Self-Assessment Essay
It is not until the end of the semester I realize how much I have changed and improve in my writing style. I can still recall moments even from phase one about “rhetorical situations” and “show me don’t tell me.” It was the beginning for me to think about how my writing is not just a homework assignment but something to express my views and connect with the audience. [The few Ted talks and videos (such as Safwat Saleem and Melissa Olivia) in class enlightened my knowledge in ethos, pathos, and logos. The three rhetorical terms ethos, pathos, and logos helped me describe my essay more vividly to the audience as well as relatable. I understood the importance of letting the audience that unclear to my topic to understand the situation because it is what all good writers do.] The very first reading the class read was by Lippi-Green, the book named English with an accent and the chapter “Linguistic Factors of Life.” From the reading, I acquired the information about the five factors, and the one that interests me the most is that all spoken language is equal. I would later use the factor as evidence and expanded into an argument for my essays.
Figure 1: Safwat Saleem Ted Talk[v1]
For example, in phase 3, my essay topic was about the award-winning actress Emma Thompson attacks the use of sloppy language (slang,) and I used Lippi-Green as my strongest evidence to analyze the essay. More importantly, from phrase 3, I continue learning to “recognize the role of language attitudes and standards in empowering, oppressing, and hierarchizing languages and their users.” [In the essay, I saw how the words of public figure can bring oppression to teenagers and immigrants because the language they are speaking is not as good as standard English. Later in class, I understood more of the effects of language discrimination in the Key and Peele (Substitute teacher) episode. The class analyzed the show and tried to find questions such as: What was at stake? How was it working? What were the gain and losses? And what was the social consequence? Moreover, this assignment, unlike the past assignments, needs a citation for unusual sources; for example, memes. Although in class Professor Miller always gives out the Rhetorical Situation worksheet that always includes a question asking for the reading’s citation, still, I got lost while creating the citation. However, I discovered the website call Citation machine and it helped me to “practice systematic application of citation conventions.”
Before phase three essay, it was the phase two essay called the Research Exploratory Essay. The assignment was to conduct extensive research on language discrimination topics and create an argumentative essay using research/scholar and class readings as evident.[ A few sessions of the class were in the STC rooms in the library, which the professor teaches us how to use the school library system to find a reliable source]. After practicing a few times by myself, I soon “understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences” and “locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library databases or archives and on the internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, and bias in my essay. Many of the sources I used in the exploratory essay was found in the school library system and closely reviewed to examine the relevancy of the reading.[ I needed to search (Commend F) for keywords that are relevant to language conflicts on Disney cartoons. Meanwhile, discovering new tools such as work citations and types of articles in the school library database.] Since phase two was the longest and most challenging phase, many peer review and tutoring are required for the quality of the essay. I developed “strategies for reading, drafting, revising, and editing” during the phase. In the in-class peer-review, I managed to get authentic feedback from classmates and found out the “what” I need to answer in my essay.
Figure 2: Comments from Professor Watson
In the very first phase, the class had to write about a meaningful moment in our lives that is relevant to language discrimination; the essay was called the Language Narrative. The moment I have chosen is about how people take advantage of others that lack language skill. In class, readings were assigned to us that gave us a heads up of what language discrimination is and how our essay would be like. By reading a chapter of Lippi-Green’s book and Amy Tan’s essay, the class (MORE SPECIFIC) “explores and analyzes in their own and other’s writing a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.” [In addition to the class discussion, the students were asked to do a rhetorical situation worksheet and it helped me realize I need to make a connection with the audience and let them picture what I was writing.] Therefore, I “recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations” by doing the show me don’t tell me method in my essay. [At the very end of phase one, the class also did a discussion by role-playing our destinated authors. ]From the conversation with authors, I “develop and engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.” Many of the author’s background information and purpose of writing made me notice new information such as discrimination in texting language and discrimination in the social media/school system.
Figure 4: The Rhetorical Situation Worksheet
All eight-course outcomes were met and given sufficient evidence to support it. The Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar course helped me improve my reading and writing ability, and provided me skills that will be useful in future English courses.
