"To share our stories is not only a worthwhile endeavor for the storyteller, but for those who hear our stories and feel less alone because of it."
Insight- a newly discovered understanding.
Inspired by Blog 13
I believe that the main discovery I have made through the process of writing each of my inquiries is the importance of connecting any sort of writing with analyzing your own personal life. I came to this realization while writing Inquiry 1. Looking back, I see that this set the stage for each of my other inquiries. It was something that I had never really done before. During middle and high school, most of the writing done is about analyzing the writing of another or simply completing a set of guidelines; it is never really about taking a piece of your life and connecting it with what your writing is, no matter what the prompt. Now I see that this is a very important part of absolutely everything that I write. It has changed my view of true writing and the meaning behind it. Adding pieces of your own life to your writing gives it a new depth and purpose that it would otherwise never have. I now understand rhetoric in a greater way because I now see how my personal experiences can help shape an argument or piece of writing in a way that could better appeal to my audience. Experience also gives a writer more ethos. My view of writing was challenged when I realized this because it is not always easy to look back on your life, often times it is actually very uncomfortable. But being able to do so will make you a better writer.
After analyzing your experience, there comes a responsibility from that experience. I have realized that I have experienced certain things that not everyone understands, even those who choose to write about them (the author I analyzed in Inquiry 2). Because of this, I see that it is my responsibility to share the understanding and knowledge that I have acquired through my experiences so that others can gain a new perspective on the topic. I realized this in Inquiry 2 when I saw how off-base the argument was in the article I picked and I noticed that this could be because the author has never personally experienced what she was speaking of. This realization is what gave me the inspiration for my other inquiries. It has also inspired me to maybe start my own blog to share my life, hopefully influencing someone else for the better. Experiences do not occur for silence. The deepened my understanding of rhetoric by showing me that personal experience allows you to better know what kind of audience to aim your writing at and also how to appeal to that audience. This also deepened my understanding of writing because it caused me to realize that writing cannot be a “surface” assignment, meaning that it cannot be done simply to fulfill a set of guidelines or to satisfy a prompt. Writing must have meaning and passion in order to appeal to the audience.
Along with personal experience and the importance/responsibility of it comes kairos. I realized the importance of kairos in inquiries two through four because even though we learned about it in inquiry one, I did not fully understand it until later. After analyzing personal experience and seeing that I have a responsibility to share it, I realized how important a kairotic moment: it gives you a unique opportunity to fulfill your responsibility and to say what you have uniquely gained an understanding of. This gave me the inspiration and passion I needed to complete inquiries three and four and not get discouraged in the process. This challenged my understanding of writing because it caused me to realize that true, passion-filled writing should challenge you and deepen your perspective on the topic you are writing about. Writing is not a passive activity; it is very active in that it is constantly offering new opportunities to speak out and gain newer perspectives.
While analyzing my article for the second inquiry, I realized an important lesson: kairos does not always come in a way that we expect. When choosing what article to analyze, I expected for my kairotic opportunity to involve me being able to tear down the argument presented in the article. When I realized that a rhetorical analysis is, well, an analysis and not a direct argument, I began to see kairos in a new way. I now see that sometimes, opportunities in writing are not so much about shouting out your own personal view as much as they are about being able to listen to someone else and understand their perspective, even if you disagree. I have realized that writing cannot be done stubbornly and with a closed mind; it must be done with a sort of flexibility and awareness of the views of others. You do not have to be naive or quiet; you just have to be willing to be perceptive.
At the same time, I have also realized that when I do have an opportune moment to speak out, to not be shy about my argument, but rather be forward. I learned this in reading over my graded paper for Inquiry 2. My thesis for the paper was: "The setting that the article is put in establishes ethos, the scientific nature of the argument allows for logos, and the sensitive topic creates pathos; yet, upon reflection, the argument may not be as effective as it seems." Mr. Edwards commented on the last part of the thesis saying, "Why hedge here? Perhaps you could be more forward with your thesis." At this point I realized that while rhetorical analyses are not supposed to be biased based on the topic or argument, you do not have to try to hide your opinion about the technique, rhetoric, and composition of the writing. This lesson, then, also translated into my other inquiries, specifically Inquiry 4. While creating my video, I was nervous that the statistics and pictures would come across as too blunt. Then, as I continued to think through it, and now as I look back, I see that a passionate argument needs a brazen personality. I should not be ashamed of what I have to say; I must be bold, defiant, and nervy. That is what gives an argument the substance needed to captivate an audience.
After analyzing your experience, there comes a responsibility from that experience. I have realized that I have experienced certain things that not everyone understands, even those who choose to write about them (the author I analyzed in Inquiry 2). Because of this, I see that it is my responsibility to share the understanding and knowledge that I have acquired through my experiences so that others can gain a new perspective on the topic. I realized this in Inquiry 2 when I saw how off-base the argument was in the article I picked and I noticed that this could be because the author has never personally experienced what she was speaking of. This realization is what gave me the inspiration for my other inquiries. It has also inspired me to maybe start my own blog to share my life, hopefully influencing someone else for the better. Experiences do not occur for silence. The deepened my understanding of rhetoric by showing me that personal experience allows you to better know what kind of audience to aim your writing at and also how to appeal to that audience. This also deepened my understanding of writing because it caused me to realize that writing cannot be a “surface” assignment, meaning that it cannot be done simply to fulfill a set of guidelines or to satisfy a prompt. Writing must have meaning and passion in order to appeal to the audience.
Along with personal experience and the importance/responsibility of it comes kairos. I realized the importance of kairos in inquiries two through four because even though we learned about it in inquiry one, I did not fully understand it until later. After analyzing personal experience and seeing that I have a responsibility to share it, I realized how important a kairotic moment: it gives you a unique opportunity to fulfill your responsibility and to say what you have uniquely gained an understanding of. This gave me the inspiration and passion I needed to complete inquiries three and four and not get discouraged in the process. This challenged my understanding of writing because it caused me to realize that true, passion-filled writing should challenge you and deepen your perspective on the topic you are writing about. Writing is not a passive activity; it is very active in that it is constantly offering new opportunities to speak out and gain newer perspectives.
While analyzing my article for the second inquiry, I realized an important lesson: kairos does not always come in a way that we expect. When choosing what article to analyze, I expected for my kairotic opportunity to involve me being able to tear down the argument presented in the article. When I realized that a rhetorical analysis is, well, an analysis and not a direct argument, I began to see kairos in a new way. I now see that sometimes, opportunities in writing are not so much about shouting out your own personal view as much as they are about being able to listen to someone else and understand their perspective, even if you disagree. I have realized that writing cannot be done stubbornly and with a closed mind; it must be done with a sort of flexibility and awareness of the views of others. You do not have to be naive or quiet; you just have to be willing to be perceptive.
At the same time, I have also realized that when I do have an opportune moment to speak out, to not be shy about my argument, but rather be forward. I learned this in reading over my graded paper for Inquiry 2. My thesis for the paper was: "The setting that the article is put in establishes ethos, the scientific nature of the argument allows for logos, and the sensitive topic creates pathos; yet, upon reflection, the argument may not be as effective as it seems." Mr. Edwards commented on the last part of the thesis saying, "Why hedge here? Perhaps you could be more forward with your thesis." At this point I realized that while rhetorical analyses are not supposed to be biased based on the topic or argument, you do not have to try to hide your opinion about the technique, rhetoric, and composition of the writing. This lesson, then, also translated into my other inquiries, specifically Inquiry 4. While creating my video, I was nervous that the statistics and pictures would come across as too blunt. Then, as I continued to think through it, and now as I look back, I see that a passionate argument needs a brazen personality. I should not be ashamed of what I have to say; I must be bold, defiant, and nervy. That is what gives an argument the substance needed to captivate an audience.