Edwards 1

Abby Edwards

Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010, Section 3

19 February 2021

Learning Log - Unit 1

Day 1: January 25, 2021

“ Language Matters: A Rhetorical Look at Writing” by Chris Blankenship and Justin

Jory

1. “rhetoric is a tool to make language work for you.” This section really opened my
eyes to the idea that rhetoric wasn’t simply a way to sound better in writing, it is a
way to craft your words and diction in a way that suits your audience and context.
2. “thinking rhetorically in order to learn about a key issue in his state.” When I
thought of rhetoric in the past, I always associated it with writing. Thinking
rhetorically is a completely new concept to me that I definitely need to put more
research into so that I can be more eloquent and precise when I speak.
3. Grammar is incredibly important today, especially in the age of technology. It is
common to see “text-talk” amongst young people, which is effective in saving
time in informal situations. The issue presents itself in formal conversations, like
emailing a boss or teacher, where proper grammar is necessary. Often, young
people have no idea how to approach such a proper situation, because they are so
used to being informal all the time. So, teaching proper grammar and formal
communication skills in schools is important to the function of society as we
know it.
4. Language is powerful in the right hands and destructive in the wrong ones; I
believe that Jory and Blankenship are trying to express the sheer power of
language when they say that it is messy and difficult. Improper communication
can lead to the fall of governments and man-made catastrophes. Learning to use
language correctly, and use it rhetorically as a young adult can prove essential to
facilitating good communication for the rest of your life. Messing up rhetoric, and
getting it completely wrong is natural; it’s a way to learn how to fix your mistakes
and become the best writer you can be.

Day 2: January 27, 2021

 Edwards 2

“ Genre in the Wild - Understanding Genre Within Rhetorical (Eco)Systems” by Lisa

Bickmore

1. “​A genre evolves through human use and activity to be a durable and usable form
for carrying out human communicative intentions in fairly stable ways.” I always
saw genre as the sticker on the book at the library, or from the blurb on the back
cover. It has become a way to classify art, literature, or music as our world
continues on.
2. “the formal features or markers don’t define the genre” I found this incredibly
eye-opening, because for a long time, I assumed that writing an academic paper
was a genre that had to fit certain rules. MLA Format, academic verbs, no “I,my,
etc.” so seeing that not all genres are like that is really fascinating.
3. There are so many unique ways to define genre, that it’s become a very flexible
concept. Works of art, music, or writing can easily flow from one genre to another
as society progresses. Creating something for the purpose of it fitting a genre can
make it feel robotic, even sound robotic, but allowing yourself to write with only a
guideline and not a genre in mind will let your voice as a writer come through
instead of letting genre overpower your writing.

Day 3: February 1, 2021

“ Writing for Community Change” by Elisa Stone

1. “[W]hat makes people truly happy tends to involve working toward a cause
outside of their own immediate needs and wants: in other words, service to
others actually improves your own well-being.” I’ve loved doing service since I
was little, so seeing that service has changed the lives of other people really
makes me feel good. Service is a win-win relationship, for both you and the
person you’re helping.
2. “Students of disciplines that are traditionally associated with issues of peace and
justice such as political science, communication, and social work will most
certainly benefit from service-based writing.” As an avid member of service clubs
and organizations, I was really excited to see that community service still has a
huge role in college, and that getting involved in my community will further my
education.
3. My parents always say that I do enough service that it’s like having a part-time
job. If I had endless amounts of time and nowhere to be, I’d just serve all the
time! There are a few service projects that I have really wanted to get involved
with, including interning for Operation Underground Railroad (hopefully, I will
 Edwards 3

do this during my time at college), going on a service-learning trip to South

America, or advocating for the Innocence Project.

Day 4: February 3, 2021

“ The Elizabeth Smart Case: A Study in Narrativized News” by Clint Johnson

1. “ Story is the primary way we make meaning from life. And so, sadly, the
800,000 missing children cases that didn’t easily fit story structure did not
“mean as much.” Thus, they were underreported or not reported at all.” People
love to be entertained, and it truly makes me sick to think that we, as a society,
only report on the stories that interest us, rather than the ones that need to be
heard, like those of the 800,000 missing children.
2. “ In February of 2006, a bill passed the Utah legislature allowing for forcible
medication of defendants to ensure competence to face trial.” The Elizabeth
Smart case really set the precedent for putting horrible monsters, like Mitchell, to
trial in any way that we can.
3. The Elizabeth Smart case was a horror story with a surprisingly happy ending,
which caught the attention of the media. Her parents did everything they could
have to get out her story. She was affluent, pretty, white, blonde; people felt so
bad for her, whereas others with less money, looks, or a different skin color are
overlooked.

Day 5: February 8, 2021

“ Making Choices in Writing: Decisions, Decisions” by Jessie Szalay

1. “By writing, you are entering into a conversation with your readers, with others
who have written about the topic, and others who know and/or care about it.”
2. “Introduction with thesis, body with one argument or counterargument per
paragraph, conclusion that restates arguments and thesis. This is the basic
formula for academic essays, but it doesn’t mean it’s always the best.”
3. My first strategic choice will be word choice, because, in my opinion, certain
words are the most powerful tool for writers. Word selection changes your tone,
sentence structure, and even your purpose. My second strategic choice will be to
cater to my audience, make sure they understand without attacking other views.
My third strategic choice is to use all three modes of appeal, ensuring that I hit
pathos, logos, and ethos to make my strongest argument. My fourth strategic
choice is organizing the letter in such a way that allows my readers to understand
me without a lot of effort. My fifth strategic choice is telling my audience a story;
 Edwards 4

showing them the background of the situation, and why I’m qualified to talk
about it.

Day 6: February 10, 2021

“ Writing Is Recursive” by Chris Blankenship

1. “ Editing involves thinking about the clarity of word choice and sentence
structure, noticing spelling and grammatical errors, making sure that source
citations meet the requirements of your citation style, and other such issues.
Even if editing isn’t big-concept like revision is[.]”
2. “ Unlike student writers, professional writers, like Steven Pinker, don’t view each
part of the writing process as a step to be visited just once in a particular order.”
3. I really struggle with revision, because often, the parts I need to take out are the
ones I liked the most when I first wrote it. I recently had the idea to take all of my
favorite parts of my writing that I deleted from papers, and stuck them in a
google document. Even if I wasn’t able to use them in a certain work, I could use
them in another one, so I save them. I turned my dislike for revision into a
strength, by allowing myself to save my writing for a different purpose, instead of
getting rid of it completely.

Day 7: February 16, 2021

“ Revision is Rewriting: That Is All” by Lisa Bickmore

1. “​ ​Joyce’s astonishing manuscript is a maze of crossed-out words, bold scrawls,

huge Xs splayed across the page, squiggly lines, scratches, a labyrinth, a massive,
splendid, messy, outlandish display.”
2. “ [I]f I’m willing to dive in, look at the connections (or lack thereof), the order (or
patent absence of it), the words (imprecise, not quite right), and hack away, I
might find myself with a better draft at the end.”
3. The Reverse Outline - Describe what is already happening in the text. Looking at
your writing and picking apart the passages for purpose really allows you to take
out parts that don’t advance your writing, and it keeps you from drifting off to a
place you don’t want to be. Make sure to approach each sentence with purpose.
4. Sequencing - Make. It. Flow. A good piece of writing should never require your
audience to question what is going on. Confusion is not good, even if it makes
sense to you. Writing is for your audience, so make sure to use language that they
will understand and introduce concepts based on what you think they already
know.
 Edwards 5

5. Find Out What’s Missing - Identify what you need to add to your paper. If you
can’t tell what’s missing, give it to someone else to give their opinion. Adding
information for your audience is crucial for maximum understanding. Let your
missing pieces be the basis of your revision.
6. Write To The Side - Make an entire new document, and just write things you’d
like to add. Try new order, wording, or even ideas in this new document; use
what you like from it, discard what you don’t. This is basically a formal
brainstorm of what you could add to make your writing better.
7. Intros and Outros to Source Material - Provide context for your source, so your
audience knows how to take it. Introduce the source, so that your reader knows
who you’re referencing is credible. And, after the quote, interpret what the reader
has read, so they understand how it applies to the concept or argument you’re
discussing.
8. Return to Reading Material - Use examples. Look at how other writers do certain
things in their writing that you’re trying to do in yours. Imitate them to get to
your best draft, because the best way to become a better writer is by reading and
mimicking great works of literature.
9. Step Away, Get Feedback -
10. Finesse What You’ve Got - Know what you’re good at! Keep the parts you know
will fit nicely, and work around them. Also, know what you’re bad at! Mind wordy
sentences, because I am constantly critiqued on that.