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Post 8: English 1101

    Going into this semester I was dreading October 9th, because back in 2017 I failed my English class my first semester of college. I gave up. And while I regret it, there's no going back to fix it; except to keep moving forward. October 9th hit and I saw how straight forward and to the point Professor Hamon was and got a little nervous. But in reality that was all for nothing, as he couldn't have made this class any easier and straightforward as it turned out to be. And this isn't even the fact he introduced me to Gemini, making it much easier to help with my writing process and brainstorming. I learned about academic writing and the best ways to improve my writing. Including ways such as creating an introduction that grabs my readers attention, understanding the rhetorical situation, rhetorically analyzing my writing, and efficiently using first-person to help persuade my audience.      To be honest, I don't think there was anything "least importan...
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Post 7: Academic Writing in College

    "At this point in your development as a writer, you may have learned to write “I-less” prose, without first person." (Maddalena, 180). Growing up, high school academic writing emphasized the point she makes at the start of her essay, "“ I need you to say ‘I’”: Why First Person Is Important in College Writing ". Academic writing in high school and college shares similarities, but there are differences, particularly the use of first-person pronouns. In high school, academic writing often focuses on factual recall and objective analysis. Our teachers discourage usage of "I" or "me", promoting a impersonal tone. I can't tell you the amount of times they stressed the point of not using it, following up with "in college they don't allow...". This approach aims to maintain objectivity and distance the writer from the information written.      One difference in college academic writing is that it encourages a more personal and refle...
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Post 6: Rhetorical Strategies

      In Janet Boyd's essay, "Murder! Rhetorically Speaking," she offers an unique approach to understanding rhetoric. She presents a hypothetical murder scenario, inviting her readers to participate in the rhetorical process. By skillfully employing various rhetorical strategies, she explains and demonstrates the power of language and its impact on meaning. One of Boyd's primary strategies is the use of rhetorical situations. By placing readers in different roles like detective, coroner, eulogist, she highlights how the same set of facts can be interpreted and presented. This interactive approach makes the concept of rhetoric relatable. As Boyd states: "Here I offer my definition: rhetoric is what allows you to write (and speak) appropriately for a given situation, one that is determined by the expectations of your audience, implied or acknowledged, whether you are texting, writing a love letter, or bleeding a term paper." (Boyd, p.100)     While Boyd...
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Post 5: Logical Argument

      Jones writes "Deductive reasoning (see Figure 3) starts from a premise that is a generalization about a large class of ideas, people, etc. and moves to a specific conclusion about a smaller category of ideas or things" (Jones, 163). Using deductive reasoning I can provide logical arguments on why it's beneficial to major in cybersecurity. Informing my readers with two or three premises and moving to specific conclusions to support my writing will help my readers understand that cybersecurity is the way to go if you're undecided on your major.      For example, one premise is the demand for cybersecurity professionals is high and continuous to grow. The increasing reliance on technology in all aspects of life has led to a spike in cyber threats. Businesses and organizations across all industries are in need of skilled cybersecurity experts to protect their digital assets. Anther premise includes cybersecurity offers a wide range of career pat...
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Post 4: Rhetorical Context for Benefits of Majoring in Cybersecurity

     The purpose of my writing for this assignment is highlighting cybersecurity and its growing importance, opportunities, and intellectual challenges. I am targeting college students and even high school seniors who are still deciding what path they want to take in their academic lives. Not only students, but potentially even their parents or guidance counselors. Cybersecurity is an important field that only continues to become more vital as time goes on with who technology is evolving, and there is no shortage of experts out there.      Personally, I am pursuing cybersecurity because it not only involves my own personal interests, being computers, but I believe I can help make a difference. I believe I can make an informative and engaging paper that will appeal to an audience and push them to make the leap. "Understanding the exigence is important because it helps you begin to discover the purpose of the rhetoric. It helps you understand what the di...
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Post 3: Outside Sources in Academic Writing

     Academic sources are essentially the experts you go to when writing a paper. They're not only reliable, but backed by other experts in the field and it shows you've done your homework and take your research seriously. When using outside sources there are several things you want to look for such as peer review, author credibility, and citations. First step is ensuring your source is checked by other experts and backed up, which falls into the credibility of the author meaning they know what they're writing about. And when writing your paper you can't forget to give them credit and properly citing your sources.           Mike Bunn uses quotes and paraphrases fluently from various sources into his essay "How to Read Like A Writer". For example, Bunn used a quote from Wendy Bishop to explain how her reading process changed when she began to read like a writer.                 It wa...
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Post 2: My Rhetorical Situation

      I am writing about this topic specifically because I myself have struggled with this exact challenge. When I first graduated high school, I went to Georgia Southern. I felt like I was free and relinquished from the chains of my house without having my mom constantly pressuring me to make sure I get my school work done. Little did I know this would be the worst mistake I could make especially moving 2 hours away from home. I struggled in multiple areas from lack of motivation, unwillingness to go to my classes, losing friends and not having the mental strength to go out and make more. Inevitably, I failed out my first semester and just barely pickup the pieces going into the second. I then took an extended break because I knew I wasn't ready. So, that's why I am writing about this, because I personally understand the struggles that come with moving away from home and all of a sudden struggling to balance all these new life changes. 
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