LA 1
Katherine La
Professor Glasscock
WRC 1023-0H4
December 16, 2016
Final Portfolio
Table of Contents:
- Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………………1
- “The Works of Katherine La” – Self-Reflective Analysis ………………………………. 2
- “A Look at Houston Smith” – Peer Introduction Paragraph………………………………6
- “Politics: More Argument Than Politics” – Revised Political Essay and Works Cited ….7
- “Politics: More Argument Than Politics” – Original Political Essay and Works Cited…12
- “Money Down the (Esophagus) Drain” – Quantitative Essay and Works Cited………...17
- “Words Speak Louder Than Actions” – Visual Rhetoric Essay and Works Cited ……...19
- “Donald Trump Trumps Immigrants” – Essay 3 and Works Cited ……………………. 25
The Works of Katherine La
I have always taken pride in the fact that before college, I had taken AP Language and AP Literature classes in high school. Coming into this WRC 1023 class, I was confident and prepared for what the semester would bring me. What I didn’t know was that high school English classes, though considered advanced placement, are definitely not the same as college writing courses. Because I was able to skip the first writing class WRC 1013 through my qualifying AP examination scores, I figured that taking WRC 1023 would mean I would be able to skip the basics of writing and instead, I could continue to develop my writing skills.
As I became familiar with Professor Glasscock’s teaching style, I realized that there is more to this class than just writing essays. This class was the first class I’ve taken that focused on discussion as the main part of class. Of course there were still times where us students took notes from a typical lecture, but the lecture was always open for any possible discussion topics. Because of this, I was able to hone in on critical thinking and analysis skills to understand the topics that were being discussed outside of the textbook material. This lead to further development of ideas because the knowledge shared during these class discussions extended the application of typical writing and argument concepts.
An area of weakness that I struggle with in my writing is being too vague. In both my political essay and visual literacy essay, I received feedback to be more concise with my phrasing and to specify exactly which rhetorical elements I would address in my essay. For example, in my political essay “Politics: More Argument Than Politics,” I used a passive voice when saying “Trump suggests that he is the best candidate since his opponent, Clinton, has done nothing but talk down on the hard-working American people.” I also have problems with using filler words like “that,” which further restricts my writing from being active and concise. Although it is a bad habit, I hope to improve this aspect of my writing by continuously assessing my work for phrasing that only takes up space on my paper.
Another weakness I have within my writing comes from the introduction, most namely the thesis. As I stated previously, most of my troubles come from being vague and generalizing the ideas that I should actually be specifying. In my political essay for example, I wrote, “Both political speeches and policy plans for Trump and Clinton have a strong argument based around sympathy and gaining trust,” but I never included exactly how this sympathy and trust was formed from their arguments until I revised the thesis to include “the candidates’ campaigns use specific connotations and make appeals to ethos and pathos in order to rally in support from voters.”In my visual literacy essay entitled “Words Speak Louder Than Actions, I wrote that the photographers were able to convey a message by “choosing specific subjects and words” when I could have used proper rhetorical terminology like diction. For the thesis especially, I need to work on outlining exactly which rhetorical elements I am analyzing in the following parts of my essay. This would not only help myself out in the organization process of my writing, it would also help by providing a guideline for whoever is reading my essay in order understand the direction I am going in.By specifying in the introduction and thesis what rhetorical aspects I am addressing, my writing would also be strengthened with regards to establishing a clearfoundation for my argument.
One particular aspect of my writing that I believe I improved on was MLA format. Although I have used MLA formatting plenty of times before for my writing, WRC 1023 is the first class that penalized formatting issues. Prior to this class, I had never second-guessed which way I should write numerical data. Even with all the tips Professor Glasscock gave in class to help us out with the quantitative literacy essay, I still had some issues with formatting when it came to proper number notation providing a description after each image aside from the byline. I expected nothing less since “Money Down the (Esophagus) Drain” was really the first essay I had ever written that dealt with the visual and numerical aspect of MLA format. When it came to writing the visual literacy essay, I was able to apply my knowledge from the previous essay and accurately provide bylines and full-source citations for my visuals, all of which I had never done before coming into WRC 1023. Because of this, I realized that a successful argument in writing requires consistency in format that encourages clarity and understanding.
If there is one thing I would say was most influential to me from this class, it would be the fact that rhetorical elements and argument is found everywhere. We apply the same concepts of ethos, logos, and pathos in our everyday lives without even realizing it; we may tweak certain components of our arguments depending on our audience; every argument has a purpose. Aside from these aspects of argument, there is also the fact that our world revolves around critical thinking and reasoning in order to encourage development of new ideas and true understanding of these ideas.
Overall, my first semester at the University of Texas at San Antonio has been my greatest accomplishment in life so far. Prior to WRC 1023, I viewed English as just another class I needed to get through by doing what was expected of me, which was writing essays. WRC 1023 showed me that there’s always a deeper meaning to not only words, but also to numbers and visuals as well. I learned that establishing a strong argument can get me very far in life when critical thinking and analysis skills are also applied. This class has shown me that despite the fact that I am technically done with writing courses, the skills I have learned thus far can only benefit me if I continue to develop them and use them to express myself in the best way that I can.
Works Cited
La, Katherine. “Politics: More Argument Than Politics.”
University of Texas: San Antonio, 2016. Print.
----. “Money Down the (Esophagus) Drain.” University of Texas: San Antonio, 2016. Print.
----. “Words Speak Louder Than Actions.” University of Texas: San Antonio,
2015. Print.
A Look at Houston Smith
Houston Smith is from Copperas Cove, TX and currently attends UTSA with a scholarship as a computer engineering major. Smith’s family includes his parents, two sisters, and two dogs named after Filipino foods: Sinny and Riceball. He enjoys watching TV shows like The Office, Friends, and How I Met Your Mother, while his favorite movie of all time is Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. Smith is also a dedicated member of theater in plays such as “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Aside from acting, his other skills include building his own computer and solving a Rubik’s cube in under thirty seconds.
Politics: More Argument Than Politics
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the candidates for the presidential election of 2016. The topic of childcare is crucial for the candidates’ campaigns because of how our nation as a whole puts importance on children and their future. Trump’s proposals for a childcare plan and Clinton’s program for early childhood education are based on sympathy and gaining trust, both of which are necessary for these candidates to stand a chance in this year’s election. The official websites for the candidates’ campaigns use specific connotations and make appeals to ethos and pathos in order to rally in support from voters.
On September 13, 2016 at the Aston Community Center in Pennsylvania, Trump gave a speech revealing his plans for childcare policy. He starts off the speech by immediately appealing to the female population by thanking his daughter, recognizing the “working moms in our country,” and acknowledging the Chairwoman of the House Republican Conference and multiple Congresswomen. When explaining his goals for childcare, Trump states, “Our plan offers a crucial safety net for working mothers whose employers do not provide paid maternity leave.” This is an appeal to ethos since it “focuses attention on the writers (or speaker’s) character” (Ramage 55). An ethical appeal is necessary here because mothers are very well respected in society, which makes Trump an honorable member of society since he too can sympathize with the struggles of being a mother. Trump’s audience definitely includes women and mothers, hence the effort to address this population in more than one part of his speech.
Trump understands that his audience covers a wide range of people, and he incorporates this idea into his speech by addressing the fact that his policy will accommodate for all the different levels of income for the American families. Trump also focuses on his audience by addressing the age range, from young children to the elderly. Trump strengthens his own authority as the most competent candidate when he demands, “I want everyone watching on TV right now to go to DonaldJTrump.com to read the full plan.” The purpose of this is to establish a sense of authority over the campaign and policies he mentioned; this appeal to ethos is again used to present Trump as a credible political leader whose policies and information can be easily accessed by the American people.
In the last section of Trump’s speech, he blurs the line between Republican and Democrats. By generalizing everyone under the term of “hardworking Americans,” Trump instills a sense of unity amongst the people. He concludes his speech with specific diction that ties in with this idea of unity. Trump throws in the word “love” twice with regards to the people loving their country and their families, which has both a denotation and connotation of a strong relationship. Whenever the topic of families is mentioned, it is an emotional appeal that deals more specifically to the audience’s “capacity to feel and see what the writer [or speaker] feels and sees” (Ramage 55). This creates a bond between himself and the people as he envisions this feeling of love and unity that is shared between everyone. Trump closes his speech with anaphora by repeating the phrase “We will make our country…” followed by an adjective and the word “again.” This is an appeal from credibility that creates a sense of determination on Trump’s part, which makes him appear more of a candidate worthy of great change.
The second source comes from Hillary Clinton’s official website for her campaign about early childhood education. The very first section of this page contains an appeal to false authority when it is stated that children’s potential is God-given. Ramage describes this fallacy as the use of “famous people…to testify on issues about which these persons have no special competence” (400). Although God is not necessarily famous in the same way that a celebrity is, God is a dominant religious figure in American society, which makes the statement appealing to the audience of American citizens. Clinton’s policy plan starts with the claim, “Expanding early childhood education has been close to Hillary Clinton’s heart throughout her career.” The webpage adds to this by outlining Clinton’s different positions in office as first lady of Arkansas, a U.S. senator, and hopefully, the next president. This ethical appeal introduces Hillary Clinton as a candidate who is capable of being both emotionally and politically ready for the position as the next president of the country. By mentioning Clinton’s heartfelt purpose, she is portrayed as credible for being in this campaign for the right reasons and helping the children.
Clinton’s childcare policy on the website is organized using bold bullet points, providing clear and concise action plans with descriptions of those plans. Similar to Trump’s argument, Clinton correlates family incomes to how much they should pay for childcare, which is a logical appeal to the argument, or the “logic of its reasons and support” (Ramage 55). Different programs like RAISE, SPARK, and Clinton’s Care Workers initiative are pointed out as part of Clinton’s plan for childcare, further appealing to Clinton’s work ethics as a potential candidate who has already been very involved in the process of these programs.
Clinton also makes a point to address the audience of college students who are simultaneously student parents. Clinton’s policy suggests that “we should support them, not only because the economic benefit of a college degree lifts their own earning prospects, but also because it lifts the future earnings of their children too.” This is an appeal to pathos because it makes the audience think about their own values in order to have enough respect for student parents and understand their struggles of being responsible for their kids while still in school. This appeal is further emphasized when looking at the image at the very beginning of the webpage—Clinton is in a classroom setting with her arm around one of the kids. By appealing to pathos, Clinton’s campaign is strengthened by the idea that parents, children, and education are her utmost concern if she were to become president.
One major difference between the two sources was the mention of the candidate’s opponent. In Trump’s speech, he mentions his opponent twice. The first time Trump asserts, “Very little meaningful policy work has been done in this area—and my opponent has no childcare plan.” This is a straw man fallacy since Trump strives to “oversimplify an opponent’s argument to make it easier to refute” (Ramage 401). Although Trump has no evidence of this statement, the assertion still makes an impact because he says it with such confidence that the audience has to listen. The second time that Trump mentions his opponent, he addresses the audience and claims, “While my opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, I call you hard-working American Patriots who love your country.” This is an ad hominem argument, which Ramage describes as “directed at the character of an opponent rather than at the quality of the opponent’s reasoning” (400). With this argument, Trump suggests that he is the best candidate since his opponent does nothing but talk down on the hard-working American people.
On the other hand, Clinton’s campaign page only references Trump as an opponent at the very end of the webpage. This statement reads: “Paid for by Hillary for America, a grassroots campaign of over 2 million donors committed to electing Hillary Clinton (and keeping Donald Trump out of the White House).” While this is a clear way for Clinton to fight for her side of the campaign, it is done so in a more settle way because it is not directly embedded in her policies and plans unlike Trump who made sure to address his opponent twice in his speech.
Trump and Clinton’s campaigns effectively appeal to pathos and ethos alongside the emphasis on connotation in these sources in order to increase each candidate’s popularity. This allows a sense of authority to be establish while simultaneously showing that the candidate is able to relate and sympathize with the majority of voting citizens when it comes to important topics such as childcare and education. The fight for presidency shows that even in the midst of what seems like strictly politics and business, there are still ways to reach an audience’s emotions and opinions.
Works Cited
“Donald J. Trump Outlines Child Care Plan.” Donald J. Trump Outlines Child Care Plan. Donald J. Trump, n.d. Web. Accessed 01 Oct. 2016.
"Hillary Clinton on Early Childhood Education." Early Childhood Education. Hillary for America, n.d. Web. Accessed 01 Oct. 2016.
Ramage, John D. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric With Readings. Tenth ed., Pearson, 2016. Print.
Politics: More Argument Than Politics
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the candidates for the presidential election of 2016. Though endless topics are addressed in political campaigns, the topic of childcare is an essential one for the candidates because of how our nation as a whole puts importance on the children of America and their future. Both political speeches and policy plans for Trump and Clinton have a strong argument based around sympathy and gaining trust, both of which must be present in order for these candidates to stand a chance in this year’s election.