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I found that the most challenging assignment for me this semester was the Rhetorical Analysis paper because it was unlike anything I had done before. It wasn’t about making an argument or presenting facts it was about analyzing how someone else achieved those goals, and that was a difficult premise for me to wrap my head around. I think that my writing process has improved some, specifically in the pre-writing stage when it comes to organizing my thoughts and coming up with a plan.

It is important to evaluate a source because you want to make sure that the information you are sharing or using to inform your opinion is factual and unbiased. Something the chapter reminded me of that I think is often forgotten is to check for the authors intended audience and to analyze how that may be impacting their writing. Being aware of the audience will make you think twice about how the article might just be confirming your own opinions instead of providing factual data.

My articles main thesis was that switching the decorative trees that fill urban areas with fruit trees is a much more useful way to use the space that is not only good for people but the environment as well. Their claim was backed up with information on how the space is currently being underutilized, how many people these new trees would help, and how the environment would be benefitted with these new additions. I think their evidence on the environment could have been elaborated on more because as they did mention how new trees would counteract erosion and create shade I think that a greater influence these trees have on the environment would be through the decreased need to transport food to urban areas. A considerable amount of energy and resources are used in an effort to get fresh produce to places without nearby farms and they are typically harsh on the environment. Some counterarguments proposed were both the legal complications and social stigma of eating fruit grown in public areas.

The author of my article uses quotes mainly to enhance their own writing through small phrases from the organizations they are citing. For example, while referencing the website of Fallen Fruit, one of the organizations trying to transform LA’s landscape into one that is more functional, she includes the quote “change the texture (and flavor) of your neighborhood.” as a way to describe what Fallen Fruit is doing in their own words. This way of including quotes just as key phrases incorporated into her own statements is repeated throughout the article. I don’t think this is the most effective way of using quotes because it isn’t really adding anything to her argument it is basically just making her own writing slightly more descriptive and colorful and don’t lead into any interesting analysis.

The article, “Edible City: Privileging Tree Aesthetics Misses Opportunity To Feed Our Urban Food Supply”, mainly utilizes pathos as it focuses on how the planting of fruit trees would help both people and the environment who desperately need it. It also makes good used of logos because it includes many facts and quotes from outside sources that support the claim that planting fruit trees is not only possible but effective as well. Lastly, it appeals to ethos because the author references ideas from acclaimed environmentalists and organizations. I think it makes good use of these devices because it primarily has an emotional appeal to draw the reader in and then supports their claim with facts and influential groups.

My pre-writing and revision processes were both not as extensive as I would have liked them to be, i basically jotted down some of the main points I wanted to hit, did a rough outline and went from there. For my revision process I read it out loud a few times to find areas that needed improving and mainly adjusted small things. By far the most useful part of my process was brainstorming as I constantly went went back to those notes to not only remember my ideas but to keep my topics on track as well. In project 2 I would definitely like to schedule more time for revision so I could let the writing sit for a while and come back to it with a fresh mind.

My older sister often told me that it is more important to just get something down on the page than try to make it perfect and not write anything down. This was useful to me because I had a habit of not turning in assignments because I felt like I couldn’t write something worthy of an “A”. However, her advice helped me get over that block because I realized that even if I didn’t think my writing was any good a 65 on a paper will always be better than a 0. This translated to me turning in more assignments on time and still getting good grades on them because the anxiety I had about them not being perfect was significantly reduced.

At the beginning of high school I loved reading but I mostly thought of writing as just a class, I had for the most part only written essays in english classes up until that point and didn’t have much of a process. As I progressed through the end of high school it was very clear to me that writing was a skill that was going to be used in every part of my future life; however in a way this made the idea of writing even more daunting as I realized how important it was but I still didn’t consider myself to be very good at it. In my opinion the purpose of reading and writing is to communicate ideas and information in a way that is understandable and engaging, not only for spreading knowledge but for self-expression and artistic value.