Well, I’ve finally completed a year
of rhetorical analysis. I have to say, I was skeptical of the TOW idea at the
beginning of the school year, but now, after completing all of these assignments,
the cycle has definitely been worth it. TOWs have helped me with my reading
analysis skills since the beginning, although it was quite a slow start to
them. Once I got used to the cycle though, it was very beneficial.
At the
beginning of the year, I wrote very formulaic TOWs that followed the assignment
sheet very closely. After discussing with my teacher and fellow students, I
came to the realization that TOWs were not meant to be summaries, but rather
mini analysis essays. After this, I started to shift my TOWs toward the
analysis, not summary, of various texts. Throughout the year, I noticed that I
became more comfortable reading harder texts, and identifying purpose and
rhetorical techniques within the texts. At the end of the year, my TOWs became
more descriptive, analytical, and throughout provoking. These progressions were
some of the main reasons my analysis improved throughout the year.
I believe
my reading and analysis were the main things that improved this year. The TOWs
allowed me to select texts of increasing difficulty, which allowed me to improve
my reading skills. By the end of the year, I was able to read texts much faster
and still comprehend most of the text. In addition to reading, I was able to
more quickly realize what the purpose and rhetorical techniques of a text were,
which were very beneficial during the exam, and will hopefully be more useful
later in life as well.
Despite
this, I still think I can improve my analysis of visual texts. It took me more
time to understand the meaning, purpose, and techniques of visual texts, even
towards the end of the year. I think some more instruction in the visual texts
during class would help in this area.
In
addition, the TOW assignment sheet from the beginning of the year seemed to
lead my early TOWs in the wrong direction. I felt that that sheet led me more
to a summary than an analysis essay. Therefore, I think that a revision of this
assignment sheet would also be helpful.
Overall,
thank you for the TOW experience. It was definitely beneficial for me, and
hopefully, it will be for many other classes.
