Rhetoric:
the study of the effective use of language. This, in one sentence, effectively describes our class objective of the semester. More specifically, we were taught to learn how to write as an argument. Persuasion, the use of the rhetorical triangle and of reliable sources, when all combined in the right way, creates an argument that we have all strived to achieve. An effective rhetorician learns from his/her previous writings. They should take their strengths and master them, understand their weaknesses, and work on them until they are no longer this way. Learning from previous works is the best possible way to prove you are a master of rhetoric, in this class anyway.
Paper 1 started out just as an informative paper, analyzing a source’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos. Paper 2 moved on to multiple sources, and we had to analyze how all of these sources combined made an effective argument. Then we turned over a page and started a new style of writing, our OWN argument. Paper 3 was intended to define a certain word or thought process, and we had to argue whether or not this definition needed to change and why. And now Paper 4, we integrate several people’s opinions, and make a cohesive argument on something that relates to us that we want to change. The semester has progressed to add a new dimension for every paper we write, and that in itself has made me a better writer.
Everyone can say that they have learned a lot in this class, but I feel especially affected by it. I didn’t even know what a claim was at the start of the semester! Now I have learned to make a clear, defined statement that can direct the rest of my paper, just from one sentence. The rhetorical triangle has also greatly influenced my progression in this class. Knowing what each of the three parts are makes researching and using sources so much easier, because my brain automatically separates sections out into ethos, pathos, or logos. From knowing these three, I can choose my audience that I want to direct my paper towards, and use the parts of the rhetorical triangle that I think would have the most influence on that type of individual. For example, if I was making a claim towards a large group of successful businessmen, I would use more logos than pathos. Simply thinking about how your audience can best be affected the way you want them to be can make a huge difference in how you go about writing a paper.
I am not an effective rhetorician just yet, but I am definitely on the right path to becoming one. I still have many problems to fix in my writing that keep my paper from being incredibly persuasive, but each opportunity in this class has given me a chance to improve, and I do feel like I have gotten to be a much better writer from this. To be honest, I don’t know if I could have done this well without such an incredible professor who took the time out of her day to work with me on a one-on-one basis. I now have a very different outlook on rhetoric and what it really can accomplish if used in certain ways. Thank you again for such an amazing semester and allowing me to grow.
food for thought. 
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