Midterm

Sebastian Alvarez Espinoza

Instructor-Ingram, Suzanne
10/01/14
A. Looking back at my first blog in August my biggest worry was being able to have a well
written essay by the end of the class. So far with our peer discussion sessions I have been able to
improve and think more thoroughly on how I should write a proper essay. This class has taught
me many things such as the many different dialects and accents throughout this great nation and
how it affects one another. The class had taught me the important value an essay carries towards
your audience/reader and how your main goal in an essay is to deliver a clear message stating
your position or opinion. I learned the many different ways to pursue your audience/reader into
agreeing with your point of view. In the beginning of the class, my biggest fear was not be able
to fit in with my peers and have a great difficulty writing, but as class went by I realize of how
blindsided I was about the many flaws we all carry. I was glad to know that even though no one
is perfect we are still able to change and improve out grammar by the end of the day.
B. Going back to the syllabus I looked at the nine key concepts which are "habits of mind"
we are supposed to develop throughout the class. Out of the nine key concepts, I believe we have
amounted to only to four which are Critical Thinking, Curiosity, Getting out of your Comfort
Zone, The Writing Process and Revision, as well as Providing and Receiving Feedback. Over the
last few weeks we have developed these key concepts without even knowing it. In class we have
discussed much about many different topics such as difference in linguistics around the Unites
States as well as how should a teacher teach English due to the many differences found around
the nation. The second key concept is curiosity, I for myself have gained a copious amount of
curiosity to know more about how English works throughout the nation as well as the Modes of
Persuasion. From the class perspective there has been a much gain from learning more about
dialects and accents. Getting out of your comfort zone has been a tough key concept for most of
the class since not being used to judgment in high school. We have been able to overcome this
key concept by peer editing and allowing everyone to give a truthful insight into someone's else's
essay. This has allowed us to write more freely and describe what we feel with a better insight.
The fourth key concept is The Writing Process and Revision which we have discussed in class
and have acted upon. This has led us to peer reviewing each other's essays for a true judgment on
our essay. This has led me to take my peer's judgment on my essay as a gift instead of an insult.
The Writing Process has also made me more aware of how I should approach the reader to keep
them interested while approaching many different ways of persuasion.
C. On my Literary Narrative my favorite revision was to implement an excerpt from my
Graduation Project Essay. My Graduation Project Essay made was the peak of my writing since
coming to the United States and since been my favorite essay. The topic was the "How Chile
Changed after the 17-year dictatorship socially, politically , and economically" which was a topic
close to my heart because of the many Chileans that died and the many that struggle thinking
about the past. The reason for this being favorite revision was because it shows real proof of my
improvement in writing throughout my career. Another favorite revision was the simplification
of some of my sentences because of my trouble with running on sentences. An example from the
first paragraph "I Started in 5th Grade due to the school calendar being different in Chile because
of the Northern and Southern hemispheres being different" which was a really wordy sentence, I
changed it to " Started in 5th Grade due to the school calendar being different in Chile due to the
hemispheres being switched" which was a shorter sentence and easier to understand. Moving
forward I made more changes to my wording and the conclusion which I though looked vague. I
changed it to link more to my introduction. The last sentence " My literary development not only
changed my literacy, but as well as my life." remarked the development of my English and its
importance.
D. I picked e-portfolio Sample #5 by Lauren Gruber to rhetorically analyze. This e-portfolio
is really throughout and has a good approach by the author by logos. In her blog, her use of
language appeals really well to the class because of the letter format she is using. In her blogs
she makes a lot of metaphors and similes to appeal to the reader more closely. Moreover the
author makes good a persona by bringing personal experiences to her writing to prove her
similarity to the audience. This credibility allows her to appeal to the reader more by
emphasizing personal experiences. An example of her ethos is can be found in most all of her
essays because of the first-person writing by describing many experiences of her. This can be
found in her first essay draft she goes "I rise up this morning, smile with the rising sun, then
three little birds were on my doorstep" this brings a real persona that the reader can relate to.
Furthermore, she brings real emotional remarks in her blog that appeals to the readers. An
example of this is can be found in her Blog Post #3 "Although it seemed like a boring paper, I
used music as a topic the affect Kurt Cobains suicide made" in which we can find an
emotional connection to the reader. Many people know about Kurt Cobain's suicide and how it
impacted the country, her use of this real event make the reader feel as a part of the essay that is
expressing almost the same feelings as his or her. Lauren's e-portfolio is really interesting and
has many genres. In my opinion I regard Lauren's e-portfolio as really artistry and coming-of-
age. I see this is as her ability to describe things in such a way that allows the reader to fully
acknowledge what she wants to describe. The reason for the coming-of age genre is because of
the many things she describes as change from her past and how she likes English nowadays and
the many experiences that are different from what she already has experienced. If her e-portfolio
were ever to be a genre it would land between artistry and coming-of-age. In conclusion, I
believe that her e-portfolio is really successful it really appealed to me. Her blog made me think
back of many memories that linked to her text. Her e-portfolio made really good remarks and has
a good method of using metaphors and similes. This blog would intrigue many readers because
of her use of pathos, logos, and ethos.
E. Throughout the course I believe I been doing pretty well I been putting a lot of effort into
my work and though a lot about what I write. The peer reviewing has helped a lot in my writing
while allowing me to help my peers to succeed in writing. I been using many quotes throughout
my readings and have kept trying to show my understanding of the readings. My e-portfolio has
most of the material we've done over these last few weeks. The only problem I been having is the
ability to make my Weebly more navigable for the use of other. It is a really reliable website, but
has made it hard to adjust my website to my liking. By looking at the Grade Scale on the syllabus
I believe that my e-portfolio is above average due to the many context clues and quotes I been
using through my essays. My goal for this class is to have a exemplary grade to truly show my
improvement in writing up to this date. The class has allowed me to make a lot of improvement
to my writing, but I have hopes to master it. This is why I believe I have earned a above average
grade up this point in the class.