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.

The definition argument is entirely based on conceptualization and the development of how I wanted the reader to understand what I am attempting to say. It is an ease in, yet also attempting to tell you the conundrum of what I am attempting to answer. Obviously I want to have them agree with me, but they can’t begin to agree unless they can understand the scale of the answer I am giving, and explaining here why I have that answer. My answer is a simple one, but if told it sounds insane, but when the explanation is told beforehand the reader may be more receptive to understanding why. I attempt to make an unanswerable question answerable, while convincing them why this answer will work.

Definition Rewrite – Mongoose449

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. 

I believe that the visual rewrite fits this one best, considering I dissect the advertisement and form a hypothesis based on my own interpretation. I found the idea very interesting, especially because of how you both have to describe the ad without sound, but also then attempt to explain a narrative that you yourself do not know. It was an interesting, very handy way of learning. I made me not only watch something more critically than I would normally do, but then also attempt to convey the meaning of something in the advertisement in only words.

Visual Rewrite- Mongoose449

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.

The work to write about an advertisement, solely based on imagery rather than sound was an interesting assignment. It took some time to be able to first choose an advertisement that I found good enough for what was at hand, and hadn’t read the title or description of the ad before writing about it. After the first submission, it took some time to fully understand the rhetoric aspect. I used my descriptions of the scenes to paint the picture in my own head, to then analyze and depict what I saw when watching the advertisement. It went from a slideshow to a narrative, one that could be followed rather then just seen in screenshots.

Visual Rewrite- Mongoose449

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.

The whole concept of the Causal argument to me was to try and correlate something known, to something unknown. I use the historical aspects of both caves, and a French fortress to try and explain this. A fair amount of people know about the First World war and the fighting that occurred, so connecting the famous Battle of Verdun to my argument could help with understanding. I use the fortress as a placeholder for something manmade and impenetrable, yet traps the occupant in an unlivable situation.

Causal Rewrite- Mongoose449

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. 

One of the few posts that I directly reference some source material that I used, not just pick them apart and using the information I learn to then explain in my own terms. I found that it was easier to reference much more open the ideas and concept I was explaining by using examples of things, like Fort Vaux or Caves. Rather than using the concept or psychology of humans to form the basis of my argument, it is more easily understood when a very simple idea is shown to correlate to the more complex.

Causal Rewrite- Mongoose449

I believe that I heavily benefited from this class, especially in the department of improving my own concept of writing. I found that throughout the course, not only did I provoke the thought of finding a hypothesis I can then argue about, but to then write and attempt to persuade somebody was new to me. Previously I’ve never had to convince somebody to agree with me in an essay format, but I found that it gave me much more insight into the mind and thinking that somebody would have. It both told me that you can’t win every battle, and also that convincing somebody is less about how much evidence you have, and more how you can use your evidence to sound more convincing than the opposition. It gave me a new perspective into writing, to see that everything can and most likely is an argument, just for varying degrees of importance and relevancy. If I could I would choose to take the class again, and would recommend it for all solely just because of the advice given. I feel like I could have maybe done just a bit more in some fields, especially on improving my own vocabulary, but besides that I believe that I have improved over the course to effectively edit and understand what I write.