty website, such as
Rotoworld, I would be thrilled. My second paper, on the effect of technology on
the Arab Spring, exhibited many of the qualities that the first one did.
The Arab Spring, or the series of
revolutions in the Middle East over the past few years, was an issue that I,
being Jewish and a strong supporter of Israel, followed very closely. My
knowledge of the situation, plus the extensive research on the subject that I
found interesting, helped my Ethos tremendously in that paper. However, the
subject was not talking specifically about the Arab Spring, but the technology
associated with it. I found it challenging to develop a strong level of Ethos
in the article, because my knowledge of technology was limited. If this paper
got exposure, I would be fine with it, but relatively embarrassed at the lack
of quality. It would need to be refined to be shown off to the world. My third
paper, an evaluative paper on a Ron Paul advertisement, was filled with Ethos
as well.
The story about the third paper was
solid content, but marginal writing quality. This paper’s Ethos was good at the
core, but needed to be refined tremendously. I believe that if I had put more
time, energy, and drafting into that paper that it would be my finest of them
all. The ethos exhibited in the paper was good, but was negated by a lack of
support and expansion of my points. I would be fine if this paper were featured
on a website or in a museum, as long as I was able to revise it a few times.
The points featured in the essay are beyond satisfactory in my mind, but the
paper itself needed a lot of work to be acceptable in public eyes.
Overall, I believe my work this year
exhibited strong characteristics of rhetoric. This includes logos and pathos,
along with a strong ethos. With a little more refinement in my work, I would be
proud for it to be featured in a museum, or on a website featuring student
work. In their current state, however, I would not be comfortable sharing my
work with the public, especially the academic community. It would require much
more effort on my part. That being said, I have been moderately satisfied with
my work this semester. I definitely could have done more to improve papers, but
the development of rhetorical concepts improved throughout the semester.
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