Reflective Letter

Elizabeth White
English 102
Instructor: Richard Samuelson
24 March 2011
Reflective Letter
When deciding my rhetorical choices at the beginning of this unit I had realized how much of a control freak I am. There are certain aspects of my work that I choose to do certain ways dependent upon the quality I am giving and the reaction I want to get from my audience. I tend to care very deeply in connections in every sense of the word when I am making my rhetorical choices. Without connection the audience doesn’t hear what I am trying to tell them on a deeper level. When I provide information I don’t want my readers to linger with questions or confusion. My goal is to keep my readers enthralled in the information provided while giving them a chance to have their own intellectual inferences and perceptions. These inferences and perceptions are where the connections come into play, and without these connections what I am telling my audience will not become so easily conversant for them, therefore, easier to forget. If I can give my readers a chance to dig deep into the messages I am trying to point out and take from it what they want, then I have done my job. Not that I expect readers to fully comprehend and remember every little piece of information, but I would feel much more successful if I could tell other people my thoughts and get them to reach a level of understanding and agreement. Isn’t that every writer’s goal? To write something and for the reader to connect with what you are saying on a personal level so they can recognize this information later on and apply it in a conversation.
The way I make my rhetorical choices has significantly changed since starting this unit. Before this class I couldn’t tell you what a rhetorical choice was or frankly the importance of it. Now, I feel very strongly that what I choose to do as a writer and an informer and in what way I wish to convey this information is almost more important than the information itself! The littlest choices that I make can have the biggest impact on a reader. For example, what color I make the titles or the size of the text can either reel my audience in or push them away. I’ve learned that everything matters. Before totally committing to a format that I feel is suitable to portray and idea to my readers I first have to establish who my readers are going to be. I wouldn’t want to use complex vocabulary if my audience was directed towards children; I would use basic vocabulary and be sure to include things like fun colors and facts. Likewise, if I were speaking to a college student I would probably be comfortable with using a more intellectual use of vocabulary and would not have to focus quite as much on fun colors and imagery, although it’s still good to be creative.
My rhetorical choices have also shifted when I am researching and integrating my sources. I have to be aware of bias, and there’s a lot out there. So, I tend to stick with peer revised, empirical research that makes it harder to argue with and also gives my readers a sense of legitimacy. I have become much more aware of what a fact is and what may be an opinion, and I can also look deeper into the writer’s perspective in trying to understand why the writer might feel this way. Trying to look through the writers perspective helps me better understand the underlining message they are trying to give and why it may be important to them; by being able to make this connection, I too, can then feel the information is important.
Not too much changed with how I present an argument. I still believe that to have a valid, intellectual argument it is only fair if you present the reader with both sides without bashing either idea. What my job as a writer is, is to give the facts but be able to convince the reader that one idea may be more legitimate than the other. There will always be an opposing side, so there’s not too much I can do about those who disagree with what I am writing, but fact is a whole lot harder to argue with than bias or opinion. For example, I have struggled time and time again with my topic alone because there are many different views. When I explore the effects on a family involved in substance abuse the topic alone can be uncomfortable for some readers, then the facts that follow can completely shut a reader’s interest out. This is why I tried to tread carefully when I went into this topic. I made sure not to over generalize, because not everyone who struggles with drugs and alcohol has family problems; but, many people do. So, instead of focusing solely on the uncomfortable information on my website, I made the rhetorical choices to elaborate on the idea of family and unity, and express to the readers that although problems do exist in our community amongst families and substance abuse, there is always hope. I made sure to stay away from stereo-types and even decided to stick with peaceful, neutral colors and pictures of families that pushed more towards calming my audience. I believe that my rhetorical choices for my website made a huge difference in how my readers can receive the information I am providing. I think I did a pretty good job at incorporating everything we’ve learned in this unit into my final project just by doing one thing: being aware.

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