Journey to Understanding (Projct Web)

Entering my first semester in this English course, I expected it to be pretty much the same as all the other English courses that I have taken in the past. I am not a huge fan of writing; therefore I dreaded this class even before I had the chance to experience it because I thought that the main focus was going to be writing essays. But soon enough, my views of this course took a huge turn as soon as we began our assignment on rhetorical strategies and ethnographies. This theme not only engaged my interest, but I believe that since it was so interesting to me, writing about it came a lot easier. Getting myself involved inspired me to write. As my journey continues throughout the first semester in college, these rhetorical skills and actions have developed and shaped me to understand people and my surroundings more.

           As the last assignment in our first semester, we had to focus on our rhetorical skills and also observe them being uses in society.  Learning about rhetoric really stuck to me ever since the first day we stared to discuss it. I did not realize how important and how commonly rhetoric was used. The three main focuses and ideas of rhetoric are pathos, logos, and ethos. Each of these ideas within rhetoric helps in or everyday lives. Whether we know it or not, every little thing we do is based on the matters of rhetoric. Using the skills of knowing how to play with emotions, credibility, and logic, rhetoric is a part of our every day decision making routine. One of our assignments was to observe rhetoric in our lives. We were to implant ourselves in any location we wanted and observe the actions of the people within this space, without having ourselves affecting the space. The interaction between people whether friends, family, or strangers, each and every person I observed proved a point of rhetorical actions. Once I was able to see and understand the cause and effect actions between others, I was able to consistently view them in my own life. First being able to learn what rhetoric is, then seeing in lay helped me better understand the human actions and reasoning. This skill that I have built through our first semester really impacted my life and as I continued on into the second semester these new findings and knowledge was useful in our upcoming projects.

             With these rhetorical skills that I have acquired in our first semester, they really helped me understand, not only myself, but also others on a different level. My learned rhetorical skills have also helped me on our Project Space in the second semester. Project Space was an assignment that taught us the difference between the different types of places and how people can affect these specific spaces. Projects Space improved my understanding of the impact of just one person in specific spaces. I have learned that depending on one’s location, they can greatly affect the area that they resign.  For example, I work at Pinecrest Schools as an after school yard supervisor. 

I spend most of my time with children ranging form the grade levels of kindergarten to eighth grade. And as a young teenager working at a school my presence affects the students differently. The younger kids view me as just another adult authority figure but the other students, such as the eighth graders see me as more of their “friends” because we are close in age. Therefore it is a lot tougher for me to have control and have them take me seriously because they only see me as a friend. There are many other examples of how I affected this school space but I feel like this greatly proves how one can affect a space.

           I believe that my experiences from my first semester greatly influenced my actions and learning habits for this second semester. Being able to practice my rhetorical skills, I have been able to utilize my decision-making skills in a more sufficient way. By beginning the year developing theses skills, I was able to incorporate them into the second semester, especially in our Project Space. Project space focused more on how one affects a particular location and space. By using the three ideals of rhetoric, I was able to observe why and how people changed the mood of spaces through their every action and communication styles.

            Throughout these first two semesters, I was able to learn many skills that will definitely stick with me for the rest of my life.  I believe that the skills I have developed from our first semester helped me both, in our second semester's project space, but also helped me realize and see my own life through many different perspectives. I have improved my rhetorical skills and have been able to recognize and put to use my new discoveries. I have learned that even though I may not like writing, if I am able to be engaged into the subject and become interested, it is easier for my to build up the encouragement to write. . My journey in trying to determine ways to better understand others and their actions and impacts, I was able to discover more about myself through the entire process.