Reflection 

Cy Ellis 

Professor Bobbie Whitehead 

Eng 110C 

4/23/24 

 

Prior to taking this class I had to take a placement exam to see if I needed remedial English because I hadn’t taken an English class since 2013/2014. The last question was something along the lines of “do you think you should be sent straight to ENG110C?” My answer was no. I had not written an academic paper in 10 years, and I was terrified of failing. But I somehow passed the exam and took this class anyway. I did not fail! It was not my easiest class this semester, but I feel I held my own. My biggest weaknesses coming into this semester were being ineffective and inefficient when writing. This semester the two topics that helped me advance most as a writer were rhetorical devices and learning to enhance our writing process. 

Relearning the rhetorical devices helped me to learn to write more effectively. By relearning the concepts of logos, pathos and ethos, I discovered how to better target audiences. Creating a premise to write or speak about has never been an issue for me but I had struggled with finding ways to really make my points stick with an audience. By learning the rhetorical devices and how to use them correctly it has helped me learn how to drive a point home. This came in handing in my persuasive speech for my public speaking class. My topic was “Why college students shouldn’t join the military” and rather than just getting up there and focusing on my bad experiences I appealed to their emotions as I talked about poor leadership and mental health crises. Learning to correctly and effectively use these appeals will continue to help me progress through my studies. 

My other major weakness was efficiency. Prior to the weeks we spent analyzing the writing process, my only process was to do the bare minimum amount of research and start papers the day they were due. This was incredibly inefficient and only added stress to my writing process. Learning how to effectively research a topic, plan an outline and work on a drafting process has saved me time in the long run. Being better prepared to write a paper speeds up the process and helps ensure that I am turning in work that matches the academic levels I am capable of. 

ENG110C has set me up for success as I continue my academic career. By helping me learn to write with increased effectiveness and efficiency this class will help me write better papers and prepare presentations that ensure the information sticks with the audience.