Learning to Recover From the Rhetorical Analysis Chaos

My first draft was utterly disorganized. I typed all of my ideas down without considering the structure nor did I pay attention to any of the vagueness. Instead of focusing on the rhetorical analysis of Artis Henderson’s memoir, I wrote a summary based on the entire text. This act demonstrated that I was lost and lacked focused which I then needed to make drastic revisions. Peer review and getting feedback from my professor helped me make major revisions on my essay which led to drastic improvements. I realized that giving my peers feedback is more helpful than receiving feedback because I was able to see different perspectives and find inspiration by reading their work. Also, when finding mistakes in their paper or ways to enrichen the essay helps me understand what concepts make a well-developed essay. Getting feedback is also very important in the revisions process because it also helps the writer gain another pair of eyes to catch any mistakes and find ways to make the essay stronger because suggestions are being advised by those who have a different perspective on their views.

The Evolving Thesis:

An excerpt of my theses from the first to final draft demonstrating the progression of developing a well written academic thesis.

My introduction in the first and second draft was too much of a summary and lacked analysis. I didn’t cite any sources to provide evidence for my claims. Overall, my essay was written as a sociology paper rather than a well written rhetorical analysis essay. I was so impatient with my essay and just wanted to get it over with. I wrote random ideas without focusing on how it connects with Henderson’s rhetorical strategies and how she interprets those strategies to convey her message. I focused too much on stereotypes rather than the way Henderson uses characterization throughout her memoir.

My thesis was clear, but it was focused too much on stereotypes rather than the way Henderson uses characterization throughout her memoir. To change this, in my revised introduction I better contextualized Henderson's memoir, Unremarried Widow, narrowing down on the summary and focusing the use of characterization by providing sources as examples.

An excerpt of my introductory paragraphs from the first to final drafts.

My essay was vague and lacked clarity. My topic sentences lacked insight and my analysis didn't meet the requirements of a true analytical essay. I had an awkward transition when ending a paragraph. Failing to successfully implant these concepts in my essay led to my draft labeled as weak. I revised this by adding more sources and properly integrating them. I also wrote analytical arguments to support my claim of Henderson using characterization throughout the memoir. I took examples of Henderson’s memoir and outside sources.

Overall, I hope to continue making improvements throughout my writings, despite how “shitty” my first draft was. I hope with every revision, I learn to grow as a writer. I did not enjoy this assignment because of my poor rhetorical analytical skills, but I did enjoy being challenged because it helps me understand ways on how to improve. In addition, I still need to work on writing more analyses that help the audience understand what strategies perceive Henderson's text and arguments. Making my revisions will help my paper meet the rubric’s essay requirements, therefore making my writing some of the best within my academic discourse community. I agree with the topic I am writing about and I hope to continue to convey my ideas thoughtfully.

An excerpt of my introductory paragraph for first to final draft.