Freewrite Reflection

I learned that as I writer I tend to use a lot of "fluff."  In all of my high school classes they teach us the typical 5 paragraph essay that needs to be a certain amount of pages.  When you have that kind of page requirement, they taught us to drag out what we have to say and add a lot of detail that does nothing for the overall purpose of the essay.  I also tend to try to find a creative way to start each paper I have to write.  In my previous writing classes, I was taught the importance of a good attention getter that makes the reader want to keep reading.  I always liked to start with a quote and then find a way to connect that to my topic in the introduction.  For the microtheme, I had to let go of all of that.  I had to get to the point right away because this didn't require a fancy attention getter.  I also couldn't add as much "fluff" as I tend to.  I usually drag the topic of one of my body paragraphs until there is nothing left to say about it.  For this assignment, I had be speculative and add only the necessary information.  I couldn't drag something on and on like I was taught to do.

What I learned about myself is that I try to avoid picking sides as much as possible.  If it's a topic that I have a clear stance on then I don't have a problem with sharing my opinion.  But if it's something that I don't have a clear stance on, then I try to see from all points of view.  Yes, I'm the cliche person who always says, "I'm Switzerland."  I do care what others think and I tend to be a people pleaser.  I try to please as many people as possible because I don't like to offend anyone especially when it's an argument between some of my friends.  I like to remain in the middle so I don't offend anyone.

By writing this microtheme, I learned something about the nature of truth.  Everyone has their own opinions and points of view on an issue, so whatever they believe in that is their truth.  That is the thing they believe with all their hearts to be the absolute right thing.  Everyone has their own truth which makes it unique to them.  People might share similar opinions up to an extend, but then they will disagree as the discuss it in further detail.  A person's truth can not be changed.  They know in their heart and mind that it is the truth because they believe it to be true.          

Microtheme Revision

Original

Revision

A revision strategy I learned is to edit anything that sounds like a traditional essay.  Delete wordiness and words that aren't found in your day to day vocabulary (i.e. plethora).  I also need to make sure I restate the problematic question when I explain the causes/consequences.  

Microtheme reflection

Having never written a microtheme before, I feel pretty good about my draft.  I chose to write about the problematic question of why people still smoke given everything we know about the dangers.  Growing up around smokers gave me a lot of personal experiences that I could draw from while writing.  I have watched my family members smoke all of my life and then I had to watch as they lost their lives because of it.  I saw first hand what smoking does and I'm still confused as to why people continue to do it.  In my introduction I give some background on how my personal experiences have shaped my opinion on the matter and I feel like that's one of the things that is working in my microtheme.  I could make it more concise, but I feel like its a good starting point.

It really became more challenging as I got into the 2nd paragraph.  I had to get in to the mind set of someone who smokes and ask the question of why they do it.  I like to think I have the ability to emphasize with people in order to understand their points of view, but continuing to smoke is the one thing I have a hard time understanding.  Instead of trying to get into their mind sets I decided to think more about the different circumstances a person could be in that would lead them to smoke.  Another challenge was having to let go of everything I was previously taught about writing.  I was taught to always use an "attention getter" to make the reader interested, but with this I had to get straight to the point.  It is also not the traditional essay where I use big words to sound smarter ( don't lie, we all do it ).   Big words is just another way to bead around the bush and you can't do that when writing a microtheme.  You only have one page to get everything you want in there so you have to get to the point quickly.  

Documentary as a Rhetorical Tool

I'll be honest... Documentaries were never my favorite films to watch.  I never knew why exactly.   Maybe it was because the ones I saw had horrible effects that I just couldn't get past.  Or maybe it was because I never saw one that was interesting enough for me to want to keep watching it.  And then I watched Blackfish (2013).  It completely changed my way of looking at the documentary genre.  Not did it have a message that I strongly believe in, but it was also compelling to watch.  And then I realized that I do like documentaries when it is the right one.

Going into the documentary project, I followed the same guidelines.  I looked for one with a premise that intrigued me instead of one with the shortest run time.  The film I chose, Man on Wire, not only helped cement my appreciation of the genre, it also improved my rhetorical writing abilities.  In my previous writing classes, I was always encouraged to bring myself and my opinions into my writing.  This project taught me how separate myself from my writing.  I was able to be bring the focus off of me and bring focus to what the film does.  This was the first time I had to be objective in writing and it was a challenge I embraced.  It helped me grow in terms of my writing and I feel it is a challenge everyone should face in their writing careers.