Rhetorical Situations

The first day of class was very intimidating. The fact that we were told to write a paper on the first day that could potentially get me recommended to a lower level class was pretty nerve racking. To begin the assignment I had to first make sure I read through the article and understand McCall's point of view. Once I knew his point of view, I could determine whether or not I agreed or disagreed with his stance. When I began writing the diagnostic essay I felt some pressure. My essay was going to single handedly determine whether I belonged in the class or not. The pressure caused me to very carefully construct my essay. I knew the purpose of the assignment was to summarize the article by stating McCall's thesis, and then give my opinion on the article with reasons. It was easy to pick a side of the argument because I already had an opinion on the subject before reading the article. I knew my audience would be Ms. Jarmer, and that she might have some knowledge of the article, but since I did not know, I had to make sure my summary would inform her of the article completely. Also I knew that she was very educated in writing, which meant I had make sure I did not leave a bad first impression. 

After getting my diagnostic essay back, I would change a few things. Instead of just reading the article a couple of times and looking back at it while writing my essay, I should have just simply taken notes while I read. Also, I should have read the article more carefully to understand McCall's thesis more clearly. The fact that I only provided one personal experience was not the best choice. If I provided more I could have influenced my audience more with my real life experiences. My tendency to procrastinate did not help either. Rushing through an important assignment the night before it was due was probably not the best idea. Once I found out that I "should" be able to succeed in the class, I was completely relieved. After reading the comments, however, I realized I have a lot of work to do. The essay was kind of a wake up call for me. If I could do the assignment over again I would. Hopefully this will help me down the line when it comes to taking things seriously and using my time wisely.

David Sacre

(411 words)