Project 4 Reflection

Throughout the semester, I learned a lot about rhetorical analysis as a whole. I did not know much about rhetorical analysis prior to this course. I learned about the difference between rhetorical genres and rhetorical devices. I learned how to differentiate and create specific genre audiences that differ from other genre choices. I also discovered the different uses and contexts of text based and non-text based artifacts. Analyzing artifacts and their rhetorical appeals was interesting to see the arguments that the authors portray. Being able to see their rhetorical strategies helped me understand why they chose the genres and audiences that they did. In project 1, I really enjoyed researching my chosen topic and learning different statistics and facts that corroborate my argument that I chose for project 2. In project 2, I learned the substantial amount about rhetorical analysis and devices. Using my knowledge of rhetorical devices and analysis, I was able to accurately analyze the strategies that the authors of my chosen artifacts used and why they chose to use those certain devices and genres to communicate their arguments. For project 3, I wanted to change my topic to something I am more passionate about, allowing myself to create artifacts portraying my true argument of the topic I chose. I had a fun time researching good ways to communicate my ideas and composing my artifacts. I heavily enjoyed writing artifact 2, my email. It was a different spin on creativity while using proper facts and the laws. I found choosing different audiences really helpful in creating different artifacts in different genres to reach certain people in those audiences. Throughout all three major projects, I believe that I have mastered rhetorical analysis for future use and when I am creating an argument based on a specific issue; I will use the strategies that I learned for when I need to portray my argument properly.