Matt Murray English 1010

Midterm
1) Who is the target audience in each of the 3 revised pieces? Reflection, Visual Analysis, Rhetorical Analysis. a) For Reflection, the primary target is anyone interested in learning a new language. I have attempted to learn 3, all are vastly different, and the closest were French and English. The other two are completely different in every aspect, Twi and Arabic. This paper is directed at those who are learning or who want to learn a new language. b) Visual Analysis involves a slightly more direct audience; this paper refers to one of several billboards put up around the Salt Lake Valley. The intended audience is anyone with a cultural misunderstanding about the LDS religion and its views on birth control and population management. c) Rhetorical Analysis was targeted mostly at those who are interested in the book Life of Pi but have only seen the movie. As with any movie the book is far more in depth, but I also feel that the movie lost a great deal of what the book was trying to convey as a whole, this paper was to clarify some of these areas as well as encourage those to read the book. 2) What do you hope to accomplish (what is your purpose) in each of the 3 revised pieces? Reflection, Visual analysis, Rhetorical Analysis. a) The purpose of my reflection essay is to inform and advise those who are looking to learn a new language. It is to inform them of the gravity of the situation they are choosing to undertake and to advise them of various aspects that they need to consider in approaching this endeavor. In example, what is the base of the language you are choosing to learn, is it similar to your own, will you have any real world application of the language you are attempting to learn. All of these factor into the level of difficulty one will experience in learning a new language. b) Visual Analysis focused more on the rhetorical sensitivity found within the advertisement billboards placed around the valley. In reality they were insensitive to the culture that was their primary audience; their intent was to inform a population that family planning was a good idea. The information they provided was good information, and certainly important information,

however they conveyed it in a manner that was demeaning and pointed. So much so that this billboard was quickly taken down, this essay was used to point out the fact that if they had been more tactful, there message would have been more widespread and would have been more effectively impactful. c) I really enjoyed the book Life of Pi a nd with the success of its film version, I quite often find myself being one of those people telling everyone that they should read the book. No one likes those people. This paper was meant to expound upon some of the things that were missed in the movie as well as break down some of the more important aspects of the book. I especially wanted to point out in this piece the importance of the two point of view storytelling. The authors point of view paired with that of Pis imaginative and for the most part falsely constructed story offers a great deal in the manner conveying philosophy that is not normally handled well. 3) Describe the revisions you made from first to final drafts and why you made those revisions. a) For my reflection essay most of my changes were minor and in regards to grammar or spelling, I did not update the format of the essay or change any of the information. I updated this

information in order to clarify direction and add credibility by reducing errors within my essay. b) My visual analysis was never peer reviewed, the only information I changed was that which I found in proofreading it myself. I did however make several changes to clarify my direction within the paper. Initially I did not have an image and felt that the message was hard to convey to those who were unfamiliar with the culture in the LDS religion especially in Utah. I added and adjusted this paper to make my purpose and direction a little more clear. c) As with my previous papers my revisions to the Rhetorical Analysis paper were based around streamlining. I worked to consolidate my points and make them more direct and efficient; I went through and clarified any information that sounded skewed or incorrect. I also proofread and corrected any spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors that I came across. 4) Describe your engagement in peer review. a) I participated in all peer review sections to the required degree, I reviewed the papers of 4 individuals. I did the reflection, visual and rhetorical analysis of one teammates and 3 separate

individuals for reflection and analysis. For the most part I felt that the individuals grasped the basic concepts but some needed a great deal of revision to clarify their direction. 5) Discuss anything else you would like readers of your portfolio to know about your writing or about yourself as a writer a) I have always enjoyed English, I have been told by my English, History, and Debate teachers that I should pursue a degree in English and continue onto law. Medicine interests me a great deal more; I do however use my English skills quite often in my current occupation. I work as an international vendor relations manager in Accounts Payable for the LDS church. I have excelled especially in the areas of providing tactful feedback, or documenting processes. My weakness in writing is fiction, I lack the imagination to concoct those works like many others do.