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Carlye Davis

Dr. Haslam

English 1010

January 13, 2021

Extended Reflective Essay

In English 1010 this semester, I’ve completed three major assignments - a flash narrative,

rhetorical analysis, and civic engagement project.

My ​flash narrative​ focuses on entertaining/evoking emotion within the reader by telling a

fictional story of two women who, though newly acquainted, gift each other love and

companionship in their final moments. I titled it “An Angel Below Deck” because the one

character, Cara, literally goes below deck on a ship to be with the other character, Edith. I also

titled it that because I consider many of the people in my life angels, and they always find a way

to meet me wherever I’m at. I really enjoyed this project because I find the process of curating

stories to be thrilling. I also learned from this project that the best stories require a personal

connection to the characters, and they require ​time​. Words have extraordinary potential, but

when not pondered and chosen carefully, the picture they paint can be dull and insufficient, and

we certainly don’t want that.

Though I want the reader to be inspired and moved, the main goal for my flash narrative

was more egocentric. I’ve had many experiences with heavenly women whom I adore and

admire, and I so much wanted to paint a picture that reflected the feelings they evoke within me.

As a result, my main goal proved my main challenge. When someone has had such a tremendous

impact on your life, you so badly want to “do them justice” (even if “doing them justice” is

creating a fictional character/experience in their honor). Some feelings are so divine that I just
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can’t find the words for them. I spent a long, long time picking each word and crafting each

sentence. It took an especially long time to write the “song” that is found within the story. I

probably spent the largest part of my drafting process on this. After peers reviewed my flash

narrative, the main feedback I received revolved around certain descriptors used that seem to

contradict each other. As a result, I reworded a few sentences, and that’s how I got my flash

narrative.

Later on, I was challenged to do a ​complete revision of my flash narrative​. For this

assignment, I told the same story but from the perspective of Cara, instead of Edith. This was an

interesting task because it forced me to entirely shift my perspective. Instead of being the person

who receives angelic acts of kindness, I now had to fill the shoes of the angel. Though I knew

where the story was going, it probably took me just as long to write this as the original. I found it

an honorable challenge trying to describe what the motives and emotions might be behind some

of the angels in our lives.

My ​rhetorical analysis​ focuses primarily on the usage of logos and pathos in the article

“The Gig Economy Working Yourself to Death” - an article by Jia Tolentino. This article

enlightened me on the distorted view through which Americans see the working class and

perceive the “American dream”. As Americans, we often praise the overworked for their

dedication and grit, but we never question the employers that place these employees in situations

where they’re forced to work themselves to death. The story shared by Tolentino that best

illustrates this point is that of the classic news piece highlighting someone who walks many

miles to and from work everyday. Though a car is often donated to the subject at the end,

Tolentino scrutinizes the employer who doesn’t even provide their employees with enough to

afford commute.
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My main goal in writing a rhetorical analysis was to become more familiar with the

rhetorical strategies logos, pathos, and ethos. I had heard of the terms previously, but I’ve never

had a solid understanding of them until this project. Because I was fairly unfamiliar with these

rhetorical devices prior to this project, I found it challenging to format my outline for this essay.

However, the more I wrote, the more familiar I became with the concept, and the better I did.

During the peer revision process, a peer pointed out that I hadn’t included how ethos was used in

the article. She said that even though Tolentino may not be an expert on the article’s topic, the

sources she used to support her argument ​were​ experts, and that counted as ethos. I had never

considered this, so I revised my essay to include a paragraph which discussed Tolentino’s use of

ethos.

Toward the end of the semester, I was challenged to do a complete adaptation of one

major project, so I chose to adapt my rhetorical analysis. The point of an adaptation is to take

whatever medium something is in and change it to a different one. For example, because my

rhetorical analysis was written word, I changed it to spoken word; I made a ​rhetorical analysis

podcas​t. Besides the seven minutes it took to record me reading the essay, and the five minutes it

took to pick out background music, I found this assignment relatively simple and enjoyable.

My ​civic engagement project​ focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic has increased

instances of child abuse nationwide, what methods of prevention can be taken to flatten the curb,

and how parents can talk with their children about abuse. The inspiration behind this project are

my four nieces and nephews. I can’t bear the thought of someone hurting them or any other

child. This civic engagement project opened my eyes to the many ways I can be an advocate for

the children in my community and inspired me to be more involved in the lives of children I

know.
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My main goal when beginning the civic engagement project was to educate people on the

issue of child maltreatment. I think I accomplished this goal, but only because of the many, many

hours that went into researching this topic. I completed an annotated bibliography with a total of

eleven pages, and I was very particular about the sources I chose, doing everything I could to

ensure their credibility and weigh how well they would contribute to accomplishing my project’s

purpose. Before completing my informational video (the final medium of this project), I had

multiple people watch it to ensure that it was simple to understand, interesting, and informative.

A significant strategy I’ve learned this semester and will continue to use going forward is

revision. Revise, revise, revise! There’s always room for improvement, and sometimes it’s hard

to recognize yourself, so it’s imperative to have others examine your work. I’ve also learned how

important it is to include logos, pathos, ​and e​ thos in major projects, especially persuasive ones.

When these rhetorical devices are used, your argument is easier to understand and considerably

more agreeable.