Reflective Cover Letter

One of the most important things I have learned this semester was understanding the

concept of discourse communities and the criteria for a group to be considered a discourse

community. Any group sharing similar interests, goals and activities are all considered discourse

communities. Also, people within discourse communities use specific lingo and dialog unique to

their community. Discourse communities are vary and are very diverse. Football players and Frat

groups are all examples of discourse communities on campus, where as church membership and

the community you live in are also discourse communities outside of campus. I enjoyed

participating in the escape room experience with my classmates. This experience opened me up

to anew discourse community and allowed the opportunity for me to use unfamiliar lexis and

work towards the common goal of escaping with my group.

Secondly, I learned the importance of using rhetoric to persuade your audience when

writing a narrative. Particularly the importance of listening carefully and analyzing all angles of

a situation before taking a stance. This can be useful when writing about a topic I am passionate

about. Thinking rhetorically will allow me to digest information from different points of views,

thus allowing for a thoughtful and introspective piece. This concept also works hand in hand

when establishing a clear and concise narrative to write a compelling story. Specifically, a good

narrative is less about statistics and facts, and more about writing a easy to follow story. Points

such a s considering my medium, the broader context of my topic and ensuring my papers follow

a logical time sequence, are all valuable lessons that helped me complete all of my major writing

thus far. An example of displaying these skills can be found within my DOA writing. I tried my

best to make a strong opening paragraph and create the narrative as I played the game.
 In conclusion, incorporating pathos, logos and ethos into my writing to elicit the

emotions and responses I desire is another big take away from this semester. I have of better

understanding of the necessity of using pathos, logos and ethos to hook my readers and drive my

narrative. This is the exact approach I have taken on my argumentative essay and digital

storybook. My goal was to elicit compassion, sympathy and understanding to the audience. My

genre was political and I used music to help reel in my audience. These are all skill I learned

from various assignments this semester.