Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

My writing showed that I used this core value, especially in my definitional argument. I used many different websites and articles and also my meeting and messaging with my professor and peers to make my writing more understandable. I used reliable sources to explain my points and after my feedback from the professor, the development between where I started when I was confused about where my topic was going to lead me to my rewrite of it was shown. The more research I did into my topic and the feedback I got helped me write my final paper and even make revisions to my definition paper. I looked for different perspectives of what I was writing about and learned the different ways to grieve and I learned a lot more about the process as well as how important physical objects are to this process

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

My writing for my final paper showed how I read up on and learned about many opinions debating whether or not holding onto things was good for a person. I placed quotes and explained more about how people celebrated differently. I showed the different perspectives on things and incorporated them into my paper whether I was arguing against them or not. I explored the two different sides and explained how many people felt about both sides as well as explaining the cultural side of this topic. My final paper showed how I brought all these ideas together and used it to further explain the importance of grief as a whole and how objects can help connect us to those who have passed away and how we can honor them.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

I demonstrated my understanding of this value in my visual argument. I found and saw what the video was about and tried to further explain it by using the second by second method where I talked about everything that I noticed and analyzed what they were doing in the video. I took the time to try to figure out what was going on by stopping and noticing everything. By doing that it also helped me understand what they were trying to show and see things that I wouldn’t have noticed if I just watched it like normal.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

My writing showed my understanding for this value during my Rebuttal Argument. I used many sources to prove my point as well as argue against those arguing against me. Through research, I found many people who had stories and their own opinions while I also looked into those whos opinions matched up with mine in a way. Most of the sources I used were more informative articles or books explaining the importance of objects and how one can connect to us those who have passed and explaining in many different ways how and why honoring and keeping their memory alive is important to the healing process rather than forcing ourselves to move on. I used examples from many of these articles to show both sides.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

In my writing, I cited many sources from informative books and research articles that talked about the cultural importance in my definition argument. I made sure not to twist words or put in words to help explain the cultural aspect of things. There were things I knew but that I wasn’t sure of any to insure I wasn’t spreading misinformation, I used these books/ articles to prove and inform. I also credited those sources and explained the ideas the sources were giving. All of the sources I gave in my bibliography about the Day of the Dead were also research papers or books written to spread information about the culture and holiday.